“Very beautiful and very wild,” is how one American living in Nicaragua describes his adopted home. After my first visit there last month, I am in complete agreement and would add a few more adjectives: “untouched,” “serene” and “the next big thing.”

Having spent some time in Costa Rica and southern Mexico, I had a sense of what to expect geographically, but what surprised me most were the many seemingly contradictory juxtapositions that define the country. Asking hotel managers and tourism experts about Nicaragua’s biggest challenge prompted the same resounding reply: “Foreigner’s misconception of the country’s safety.”

I didn’t tell them that until I arrived, I had been one of these anxious foreigners. Informed about Nicaragua’s political issues over the past decades, I definitely had safety concerns before my trip; I was stunned when I ended up feeling safer there than walking home in Manhattan. One local explained Nicaragua’s statistic of having the lowest crime rate in Central America thus: because the culture is so used to being at war (bullet holes from revolution of the 1970s are still visible in many building facades), communities band together enforcing a very strong commitment to local security.

I also wasn’t prepared for the scars the country’s political issues have left. Nicaragua is emerging from an era that included a corrupt dictatorship, a government coup, a civil war and a period of anti-American socialism. All of this, understandably, discouraged tourism — until now. Today, capitalistic ambitions exist alongside surviving socialist attitudes. I was fascinated by the state-run co-operative bus system that uses donated Russian school buses from the 1970s, but where the drivers call stations ahead from their cell phones, competing for fares.

Another fascinating contrast is the country’s relationship with eco-friendliness and the green movement. I had always considered recycling a first-world’s dilemma, but Nicaragua is extremely concerned with their carbon footprint. It is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere (after Haiti), but despite, or perhaps because of this, government and business people are very focused on sustainability, green building and maintenance. Another noticeable aspect is the importance that hotels place on helping their local communities with donations, school and after-school program support and hiring staff from the surrounding areas.

Since my return, I have often revisited my favorite mental image from the trip. Driving along a dirt road heading to a spectacular and deserted beach, we passed four men on a rickety donkey cart. Barefoot and balancing surfboards under their arms, they waved to us, the only car on the road for miles. I couldn’t help but think this was the perfect metaphor for the country: They were moving along — slowly — using extremely outdated machinery, all the while having a great time and enjoying the experience. There must be deeper meaning to the fact that while my behemoth of a van got stuck in a pothole, their wooden cart passed us, the men still grinning and waving.

Some of my favorite Nicaragua discoveries:

The treehouse bungalows at Morgan’s Rock.

Swimming at night in a sea filled with phosphorescence at Aqua Wellness Resort.

The Jicaro Sunset cocktail, made with Jicaro liquor, passion fruit juice, banana and coconut milk at Jicaro Eco-Lodge.

The organic and locally-made coffee bean and sand exfoliation facials at Coco Berry Spa in Granada.

Pueblos Blancos, home to pottery workshops.

Amazing leather goods and hand-crocheted hammocks at Masaya market.

Read Amelia’s article on Indagare.

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SAN JUAN DEL SUR, NICARAGUA—“Is it safe?” people asked when I said I was going to Nicaragua.

“I hope so,” I replied. According to my guidebook it’s the safest country in Central America. Yet now that I’m standing here on a bumpy back road in a tropical forest, I admit my fear. Not of violence and civil strife — the country has been peaceful for years now — I’m worried a howler monkey is going to poop on my head.

“It’s one of the weapons they use if they feel threatened,” says Julio, my guide.

A barking howl fills the air, a branch rustles overhead, and that close-up monkey photo no longer seems so important. I dash back to the van and we’re on our way to Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge.

Located on the southwest coast, 18 kilometres from the upbeat surfer town of San Juan del Sur, Morgan’s Rock was the first luxury eco lodge in the country. New resorts are moving in, however, as Nicaragua becomes a prime destination for green travellers. Still unspoiled, with coastline on both the Pacific and the Caribbean, the country is a nature hound’s dream – a land of sulphur-spitting volcanoes, tangled rainforests and a scattering of lodges-with-a-conscience that blend jetsetter chic with sustainability. It’s still not a well-oiled tourist machine and at some point you’ll likely find yourself on a jarring dirt road, but you’ll also find a warm optimistic vibe and a country teetering between discovery and grit.

