Inspired by colour in San Miguel
I didn’t expect to learn to love the colour orange when I went for a spa treatment at the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende but as the weeks have passed since the Writers Conference, I’ve found myself returning to my photos wondering how I can incorporate some of the colourful magic of this UNESCO World Heritage site into my new home in Mexico. Much of my inspiration comes from an afternoon spent at the newly-opened Rosewood San Miguel de Allende. Rising from the skyline of colonial villas and church spires of the historic centre, it offers 67 beautifully appointed suites and a...
Read MoreLast night I danced with a tarantula
Last night I danced the tarantella, a dance the people of Taranto, a city in the Puglia region of Italy believed would save them from death if they were bitten by a tarantula spider. Their dance involved frenzied spinning and jumping, driving the venom from their bodies, until they dropped to the ground exhausted. My version of the tarantella began around midnight when I spotted a hairy black spider checking out the fern beside my bed. I spun around wildly…thinking I’d grab a coffee table book. .. or something huge to flatten it. Given it was as large as a dinner plate I...
Read MoreThere’s a rooster in my bathroom
When I trained as a real estate appraiser, I was taught to factor in adverse locational influences when determining property value. Nuclear reactors, electrical power lines, noisy highways, they could all impact a property’s appeal. No-one mentioned roosters. They should have. I’m in the process of purchasing a home in Mexico and a two-legged fowl is impacting my quality of life. I haven’t actually seen the damn bird but I’m convinced he’s taken up roost in in our master bathroom. No matter how far I shove the industrial quality ear plugs into my ear canal,...
Read MoreInside the San Miguel Writers Conference
Diving into the magic of San Miguel de Allende takes on a whole new meaning at La Gruta Hot Springs. The theme of the San Miguel Writers Conference 2012 was to “think in colors” and after five days of new ideas, creative writing exercises, inspiring lectures by speakers such as Margaret Atwood and Merilyn Simonds, pitch sessions with literary agents and walking tours of architecture that shape-shifted with the changing sun, my head was a whirlwind of...
Read MoreMariachis and mescal
The first time ever I heard a mariachi sing was at a dinner club in Guadalajara, Mexico. I was seated in the front row surrounding a raised wooden stage and every time the mariachi stomped his cowboy boot, I’d feel vibrations ripple across the stage down into my toes. He sang of love, loss and betrayal and looked straight into my eyes. It didn’t matter to me that he was portly, wore a shiny, sequinned shirt and big sombrero, by the end of the first set I was madly in love. My swooning turned out to be the beginning of a bout of food poisoning and I spent the remainder of...
Read MoreSearching for soul in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Naked yoga, full moon parties and topless joggers — I’m on the beach in Playa del Carmen and happy to see that this beach town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast hasn’t lost its bohemian vibe. My introduction to Playa del Carmen began in the 1980s with my first husband , when we chose it as a budget alternative to Cancun. There were no resorts or condos, just endless stretches of white sand, mangroves and mysterious underground cenotes. Chickens ran freely across dirt streets and rooms with air conditioning were a luxury. While my then husband slept off the effects of a 5-day...
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Wandering CarolLatest Pins on Pinterest
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Amazing Instagram photo by @sethstafford of Oahu's Sean Moody taking on the Mexican Pipeline
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Mercado Global's innovative approach to fighting poverty and empowering indigenous women in Guatemala’s highlands connects their artisan cooperatives to sales opportunities in the U.S. on an unprecedented scale.
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Beautiful Semuc Champey in Guatemala
In 2003, I left the corporate world to try my hand at travel writing. Now, I travel the world, writing about people, places and cuisine. My writing has appeared in over 100 publications and anthologies. 
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