Daily Photos

Tiles from Gorky Ceramics at Hotel Maria Christina

Gorgeous Beach at Maroma

Parrot in Maroma Garden

Mayan Warmen Doormen at Fairmont

Luncheon group at Mandarin

1887 Club Group!



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Bringing Angels to the Table-One Bite at a Time

Pigs love to eat. Flying pigs love to eat well and are very picky about their food. Today this little piggy found Nirvana in Guanajuato Mexico at the restaurant El Garden de los Milagros (translates Miracle Gardens).

Chef Bricio Dominguez Angular is one of the leading chefs in not only Mexico but the world! He is not a technical chef but an emotional chef. He believes food is not only for the body but for the soul and he prepares each dish with a passion and intensity that rocks your palate to the core.

Mouth Watering Dessert

MORE dessert!



My gorgeous (and delicious) entree

Bricio's cuisine is intuitive and greatly influenced by his personal relationship with his client so he was there beside me to watch my eyes glow and my mouth curve upwards as my first taste of my appetizer hit my taste buds. His joy in my joy and others around the room was magic. He "brought angels to the table" with each and every course. Each dish is a new creation,a molecular explosion, a new combination of ingredients; many locally grown, all fresh and organic.

Troy with Chef Bricio

I want to be like Bricio.I want my joy and passion for travel to be the foundation for all the trips I create.I want to watch and be a part of the experiences I create that change lives and nourish souls. I want to "bring angels to the world".

Thank you Bricio!

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Daily Photos







 

Band Serenade at Casa de Sierra Nevada



Church in Guanajuato

Classical Building in Guanajuato

Gay Gillen enjoying Guanajuato Square

Guanajuato Town Square

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The Piggies Head to Cooking School

The sun rises with this little pig in Yoga class listening to the bells chime a call to morning mass in the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel Allende. I am in an oasis of calm in one of the courtyards of Casa Sierra Nevada. If not for the yoga mats and lounge chairs scattered about, I could be in the 1800's enjoying a morning meditation.

Beautiful pool area at Casa Sierra Nevada

As I explore this town with Jose Carlos and my fellow pigs,walking along cobbled streets, smelling the fresh baked breads and pastries, and looking into the windows of the numerous shops and galleries; I acquire an appreciation of the well laid out streets and brightly painted and well maintained village. No wonder San Miguel has become so popular with many Americans and Canadians who have built or restored residences here!

Cooking with Felipe and Fernando at the cooking school Sazon ends up being the highlight of the day.We make Tamarin Margharita's, guacamole, and cinnamon churros in chocolate sauce........all while singing the Abba song Fernando.It was a totally fattening, hiariously fun time.
Buen Provecho AMIGOS!



Piggies in Cooking School at Sazon

Rooftop in San Miguel

Sipping on Luna-Tinis Rooftop at the Rosewood

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Anthropology Abound in Mexico

Do pigs run? Not really; it is more like a clipped trot, or for most people, a brisque walk. Today I clipped through the National Museum of Anthropology and still came away awestruck with the aesthetic and technical quality of the museum. Nowhere have I seen and understood the basic aim of Anthropology better. The exhibits illustrate the unity and diversity of man and his culture. Detailed reconstructions show the evolution of life on earth from the first creatures living in the sea to modern man with all his physical characteristics. The museum also houses incredible exibits tracing the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs and Mayans. In traveling the world, I have noticed how same yet different all of mankind is. If one is to believe that we all have origins in Africa, how amazing the study of Anthropology becomes in chronicaling how we all have become the men and women we are today.

The Unesco World Heritage Archeological site of Teotihuacan outside of Mexico City shows us the well preserved city of the oldest pre-hispanic people in MesoAmerica. Here we see the 3rd and 4th largest pyramids in the world; Avenues as wide as Park Avenue, and a sophistocated water system .This culture took place during both the Roman and Egyptian empires fron 100BC to 700AD. It amazes me that the similarities of cultures is there even with the distance they were apart. I feel very priviledged to have had access to Archeological sites bearing witness to each of these cultures.We are all products of our past and undertanding that past keeps us grounded in who we are and our place here on this earth.


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This Little Piggie is IMPRESSED

We begin our adventure in Mexico City. Everything that you think is true of Mexico is probably not. Arriving on an overcast day, it is hard to tell from the window of my plane how vibrant and rich in history and culture this city is. We do not have much time here so our visits to churches, museums, and Pyramids will be brief but action packed!

Am I impressed with the second largest historical Square outside of Red Square in Moscow.......YES! It is a Saturday and the square is alive with locals and tourists out on a wonderful afternoon listening to music by local talent,watching Shaman dance and bless babies, and vendors galore hawking their wares.

Shaman in Historical Square

Am I impressed with the National Palace and its famous murals by Diego Rivera?.....YES!These murals are a pictorial history of Mexico done in vibrant colors and chocked full of stories and great moments from Mexican History. They are the product of genius and are not to be missed.

Mural Panel by Diego Rivera

Am I impressed with their beautiful city park with lakes, botanical gardens, open spaces, art and bike paths?....YES...a park equally as wonderful as Central Park in New York and Retrivo in Madrid!

At one time Mexico City was much like Venice. It sat on a large body of water and had canals as streets. Today there are still some canals and the water is mostly subterranean. This has caused some parts of the city such as the Cathederal to start to sink.....much like parts of Venice. Did you Know THAT?......I bet you didn't!

Great day, Great City, and I am so happy to be here!

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A New Adventure!

I'm off again onto a new opportunity to experience new people, places and events. Can you guess where I'll be for the next 6 days?

It's a land of Pyramids, 22 Unesco World Heritage sites, colonial architecture, volcanoes, art & culture, and the top Anthropology museum in the world. It has beaches, mountains and rainforest and offers opportunities to expereience swimming with whale sharks and dolphins or diving on one of the world's greatest reef systems! There are wonderful cooking schools and fine dining throughout and some of the top hotels and beautiful villas can be found here.

Where am I? Why this little pig and her colleages are traveling to Colonial Mexico and the Mayan Riviera!


A few of us arriving in Colonial Mexico

Beautiful Cathedral in San Miguel

Enjoying the beautiful courtyard at our hotel, Casa de Sierra Nevada 

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