If any of you get a chance to visit Xalapa, you might want to spend a night or two at the Hotel Limon. It’s in a great location, just up the hill from the Palacio Municipal, and the cathedral, and less than five minutes walk to the city’s main library and central square,with a wonderful lookout where you can see the city for miles around, surrounded by neighbouring mountains.

Within walking distance are art galleries, Xalapa’s main market, shops and restaurants of every description, and some lovely areas for strolling.

We stayed at Hotel Limon when we first came to Xalapa, before renting a house here.  Hotel Limon served as our base, for getting to know the city. a The first night we stayed in a huge, beautiful  room at the front  of the hotel, which had gorgeous tiling. However, there was too much noise from the street, so we moved to a smaller room which nevertheless was still quite lovely.

Some of the single rooms at the hotel are tiny, however if you get a room for two or three people, they are more spacious and it’s well worth the few extra dollars. The rooms surround a long narrow inner courtyard, which again has lovely tile work.

You can get a single room for $16, and a double room for $20 per night. For the quality, cleanliness and location it’s hard to beat the price of Hotel Limon.

I love Mexico and Mexican culture. One of the things I love most is the Mexican’s use of colour.

They love  bright colours, and use them liberally in decorating their houses.

In Xalapa, Veracruz,  the vibrant colours of the houses  bring  to life even the poorest neighbourhoods.  Bright oranges, sunshine yellow, cobalt blues, turquoise, pea greens- even the dull standard block homes built for government workers are transformed by each owner’s sense of colours.

These dazzling displays of unabashed, definitely not shy pastels,  warm my eyes,  and inspire my artist’s soul.

There’s nothing like being on the road, and getting a bad case of the runs. It can happen in the most inconvenient places where there’s not a washroom in sight. Worse still it can completely bring your good times on holiday to a screeching halt. But I’ve found a cure that’s worked for me and my family, and it doesn’t involve taking drugs. Now I don’t worry about getting sick this way.

It’s not always been this way.  I have had countless cases of the runs in my travels in Asia, in the Caribbean and across Latin America. One particularly bad family experience, has engraved itself in my mind.  When my son Tonatiuh was one and a half years old, we traveled throughout Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, visiting my husband’s family in Mexico, and then going on to see the pyramids, and sacred sites of these countries.

While in Acapulco, my son was hit by Moctezuma’s revenge. We tried all kinds of natural remedies, and when these didn’t work, prescription drugs. These didn’t have the desired effect either, and it took three days in hospital getting intravenous, before he was on the road to recovery. You can imagine how stressed out and worried I was as a mother.

But since I’ve discovered this natural remedy, I’ve never worried again.  First of all, it doesn’t involve avoiding all street food, or ice or the local tap water although you may want to be careful about these. Personally I love sampling local fare, eating at markets, and at street stalls. I do use bottled water, or boil my water, in Mexico and other places where the tap water is not safe to drink. But that’s about all.

The remedy I’ve discovered is organic oreganol oil.  It has lots of other uses too, and can be used when you get a cold or flu, with varying success. But whenever any of our family members has a case of Moctezuma’s revenge, taking a drop under the tongue every hour until the symptoms disappear, seems to work marvelously.  Usually a  drop or two will be enough.

Occasionally if I am eating somewhere, where I am suspicious of the food, I will take a drop along with my meal, but mostly not.  It’s a very strong oil and it can also kill off stomach bacteria of the good kind, so don’t go overboard. More is not better in this case.

Good quality organic oreganol oil is not cheap, but well worth investing in, both in saved doctor’s and drug fees, and in ensuring that you are able to relax and have a wonderful holiday.

A few words of caution, if for any reason your symptoms don’t go away within a few hours, or get worse; visit and get the advise of a doctor, or health professional. I’ve not found any natural remedies that work all of the time, in all situations, and I’m certainly not going to risk my family’s health or mine, by being too doctrinaire about anything. Neither should you!

So get a small bottle of oreganol oil for your next trip. Hopefully you won’t need it. But if you do, you’ll be glad you discovered a remedy for Moctezuma’s revenge.

