When I moved to Mexico in the 90s, one of my favourite things to do was to go shopping. And I don't mean shopping for shoes or designer bags. I loved the everyday shopping for groceries and other necessities. My town had several supermarkets which I frequented but my favourite place was the market, which butted up against the Gulf of Mexico. The fisherman would dock their boats, throwing their catch of the day to the vendors above. I would wake in the morning, heading ou

In my mid-twenties I spent almost a year living in Mexico. It was the first time I'd moved away from home. For that reason, Mexico will always have a piece of my heart. I was not in tourist Mexico, but rather lived in a small town that most people wouldn't have heard of. As someone who spoke no Spanish at the time, it was a leap. I had to learn how to do everything ... grocery shop, have water and gas delivered, find a doctor, mail a letter from the post office, drive a

I recently visited Costa Rica for the first time. I've always heard how much people love Costa Rica, while quickly citing the catch phrase 'pura vida'. And whenever I look up best places to travel or retire, Costa Rica is often highlighted on the short list. With that said, I have to admit that when I have researched taking a holiday in Costa Rica over the years, it wasn't obvious what the nitty gritty of that holiday would look like. Normally, one of my superpowers is t

I've loved a day at the market for a long, long time. Is there anything more beautiful than fresh produce? As a young person when I first started going to museums I didn't understand why people painted bowls of fruit. And yet as I get older I realize I'm guilty. I would have been one of those people who painted bowls of fruit. I have taken literally hundreds of photos of produce in markets. The shapes and the colours are mesmerizing. Thank-you Costa Rica!

As a life long lover of coffee (even though I have recently given up caffeine) I was always intrigued to see how coffee is produced. On my recent trip to Costa Rica we had the opportunity to visit Hacienda Doka, a small production fair trade, coffee farm. Costa Rica produces 100% robusta coffee, a premium type of coffee, as differentiated to arabica coffee which is larger, and grows more quickly. They guided us through the process from seed to cup. The baby plants are kept

Buenos Aries, like New York or London or Paris, is endless, a collection of neighbourhoods strung together. And while I love to wander in various parts of the city, my heart will always belong to Recoleta, where I lived during my first two years in Argentina. I will forever remember those years, endlessly pushing a stroller, with two babies, in a time before Smart phones, and using travel guide maps to orient myself. While Recoleta was founded in the 18th century, it blossom

My return flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina last winter would take me through Santiago, Chile and Atlanta, before arriving in Toronto. I booked the ticket because it was a great deal but realized afterward that I was flying out of the downtown airport, called Aeroparque. I hadn't even realized that Aeroparque flew internationally, thinking it was domestic flights only. My kiddo left a few hours before me, through Ezeiza the main international airport, taking off without a

I had the privilege to live in Argentina for eight years when my children were little. A country that adores small children; it was a wonderful place to be a young mother. I hadn't returned in over 10 years and would daydream about it. Being so intimately connected with a place, and then not returning for a long time is surreal. The mind can play funny tricks. What does the memory embellish? How much is reality and how much is rose coloured glasses? About six months ago,