Award-winning Morgan’s Rock is made up of 15 deluxe bungalows constructed from exotic local woods. Throw in a quiet beach, a pool, a working farm and an 800-hectare nature reserve and it’s clear why it remains a favourite.

I’m curious about the competition, however, and Aqua Wellness Resort is not far away. Located near the fishing village of Gigante, Aqua is the only property on crescent-shaped Redonda Bay. Its 24 treetop villas are spread out over the hillside so be forewarned, you’ll do a lot of walking, but it’s all part of the get fit process. Aqua is known for its yoga retreats and has a holistic-minded spa. With plunge pools, paths lined with lava rock and villas surrounded by wild ginger and banana trees, it’s a jungle getaway worth the trek.

Down at the beach, the setting sun colours the sand gold and spills honey-tinted light onto the boulders at the edge of the shore. After splashing around in the sheltered bay, I make my way to the beachside restaurant to meet Aqua’s Canadian co-owner, Trevor Barran. His enthusiasm about the country is infectious, and he sums it up when he says, “Nicaragua is going through a massive growth spurt for tourism and we’re lucky to be here in this moment.”

I’d like to stay a few days, but there’s another property to check out. It lies further north near Granada, a colonial town on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Centuries ago, when Mombacho Volcano erupted, enough rock flew through the air to create Las Isletas, 365 islands sprinkled over Central America’s largest lake. Some hold nothing more than a tree and a few cormorants. Others house the mansions of the elite. And one is owned by Karen Emanuel, a British woman who opened Jicaro Island Ecolodge in 2010.

Picture a porcupine but instead of quills, imagine ferns, ceiba trees and birds of paradise bursting out of the ground. Tuck in nine casitas (villas) constructed from reclaimed wood, a yoga deck, lookout tower, open-air restaurant, infinity pool and lakeside spa pavilion and you have Jicaro.

There is no beach, but you can swim in the lake. In the early morning I kayak through lily pads while egrets and herons flap overhead. It feels remote and tranquil — and hard to believe we’re just a 20-minute boat ride from lively Granada with its candy-coloured shops, spacious plazas and neoclassical cathedral.

Darkness hits swiftly on the island. After a twilight massage and a dinner of grilled fish, I pad down the path to my casita. Inside, something is wrong. Either this isn’t my room or someone has snuck in and neatly packed my suitcase. Embarrassed, I backtrack and find the right casita. I’m in my nightgown when the door slides open and an American woman walks in.

“Oh, sorry!” she exclaims. “I was looking for number 4.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “I was just there.”

We laugh and I think back to before I arrived, when I wondered if the country was safe. Now here I am, such a short time later, so comfortable I forgot to lock my door.

Just the facts:

ARRIVING: Delta flies from Toronto to the capital city of Managua via Atlanta ( www.delta.com). From Managua private transfers to the lodges can be arranged through the hotels.

SLEEPING (*Rates go up during high season, but check websites for specials)

Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge. Rates start at $161 pp in a double with breakfast and dinner. www.morgansrock.com Tel: (505) 2563 9005

Aqua Wellness Resort. Rates start at $175 for 2 per night including breakfast and wellness classes. www.aquanicaragua.com Tel: (505) 8849 6235

Jicaro Island Ecolodge. An inclusive package with meals starts at $380 for 2 per night. www.jicarolodge.com Tel: (505) 2558 7702

In San Juan del Sur, Pelican Eyes Resort has pools, gardens, curved white walls and was home base for the production crew during Survivor Nicaragua. A 5-night Nicaragua Bliss package starts at $1,290 for two. www.pelicaneyesresort.com Tel: (505) 2563 7000

Up and coming: a swanky $250 million resort complex, Guacalito de la Isla, on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast is set to open in late 2012. With an 18-hole golf course; MUKAL, a boutique hotel; and a world-class spa, it promises to bump up Nicaragua’s tourist profile. www.guacalitodelaisla.com

DOING

Zip line over a coffee plantation on the slope of Mombacho Volcano. Drive right up to a simmering volcano at Masaya Volcano National Park. Oro Travel can arrange various tours and activities. www.orotravel.com.

