Sunday, August 12, 2007

Seeking the Island Lifestyle

I was very young when I made my first trip to Florida. I was drawn on my very first look. Drawn to the tropics. I was into everything from the scenery to the lifestyle. Palm trees and white sand beaches, Jimmy Buffett music and fine island foods, surfing and diving. I loved to be out and bare foot with my sunglasses on and soaking up the sun.

This was every summer for me and was what I lived for. Now its my everyday and has been for more than fifteen years now. It's where I live.

So many people from so may places are drawn to the tropics that they are the ultimate melting pot. Besides great weather, this is a big part of what make the tropics so wonderful and appealing. There is just one thing that have ever bothered me a bit about the lifestyle, and that is when those who are drawn to the tropics don't know why they are drawn there in the first place. It is important to understand the history and the culture of where you come from, where you are and where you are going.

The tropical lifestyle has evolved into something quite unique today as all tropical destinations have experienced this same cultural confusion over the years. Over decades, the love of the tropics has never ended, it has simply shifted from one place to the other as the world's eye changed focus from Cuba to Florida to the Caribbean to California to Hawaii and others. Why else would you where a Hawaiian shirt in Florida or eat Key Lime Pie and listen to steel drum music at a luau? It's what I call "The Tropical Melting Pot".

There are several icons of the island lifestyle and tropical culture. Perhaps the most popular is the Tiki. Today more than ever we pursue all of these things as we seek a finer living or just a means to temporarily escape. Today, more than ever the tropics has a wonderful identity. Today, this is what the Tiki has come to represent.

This is why a friend and I created http://www.thetikibarisopen.com. Ultimately, our goal is to build the web's largest online community (Tiki Nation) for those who pursue fine island lifestyle... for real or just temporarily in your mind. It's a place where people from around the world can come to relax, escape and enjoy life through our stories, cultural history lessons, recipes, cocktails, music, podcasts and blogs.

These things are important to us. If you've found this and are reading this, it is probably important to you too. So come visit us, visit often and share your stories too!

http://www.thetikibarisopen.com

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