For the past four months, I have lived in San Pancho, Mexico in a studio apartment that with a stove-top, pots and pans, and a Mexican molcajete—which is not necessary but makes preparing the perfect guacamole a lot more fun. With a full kitchen here, I’m using local vegetables and spices to recreate my favorite …
When living in a small town in Mexico, I met a taco stand family who wowed me with their charm and wealth of information about their signature ingredient used at their taco stand: blue corn. I sat down at their street food stall a random gringa, and within days had become a indulged presence as …
I found a slice of paradise last week. I rarely use terms like “paradise” because it feels overdone to claim each new place is better than the next. But in terms of where I was personally, this place was a slice of perfection for what I needed at that moment. From San Pancho, the hike …
The quiet beach town where I live in Mexico swelled in size over the recent Easter holidays. Unlike back home, it seems that most of this country has an entire week off school and work—both kids and parents. It’s a week of collective holidays, and the take that proposition seriously. And that means Semana Santa …
Living in Mexico these past months has meant a rekindled love affair with salsa, spicy food, and cheese. For all the reasons to love Southeast Asia, and there are many, while traveling the region I often missed the flavors and variety of cheeses I have long loved. Travelers in Southeast Asia for any amount of …
Our home culture shapes the fabric of our understanding of the world. If we are raised in one country, we have one leading culture creating the schema for how we interpret everything from love to family to community. I grew up in the US, and no amount of travel will change that single fact. The views I …
Have you ever found yourself completely lost in a moment, engaged with every sense you have and unaware of the larger world? When this happens while you travel, you’re experience the best of what is now called “cultural immersion.” Moments and anecdotes from my travels flutter into my memory as I go about my day-to-day …
Central America, you win. I lay prostrate at your feet and surrender—to your charm, your eccentricities, and especially to the phrase that seems to run the show: más o menos. Más o menos means “more or less” in Spanish—but depending on the context, it can signal anything from “approximately” to “don’t take this too literally.” …