Don’t miss Granada, one of Nicaragua’s top destinations. See the colonial architecture of Hotel Dario on Calle La Calzada ( www.hoteldario.com.), get a $24 massage at the organic Cocoberry Spa ( www.cocoberryspa.com) on Calle La Calzada and feast on grilled steak at El Zaguan restaurant on Calle El Arsenal.

WEBSURFING: For information, tours and travel specials visit the website for INTUR, the Nicaraguan Tourism Board http://nicaraguatourism.us

SAFETY: Nicaragua is a friendly country but use common sense. Don’t walk alone at night. Keep an eye on your bags. Drink filtered water, use mosquito repellent and buy travel insurance.

Carol’s trip was subsidized by INTUR, the Nicaraguan Tourist Board. Visit her blog at www.wanderingcarol.com

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ET: What is Nicaragua’s appeal to affluent travelers?

Minister Mario Salinas Pasos: We appeal from medium to very, very high-end tourism. We have unique culture and adventure travel products and we have world-class golf courses with more under development. We have both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. We have two Colonial Cities “Leon and Granada” and the second largest church in the Americas which is a UNESCO world heritage site. We have yacht marinas, and “sunboarding” down the sides of a volcano. We have amazing lakes and fishing. We are ranked in the top five surf destinations in the world and in November 2012 we will host surfing’s world championships. We have incredible nature with two of the world’s foremost turtle hatcheries where in one night you can watch over 3,000 turtles come ashore.

ET: What about accommodations?

Minister Mario Salinas Pasos: We already have top five-star resorts such as Aqua Wellness Resort and we have under development Guacalito de la Isla on what is our “Emerald Coast”. There are home sites with amazing ocean views and there are three and four bedroom ocean view villas. There is a David McLay Kidd golf course, as you know, he is the award win ning designer of Bandon Dunes and the Seventh Course at St. Andrew Links. It is all together a $250 million project. Nicaragua is also know for its five star boutique hotels, including in Leon we have a converted monastery which is now a beautiful boutique hotel.

ET: How is tourism doing?

Minister Mario Salinas Pasos: We are beginning to be discovered. We now have over one million tourists per year and we are a country of six million people. Nicaragua is safe and secure, and our people are known for being welcoming and friendly. Our number one market is the United States with 27 percent and we are easily accessible either by commercial airline service and certainly private jets.

You can read the original article on the Elite Traveler web site.

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My love for Latin America is infinite! With my husband from the Dominican Republic and a little one on the way, knowing about Latino culture in general has become more important to be than ever before. My first experience in Latin America was a small community right outside the city of Leon in Nicaragua. It had been hit by tons of soot and ash from the nearby volcano and I went to help clean up the community. Although it was my first experience in a third world country, I did not want to leave. I instantly fell in love and went back 3 times over the next few years following that summer trip in 1990. For over 20 years I have been traveling all over Latin America, but a piece of my heart has always remained in Nicaragua!

You can imagine my delight when I was introduced Trevor Barran, owner and operator of Aqua Wellness Resort in Nicaragua! The photos you see on these pages are directly from the eco-paradise that he and his staff have created in seclusion near the Pacific coastal fishing and surfing community of Playa Gigante! I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to go for your honeymoon!

While you may think…What? Honeymooning in a third world country? Yes – you can and should do it! If you are reading this magazine, it’s because you are all about being sustainable and keeping a green lifestyle. Everything Aqua does is sustainable and Eco-Beautiful!!!

