Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Part 1 Mexico-Puerto Morelos

Arriving amidst an endless downpour and flooded roads, aftermath from the previous week's tropical storm, was disappointing.  However, luckily, by the next day the weather was only slightly overcast and seemed to improve each day.  Our first stop was Puerto Morelos; a sleepy fishing village about 20km south of Cancun.  If you are an avid snorkeler or scuba diver it is a great town to call base.  Less touristy, the central plaza overlooks the beach.  Fishing boats still dock along the shore and birds swarm for scraps as the daily catch comes in.  It is here that my mom and I spotted Monarch butterflies, tasted the best queso fresco, and dug into fresh seafood.  
The highlight, however, was an authentic cooking course at  Little Mexican Cooking School.  Together we learned how to make a variety of delicious salsas, homemade tortillas and work with many different types of peppers. What was so wonderful about the class, was not just the cooking, but the history behind traditional Mexican ingredients, culture and drink. the beginning of class was spent sampling a slew of spices, both Pre-columbian and modern.  And every hour or so our gracious host served a typical drink or aperitif to sample, explaining the history behind the process.  I highly recommend this to anyone interested in authentic cooking.  It was a lovely way to pass the day.  

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Back and gone again

The warm weather was welcome.  The wedding unbelievably magical.  And the best part? Shoes were not part of the dress code!!  I'm off to New York and then Chicago but more to come of my sunshine adventures!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Off to Sunshine

It's gonna be a few weeks til I'm back.  I'm off to Mexico for my brother Ben's wedding.  Although I love the winter, I am looking forward to sand between my toes.  I spent a lot of time thinking about my nails, since they will be getting a lot of outdoor action.  Last week I painted every finger a different style.  On Sunday, I finally settled on the leopard print with glitter sparkles for my fingers, (inspired by Ashley) and a hot pink glitter sparkle for my toes.  Can't wait to show them off.  So until the 13th, I will be out of commission, but no complaints here.