Which is the best guided tour to Mexico?

March 28, 2018 0 Comments

Now that I’m  … mature…   tours are my preferred way to travel.  I like to leave my brains at home, and just enjoy that someone else is taking care of all the details, knows what to do in an emergency, knows what is safe and what isn’t, and can provide me with advice on what …

MexiRocks Then and Now

March 21, 2018 0 Comments

In 2015, I took my first trip to see the monarchs at their overwintering grounds in Mexico.  I wanted to experience the sight of tens of thousand of monarchs at a time, roosting and flying.  But I was also on a mission.  I learned that there was a shortage of monarch souvenirs for the tourists, …

Mexico Monarch sanctuaries: Which are the best?

February 14, 2018 8 Comments

There are four main sanctuaries for tourists, El Rosario, Sierra Chincua, Piedra Herrada, and Cerro Pelon.  Based on interviews and personal experiences, I’m going to rank them for you.  I invite your feedback, and I will post updates based on your opinion. If you are going to travel all the way to Mexico to see …

Book Review: Learn About Butterflies in the Garden, by Brenda Dziedzic

January 29, 2018 0 Comments

  Learn About Butterflies in the Garden is a treasure that will delight both the beginner and advanced butterfly enthusiast.  How can it appeal to both?  Because it has close to 300 pages  packed with the life cycles of more than 30 of the most common butterflies and moths, with such informative and stunning photographs …

Book Review: The Monarch – Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly, by Kylee Baumle

October 26, 2017 0 Comments

Kylee Baumle is a monarch enthusiast, writer, and photographer.  Put those elements together with up to date detailed research, and scientific supervision by Professor Dr. Lincoln Brower, and you have the recipe for the outstanding book Baumle has gifted to us. In 159 beautifully illustrated pages, Baumle covers it all, and then some.  From life …

MonarchLand Day 7 Mexico City!

February 23, 2017 0 Comments

We started the day back in our gorgeous downtown Hilton hotel, with its never ending buffet breakfast: custom omelettes, fresh figs, a fruit bar where the chef cuts it just for you, a decadent assortment of breads and pastries, fresh exotic fruit juices, all kinds of veggies and gluten free, various mueslis, yoghurt, cereals, well, …

MonarchLand Day 6 Toluca Botanical Garden & Mexico City

February 23, 2017 0 Comments

I have to be honest with you.  I didn’t get very excited when I heard we were going to be visiting a botanical garden with stained glass windows, but I was blown away by dozens of floor to high ceiling creations that told a story. What a delightful quick stop on the journey back to …

MonarchLand Day 5 El Rosario & Cooking Lesson!

February 22, 2017 7 Comments

After visiting Sierra Chincua two days before, and hearing that El Rosario was even better, anticipation was high.  While half the group took the horses, I joined the walking group.  The path was hard packed, or stairs;  quite doable at a slow pace.  The weight of the 300mm borrowed lens, camera, and new tripod, just …

MonarchLand Day 4 MexiCrafts!

February 17, 2017 4 Comments

Today was another incredible day.  We went to Macheros, to revisit the kids whom last year we taught to paint the MexiRocks that Save Our Monarchs has been selling on their website.  (saveourmonarchs.org).  We started of with a challenging hike to get a glimpse of the insides of some of the houses.  What an eye …

MonarchLand Day 3 Monarchs!

February 17, 2017 4 Comments

After our gourmet breakfast at the luxurious Rancho San Cayetano, we headed for our first monarch sanctuary.  Our fabulous guide, Estela Romero, reporter for Journey North, educated us on Mexican culture, and agriculture, along the way.  I hope you meet her one day.  She is a real gem. The sun was shining when we arrived …