Aqua has won the Marana award twice (which is the Nicaraguan equivalent of the EPA) for their sustainable development, usage of certified local materials, organic farming and local employment. Over
95% of their employees are local! You can literally take pride in choosing Aqua as your honeymoon destination knowing that you are helping to grow a sustainable community while honeymooning in luxury!
From the romantic treetop villas to their families of monkeys and other rainforest/ tropical fauna and flora – you will be mesmerized by the connection to mother earth! Secluded in the forest and near their protected swimming beach, you can even hold your entire wedding there! Every single room has a spectacular view and every meal is freshly prepared with local ingredients.

Enjoying your honeymoon is key of course after all those long months of planning; keeping it eco-friendly and sustainable takes some planning. The team at Aqua takes pride in making sure that your entire experience from getting off the plane to saying your goodbyes is safe, luxurious and an adventure in green traveling! Send us your photos when you get back!!! I plan on going for our 2nd honeymoon!

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Seven-night yoga retreats from $1,850, including meals, activities, and workshops. (509) 456-7737, aquanicaragua.com. Image courtesy of Aqua Wellness Resort. This story appeared in the January/February 2012 issue.

Find the original article by Jen Murphy on Afar.com

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Retreats will include daily morning hatha and yin yoga classes on the beautiful ocean deck to energize, re-balance, and detoxify the body.

Additional daily lectures or workshops designed to inspire you to be healthier in the body and mind.
Menu includes 3 daily organic, fresh, local meals that are dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and soy-free.

Free time in the afternoons to chill out on the private beach, take surf lessons, do jungle hikes, paddle surfing, kayaking, snorkelling, horseback riding, boat trips, or enjoy relaxing, detoxifying massages. Trips to other colonial cities, volcanic islands, volcanic hiking, and canopy zip-line tours through the cloud rain forest can be arranged.

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS WILL INCLUDE:

1) What is prana and how to increase it though yoga and nutrition for more energy.

2) Energy centres in the body, and how yoga exercises and meditations can help unblock negative energy in the body and mind.

3) Exploring the breath and how it affects the mind, and how the mind affects the breath. Learning how your breath is an indication of your emotional state and how you can change it. Learning how proper breath work can de-stress and reduce anxiety.

4) Connecting to your intuition and becoming aware of what resonates with you, while letting go of things that don’t serve you.

5) How meditation affects your thoughts and how your thoughts mirror your reality. Change your thoughts, change your life!

6) Basic anatomy and how a better understanding of your body will help improve your posture, your yoga practice, and reduce pain or imbalances. Also, learn about your internal organs and how certain foods affect efficiency to detoxify toxins from the body.

7) How raw food increases your energy, prevents disease, and makes you feel (and look) like a million bucks! Hands-on workshops that include raw, vegan smoothies, dairy-free milks, soups, entrees, decadent desserts, salads, and healthy Nicaraguan chocolate. Gracious Living recipe books included.

These retreats will help you re-connect to the real you. You will be provided with tools and information that will guide you in the direction of creating your best life ever! AQUA is the perfect beautiful, transformational, nurturing environment for this life-changing, adventurous, and fun retreat!

Beginners are welcome, guys are welcome, all ages are welcome, past retreat participants are welcome….EVERYONE & ANYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND! All classes and recipes are always new, fresh, and evolving.

$1800 double occupancy for a 1 week Gracious Living Retreat in a magnificent treehouse that includes everything mentioned above, plus airport transfers.

$2300 single occupancy.

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Retreats will include daily morning hatha and yin yoga classes on the beautiful ocean deck to energize, re-balance, and detoxify the body.

Additional daily lectures or workshops designed to inspire you to be healthier in the body and mind.
Menu includes 3 daily organic, fresh, local meals that are dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and soy-free.

Free time in the afternoons to chill out on the private beach, take surf lessons, do jungle hikes, paddle surfing, kayaking, snorkelling, horseback riding, boat trips, or enjoy relaxing, detoxifying massages. Trips to other colonial cities, volcanic islands, volcanic hiking, and canopy zip-line tours through the cloud rain forest can be arranged.

