WE ARE BACK, FROM A LONG OVERDUE VACATION!

We are back, rested, refreshed and ready to up the tempo, as we rev Icheoku's engine to full throttle! It can only get better and more punchy. We apologise for no letting you, our teeming visitors understand earlier the reason for our absence these past week which saw many of you contact to inquire what happened to their Icheoku daily briefs. We just had to go; but now we are back! Thank you for being such a loyal visitor and supporter of the Icheoku project; our promise to you is that we shall continue to strive to earn your admiration.

Icheoku and crew took a long over-due vacation which saw us through New England Boston Massachusetts and Northeastern states of New York, New Jersey and Maryland. It was awesome, having to wake up in the morning without rushing to any place of work and trying to be everything to everybody just to be accommodated in the place of work? It was nice just waking up so late fully aware that there is no rush hour traffic to beat before a day at the seat or desk; and that you have the leisure of retiring whenever you desired so late in the night, since there is no fixed time to wake up early the next day.

New York was what it is - the ever bustling 24/7 hour city, where the only thing that goes to sleep is the sun; as people frantically pace from place to place from sunrise to sundown and again to sunrise. From Brooklyn to Manhattan to Bronx via trains 4 and 5 and J and M to Queens and LILR to Long Island and Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island the five boroughs are open for New Yorkers and their teeming visitors whenever they needed to visit. But the heat was sweltering and the undergrounds were steaming; except that the subways were fully air-conditioned and humming.

We took a cruise on Hudson river to Lady Liberty as well as Ellis Island; after being entertained at Battery Park by a coterie of New York acrobats and their jabbing humor-laced one-liners. One can never fully imagine the size of the monument until a privileged walk inside the crown - what a marvelous piece of a creative ingenuity of Mr. Eiffel? Wall street is still as imposing despite the economic malaise they brought about the previous years, with their menacing bull still standing firm and charging as ever. World Trade Center is a beehive of construction activities, though barricaded and no longer accessible but the picture tells a story of earth-moving equipment and construction workers trying to put back a replacement of what Osama Bin Laden brought down in 9/11. "Fela on Broadway" was very hilarious and entertaining; but nothing compares to the real Ebam Eda of Kalakuta Republic Moshalashi Yaba and Pepple Street Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria while he lived; may his rebellious soul rest in peace! The view from the top at Empire State Building 102nd floor was as spectacular in bringing New York to view as could be expected. We also visited Central Park, Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park and Grand Central Station. We took a trip to Yankees Stadium in Bronx's 161st in honor of the departed Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner who died the week we were in New York. Longing for an African food, our palate drove us to 153-11 Rockaway Boulevard Jamaica (Queens) NY 11where we feasted on a home-style bitter leaf soup with various meat products and one of the finest pounded yam we have ever come in contact with in recent past. So now you know, when next you are in New York and desires a home-style cooking, just visit 'Tropical Grill", the home of fine African cuisine.

We stayed at Holiday Inn Express downtown Brooklyn and it was one heck of a fine discovery - very clean, well kept, quiet, and easily accessible - a walking distance from Atlantic train station from its 279 Butler Street tuck-away. It also provides an impressive hot free buffet-type breakfast. There is also free Internet, free telephone services as well as daily cleaning of your rooms with fresh towels and bedsheets. Maria our room-minder was superlative and so was Jaime the front desk staff. A large flat screen television and chilling split-unit air-condition makes you not want to leave the room; but at last you are on vacation and you must step out to see New York.

Our visit to new Jersey was just for two days as we went to East Hampton to attend a gala-nite fund raiser and then to New Brunswick to visit with families where we watched Spain lift the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 golden trophy. Admitted Spain were not our favorites and we rooted for Netherlands, Argentina was, but hey it is a game and they won; so our congratulations Spaniards. Also still on the world cup, Icheoku asks when shall the president of FIFA Sepp Blatter resign or quit office; or is there no term limit at FIFA? Our visit to Boston was nothing special since it was very brief and business-orientated; but with nothing much to salivate about and so was Maryland. Also while we were gone, the BP hole from hell in the Gulf of Mexico was finally plugged; and we hope that President Obama can now tell Malia that the damn hole has been plugged daughter? But in all, except for the hellish New York triple-digits mid-summer heat, it was one nice vacation and we hope to splash the tons of pictures and videos soon on the Internet for your perusal. Now we are back to business of holding their feet to the fire; and have a lot to share with you!