Congratulations, Michelle, on completing your masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas Austin School of Architecture. We had a great time celebrating your accomplishment last weekend in Austin. One thing is for sure, we are going to have to get used to the heat and humidity when we travel to Texas and DC this summer. To view the entire album click here.
As our tour in Mexico is coming to an end, we took one final trip with the Mexi-crew to Baja California Sur. A world of contrasts, BCS is beautiful and we were lucky to share it with great friends whom we will miss immensely. The Casa Blanca was our beautiful home at Punta Pescadero, and from there we took a day trip to La Paz and then Isla Espiritu Santo for snorkeling with sea lions and kayaking. Our adventurous fisher-friends took a day trip fishing in the Sea of Cortez. While it was our last trip in Mexico during our tour, it is certainly not our last trip to BCS. To view the entire album click here.
Click here to view our video from Isla Espiritu Santo.
And finally, click here for our Kayaking video in Isla Espiritu Santo
I had been wanting to go to Paso De Cortes ever since hearing about it in a documentary. It is a mountain pass between Popocatépetl and IxtaccÃhuatl volcanoes, roughly 11,000 feet above sea level, and the path through which Herman Cortes and his army marched to Mexico City. Julia and I with some friends headed to Parque Nacional Izta-Popo for a hike, picnic, and of course to take some photos. Roughly 2 hours from Mexico City, we arrived at Paso De Cortez and the entrance to the park. The view of Popocatépetl spewing smoke, as it is still active, was amazing. After entering the park, we drove north on a dirt road to La Joya where we parked and began hiking at roughly 11,857 feet. Once we reached 13,235, we decided to turn back to give our lungs a break. The park provided a great escape from the city life. To view the entire album click here.
Julia, Suzan, and I took a trip to San Crisotbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. We stayed at Parador Margarita, a charming inn not far from the Zocalo. The service and breakfast were fantastic. Our first stop was Sumidero Canyon which was simply amazing. For me it was the sharp rise of the ocean floor as the river cuts through the mountains exposing the extremely slanted layers of limestone that was most impressionable. The air unfortunately was a little hazy due to the farmers burning their fields. The next couple of days were spent exploring San Cristobal and its markets where locals sell their handmade stuffed animals. We found a some great restaurants especially Comida Thai. How we craved Thai food! On the last day we drove to Chamula de Chiapa, an indigenous village in the mountains. To view the entire album click here.
I finally got a chance to see Suzan's beautiful place in San Miguel during the Easter weekend. The views are amazing! To view the entire album click here.
The last time Julia and I visited Riviera Maya was back in 2006 and my has it changed. This time we stayed at Maykoba and while it was set back from the beach, the room was private and our balcony oversaw what to us appeared like a jungle. We saw all sorts of birds and heard the clean wind blowing through the trees. A much needed break from the city life. Seven years ago we visited Akumal and we were literally the only ones there and after snorkeling we had lunch at a tiny fish shack. This time, however, there were a lot of tourists and a plethora of restaurants unfortunately priced for the tourist. We snorkeled and saw plenty of fish and were able to swim with the turtles again. This was my first time filming underwater with my GoPro so the video is not perfect by any means. We also re visited Dos Ojos Cenote and again it was a bit more packed with tourists. The cenote was still fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting any of the cenotes in the Yucatan.
Below are some links to our videos. Akumal - A compilation of esnorkeling videosDos Ojos Cenote - Julia and I esnorkeling basically...Dos Ojos Cenote - Another video of Julia and I snorkelingDos Ojos Cenote - Snorkeling above scuba divers
To view our album click here.
I've purchased yet another lens, Canon's EF 35mm f/1.4 USM, and have been looking for ways to share my pictures. Creating a blog may be a little too much so I've decided to post random pictures of everyday life to my Flickr account. For whatever reason Instagram has made it a pain in the ass to share pictures from Flickr or my computer. Until I figure out a way an easy way to share to Instagram, I'll continue to use Flickr. I've made my Flickr photo stream public. Hope you enjoy!
This past Christmas I was lucky enough to spend time with family that I haven't seen for quite some time. My brother Andresito who is currently living in Puerto Rico, my nephew Luisito currently studying medicine in the D.R., and my cousin Luis Felipe and Uncle Luis from Miami all flew down for the holidays. It was great to see everyone and one could only hope that many more reunions like this continue especially with our upcoming move to Quito, Ecuador. To view the entire album click here.
Our second stop in Italy was Positano on the Amalfi coast. We spent 3 days climbing up and down the stairs of the town (sweaty!), swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and watching helicopters and planes drop water on the forest fires raging above the town. We closed this portion of the trip with a memorable sunset dinner at Le Sirenuse restaurant.
Volare oh oh Cantare oh oh oh oh Nel blu dipinto di blu felice di stare lassu
To view the Positano photo album, click here!