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS WILL INCLUDE:

1) What is prana and how to increase it though yoga and nutrition for more energy.

2) Energy centres in the body, and how yoga exercises and meditations can help unblock negative energy in the body and mind.

3) Exploring the breath and how it affects the mind, and how the mind affects the breath. Learning how your breath is an indication of your emotional state and how you can change it. Learning how proper breath work can de-stress and reduce anxiety.

4) Connecting to your intuition and becoming aware of what resonates with you, while letting go of things that don’t serve you.

5) How meditation affects your thoughts and how your thoughts mirror your reality. Change your thoughts, change your life!

6) Basic anatomy and how a better understanding of your body will help improve your posture, your yoga practice, and reduce pain or imbalances. Also, learn about your internal organs and how certain foods affect efficiency to detoxify toxins from the body.

7) How raw food increases your energy, prevents disease, and makes you feel (and look) like a million bucks! Hands-on workshops that include raw, vegan smoothies, dairy-free milks, soups, entrees, decadent desserts, salads, and healthy Nicaraguan chocolate. Gracious Living recipe books included.

These retreats will help you re-connect to the real you. You will be provided with tools and information that will guide you in the direction of creating your best life ever! AQUA is the perfect beautiful, transformational, nurturing environment for this life-changing, adventurous, and fun retreat!

Beginners are welcome, guys are welcome, all ages are welcome, past retreat participants are welcome….EVERYONE & ANYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND! All classes and recipes are always new, fresh, and evolving.

$1800 double occupancy for a 1 week Gracious Living Retreat in a magnificent treehouse that includes everything mentioned above, plus airport transfers.

$2300 single occupancy.

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- Gain insight in to your essential creative powers?
- Deepen your mind-body-spirit connection?
- Experience expanded awareness & consciousness in your life?
- Peel away the inauthentic mind-chatter and express your true heart?
- Rest & relax in the company of fabulous like-minded women!

If so, join photographer Catherine Just, spiritual author Sheri Rosenthal, and a bevy of Soul*Full Sisters for this heart-centered creative spiritual retreat. Through the medium of photography and sacred spiritual space we will explore our creative process in a nourishing, non-judgmental and FUN environment. It’s about finding your true passion and artistic voice even if you have never taken a picture or drawn a straight line in your life.

Each day we’ll explore opening our heart-space while setting those harsh inner thoughts to rest. Using gentle journaling, ceremony, group circles, Sheri’s spiritual sharings, and Catherine’s playful photo assignments – we’ll let go of any preconceived ideas of what we can or cannot create in life and open to the energy of infinite consciousness as it expresses through each one of us!

Highlights Of Your Adventure:

- Five awesome nights at Agua Nicaragua
- All meals included (AQUA Nicaragua is dedicated to sourcing the freshest, local and organic produce, meats and seafood)
- Soul*Full Sisters Sacred Circles
- One yummy massage!
- Catherine’s daily creative photo explorations
- Sheri’s daily Tasty Morsel’s (spiritual nuggets)
- Volcano Mombacho hike/Canopy Tour (Trekking around the volcano´s four craters. Then do as the howler monkeys do going from tree to tree, aided by ropes and harnesses walking the forest canopy. Breathtaking.)

Paradise at Agua Nicaragua

Located on the secluded beach of Redonda Bay, nestled on a private white sand beach along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast almost hidden amongst the treetops, lives a resort like no other. Private, secluded villas, constructed of sustainable hardwoods and furnished by local artisans are your home while you enjoy Nicaragua at it’s purest. Laze your days away admiring Playa la Redonda, our private white sand beach or perhaps spoil yourself with professional spa offerings. The accommodations at AQUA were designed to place you into the heart of nature, and allow you to enjoy an up close and rare personal experience of what is becoming an increasingly endangered habitat.