Can’t afford to travel ?  Imagining you are on a vacation or trip, and canceling all your regular home activities can be a fun alternative. By looking at your home turf through the eyes of a visitor, you can have an amazing time.

Do like you would if you were a tourist in your own area. Go to the tourist bureau, or pick up a travel guide.  Start seeing things anew.

Go to that historic site which you’ve been saying you would go to for ages. Or explore a park that you haven’t been in before. Or just take a bus to a part of town that is outside your neighbourhood. Walk and try out the local cafes. Wander into the library. Or take a picnic with you and a bottle of bubbly. Invite a friend.

Go to a local museum, and instead of exhausting yourself trying to see all of it, really take your time in one or two rooms. If you like drawing, take along your sketch pad and draw what you see.

Or bring along a journal and write about your experiences. I find journaling, sketching, or taking photos makes me be more aware, more observant and appreciative of what is around me. I notice the round curves of a plump woman’s body with the artist’s eye seeing the sculptural possibilities. Colours become more vivid. I might stop for awhile and look at what is going on in patch of grass and dirt, see the ants carrying small, bright green leaves on their backs, and notice the white butterfly dipping between the flowers.

Ah, to be aware of the endless interesting things you can explore not just in faraway lands but at home, to be always discovering new territory, to stimulate your senses and imagination, to get out from under the endless to do list, and taste the beauty and fascination of what is all around!

Thinking about vacations and going somewhere you’ve never been?  As well as talking to friends and acquaintances who may have been there, it’s best to take along a good guidebook.

I highly advise you to pick up one of The Lonely Planet guidebooks.  I could rave on about them for hours. They are my traveler’s bible and have been for the last thirty years or so!

I backpacked across Asia, and Australia visiting visiting such countries, as Indonesia, Thailand, China, the Philippines and Tibet. I’ve traveled throughout Mexico, Honduras,  Guatemala, and Nicaragua, and to Argentina and Brazil. I have never been disappointed with their guides, and found them a godsend, especially when I have been traveling on my own, with no prior knowledge of the country and on a low budget.

The Lonely Planet series provide an excellent source of reliable information on almost any  destination around the world. They have great introductions to the culture, history and language of each country or region they cover, and provide extensive information on hotel, restaurant, and transport options at all price ranges.  As well they are compact in size, and so easy to carry on your adventures.

They are even a good idea for stay-at-home vacations, or for learning about your own country’s or city’s special places and fun, adventurous things to do. And did I mention they also have great pictures!

As an artist and coach, excited and motivated about what I do, with a constant stream of ideas about projects, along with a long list of things currently needing attention, its tempting not to take breaks. However I always find when I do take a break, not only do I get time to relax and enjoy myself but I also get tons of creative ideas for my work.

Over Christmas, I was able to take a two week break. I travelled with my husband, Eduardo and our son, Tonatiuh, to Puebla, Cholula and Acapulco, sampling some of Mexico’s wonderful places to visit.

At the same time we visited Eduardo’s family members, and Tona got to meet and play with his Mexican cousins, and nephews. Tona is already an uncle at twelve. In fact, he has a nephew who is older than him.

While Tona was hanging out with his nephews in Puebla, Eduardo and I got to spend two days in nearby Cholula, a beautiful colonial city. We saw the local ruins and pyramids, visited a small museum of Mesoamerican ceramics and artifacts, and enjoyed shopping and eating at the vibrant market in the central square.

Later we drove to Acapulco and stayed at Eduardo’s mother’s apartment. As well as hanging out with family members, we had the chance to swim in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, and to enjoy Acapulco’s beautiful sandy beaches which stretch for miles and miles.

We had a spectacular New Year’s Eve with family and friends on the beach, listening to music and dancing as well as viewing an amazing display of fireworks from all three sides of the bay. I particularly enjoyed playing with the kids, running back and forth with them from the large encroaching waves of the incoming tide.

Now, I am back at work, feeling well rested and renewed. The vacations allowed me to get new perspectives on what I want to accomplish in 2010, and many great ideas on how to implement my overall vision.

I am planning lots of other mini-holidays this year, as well as taking time off during the summer holidays. It’s an essential part of my business plans. What about you? Are you planning lots of play time this year? It’s been proven to heighten your creativty and productivity!