For our R&R we took a trip to Italy - first stop, Tuscany. We stayed just outside of Montepulciano at the Ortaglia B&B perfect with a great view of the town on the hill and surrounding vineyards. To view the entire photo album from our trip, click here.
Terenzio and Mara were fantastic hosts. Terenzio has a wealth of knowledge of Tuscany and its history and we enjoyed exploring the area each day and relaxing by the pool in the afternoons. He explained why many of the towns were atop the hills to better defend attackes from the barbarians. He also showed us various towns many of which were along the path for pilgrims from the north enroute to Rome. Most of the pilgrims stayed in ospedales (overnight hospitality centers where travelers stayed inside city walls for protection). Towns visited were Castello di Vignoni Alto, Bagno Vignoni, Abbey of Sant'Antimo, Montalcino, San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza, Cortona, Castiglione del Lago, Siena, Montepulciano, and Orvieto.
We also took 3 cooking classes most of which were hosted by Mara, who showed off her impressive culinary skills and taught us about real Tuscan cooking. For starters, the Italian sofrito begins with olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery. She showed us how to make pici (homemade pasta typically with just flour and water but we added just one egg) with Sugo All'aglione (garlic sauce which is the traditional sauce for the pici in the territory of Montepulciano). Julia and I believe we have the consistency of the dough right and can't wait to try to make it on our own. We learned to make Pappa Al Pomodoro and an easy technique for peeling tomatoes which is to simply drop the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds. Among other recipes we made were Scaloppine Al Limon, Zucchine Trifolate, Peperoni con Capperi and Scottiglia (Combination of mixed meats).
Finally, we also got to enjoy some of the areas finest wines including Brunello de Montalcino and Nobile de Montepulciano.
There's something to be said about summer time in New England. For Julia and I, we welcomed the heat and humidity but more importantly we welcomed food and family. Many thanks to Kristen for hosting us and the Reynolds family reunion and for our fantastic trip to Block Island, RI. Thanks to John for allowing us to stay at his place for two nights. More importantly thanks to my mother in law for cooking us some steamers, corn, and lobsters! Pics from our New England trip below. Click here to view the entire album.
We paid a visit to the palacio nacional located on Mexico City's zocalo. Diego Rivera painted some very interesting murals although I didn't care too much for the more socialist Karl Marx mural.
Vince, Michelle, Suzan, Julia, and I decided to drive to Mineral De Pozos, a once thriving mining town now practically abandoned, for a picnic and to take some photos. To view our pictures from the entire weekend click here.
Beautiful day here in the D.F. for a walk and for me to take some photos. Julia taking a little break at the Luz store.
Shirtless... Showerless...
After an evening of celebrating Cinco de Mayo, we decided to take a leisurely walk along the FFCC Cuernavaca cyclopista or bike path. It also gave me an opportunity to try out my new camera lens. Below are some pictures for your sobering enjoyment!
Our trip to Texas was intended for furniture shopping but instead became a fantastic long weekend to catch up with friends and family. Oh yea...and let's not forget the food! Many thanks to Lisa and Andrew for meeting up with us for brunch and Sangrias at Picnikins. To Michelle and Vince for hosting us in Austin, taking us to a fantastic Thai restaurant (2 thai peppers!), and giving us some good ole fashioned Texas BBQ! To Allen, Aixa, Aleina, and Ailani for taking us to Joe's Crab Shack for some great crab legs and then spending the afternoon chillin' in your backyard patio. Flights to San Antonio are very reasonable from here so we definitely look forward to paying you another visit! :) To view the entire album click here.
Julia and I along with some friends headed over to Puerto Escondido for surfing over Semana Santa! I must say that Julia did a great job surfing - easily stood up and rode the waves with great balance. Unfortunately no pictures of us surfing as I did not want to bring the camera and leave it on the beach. But I did get some shots of the ocean, our place, and a sunset.
Julia and I drove up to visit Suzan in San Miguel de Allende, a picturesque town with cobble stone streets, narrow alleys, and colorful painted buildings. This town attracts a very large number of foreign retirees, artists, writers, and tourists. San Miguel de Allende hosts many art galleries and excellent restaurants. We stayed at the Casa de la Noche, formerly a bordello but now a charming Bed & Breakfast conveniently located near the center of town. To view the entire album, click here.
Julia, Suzan, and I drove up to Teotihuacan to check out the pyramids. Teotihuacan, a huge city of the ancient world, was founded before the Christian era and grew to a population of 125,000 people. According to the book "Eyewitness Travel Mexico" "It [Teotihuacan] dominated life in the region for 500 yeas before being destroyed (possibly by its own people) and abandoned, around AD 650. Later, the site was heled sacred by the Aztecs, who believed it had been built by giants. The ceremonial center, with its temples, palaces, and pyramids, bears witness to the city's splendor but has revealed little about its creator and inhabitants. Their origin, way of life, and even demise remain a mystery."
To view the entire album click here.