“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” ~Erica Jong

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 or email us – we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Grace Van Berkum is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Sivananda Hatha Yoga Teacher, and Certified Personal Trainer. After studying and working in the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas for 6 months, she headed to Central America to teach and became captivated by the natural beauty of Nicaragua. She is passionate about cultivating inner peace, increasing vitality, and preventing disease through conscious eating, exercise, yoga, spirituality, and connecting to nature.

YOGA and MEDITATION with Grace Van Berkum:

Enjoy daily hatha yoga classes on the beautiful ocean deck re-energizing body, mind, and spirit. Reduce stress and pain in the body while reducing stress and agitation in the mind. A magical and tranquil spot to connect to nature, go within, and clear your mind. All levels are welcome. Private yoga sessions available for more focus and individualized attention.

NUTRITION CONSULTATIONS with Grace Van Berkum:

Learn the basics of healthy eating for your body and digestion. Grace provides food and supplement recommendations that can help you improve your eating regimen when you go back home. Book a free 15 min consultation with Grace to discuss how she can help you get on track.

NUTRITION: RAW, VEGAN CLASSES with Grace Van Berkum:

Curious about raw, vegan foods? Want to learn more about how these foods can help you look and feel great but don’t know where to begin? Let Grace help you on your way with her fun, hands-on, raw, vegan workshops! Learn how to make delicious, nutritious, and satisfying raw, vegan foods that includes soups, dips, pates, entrees, and decadent desserts. All food prepared will be gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. Each inspiring workshop is 2 hours long and includes recipes and important tips.

BEACH WORKOUTS with Grace Van Berkum:

Grace is available for beach workouts for an overall fun body workout focusing on strength, power, core work, and cardio.

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Gracious Living presents three 7 day amazing, inspiring, rejuvenating retreats at Aqua Wellness Resort in 2012, exploring the Gracious Living motto while connecting to mind, body, spirit.

Retreats will include daily morning hatha and yin yoga classes on the beautiful ocean deck to energize, re-balance, and detoxify the body.

Additional daily lectures or workshops designed to inspire you to be healthier in the body and mind.
Menu includes 3 daily organic, fresh, local meals that are dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and soy-free.

Free time in the afternoons to chill out on the private beach, take surf lessons, do jungle hikes, paddle surfing, kayaking, snorkelling, horseback riding, boat trips, or enjoy relaxing, detoxifying massages. Trips to other colonial cities, volcanic islands, volcanic hiking, and canopy zip-line tours through the cloud rain forest can be arranged.

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS WILL INCLUDE:

1) What is prana and how to increase it though yoga and nutrition for more energy.

2) Energy centres in the body, and how yoga exercises and meditations can help unblock negative energy in the body and mind.

3) Exploring the breath and how it affects the mind, and how the mind affects the breath. Learning how your breath is an indication of your emotional state and how you can change it. Learning how proper breath work can de-stress and reduce anxiety.

4) Connecting to your intuition and becoming aware of what resonates with you, while letting go of things that don’t serve you.

5) How meditation affects your thoughts and how your thoughts mirror your reality. Change your thoughts, change your life!

6) Basic anatomy and how a better understanding of your body will help improve your posture, your yoga practice, and reduce pain or imbalances. Also, learn about your internal organs and how certain foods affect efficiency to detoxify toxins from the body.

7) How raw food increases your energy, prevents disease, and makes you feel (and look) like a million bucks! Hands-on workshops that include raw, vegan smoothies, dairy-free milks, soups, entrees, decadent desserts, salads, and healthy Nicaraguan chocolate. Gracious Living recipe books included.

These retreats will help you re-connect to the real you. You will be provided with tools and information that will guide you in the direction of creating your best life ever! AQUA is the perfect beautiful, transformational, nurturing environment for this life-changing, adventurous, and fun retreat!

Beginners are welcome, guys are welcome, all ages are welcome, past retreat participants are welcome….EVERYONE & ANYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND! All classes and recipes are always new, fresh, and evolving.

$1800 double occupancy for a 1 week Gracious Living Retreat in a magnificent treehouse that includes everything mentioned above, plus airport transfers.

$2300 single occupancy.

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