UNDER THE MANGO TREE--Tamsin Barzane

It's been a busy week, with another one ahead. I have the summers off, I have no children to look after, you'd think all would be relaxing, but it isn't. There's still fallout in the form of a barrage of emails to be answered, calls I don't want to take, requests that are interesting but not what I want to do right now, bills to take care of, and all the things you know all too well.

When I think back to my time in Nigeria, I realize few of these things applied--or at least not on a regular basis. Nobody took credit cards--so you only bought things you could afford and thought you needed. Bills were for utilities, but those who couldn't afford could tip the electricity men something and their lines were safe for another month or so. Hungry? A friend would always be willing to share. Anxieties and pressures still existed, but at a different weight and pressure.

Maybe that's one reason I enjoy Saminaka so much. I like to go out dancing, but when people use their spammy gestures and words cover the screen, it's almost as if shouting is going on. A frantic pace is a sort of artificial excitement, like restaurants with intentional bad acoustics meant to foster the noise of a thousand happy, frenzied customers.

Slow down with me. Saminaka has two "off" islands, one with a hammock, the other with a beach blanket or a tree pose. There's the Wikki Warm Springs, where you can float in the water. Sit on the pier by the waterfall and swing your legs, or splash in the pool it spills into. Relax with a cup of palmwine at the Manatee Lookout, or read a book in the library. You'll feel your pulse slow, your muscles relax. It may be virtual, but it can have real physical effects! C'mon over! We've even moved the giant video screen over to Apapa port, so the view of the sunsets is unimpeded. Your free trip to anxiety free paradise could begin right now!