The Sanctuary, located on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, is just that – A Sanctuary. A mecca for yogis and lost souls alike, this mini village begins a few feet away from the turquoise waters of Haad Tien and extends back to include bungalows, activity centers and a Tea Temple [...]]]>

The Sanctuary, located on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, is just that – A Sanctuary. A mecca for yogis and lost souls alike, this mini village begins a few feet away from the turquoise waters of Haad Tien and extends back to include bungalows, activity centers and a Tea Temple to satisfy anyones chakras. This resort/spa/detox center offers daily yoga and meditation, body cleanses and any other healing workshop imaginable. Make sure to check their website, as the schedule varies constantly.

You can stay for a day, a week, or forever with programs and restaurants to keep your senses titillated. But don’t feel out of breath just yet, the beach, food, and abundance of pillows and hammocks is perfectly conducive to hanging with a tea. Chill out and self reflect or say hello to a stranger, chances are they will have an intriguing story. Lesser intriguing guests, however, include the multitude of pestering flies. Only other minor complaint is the beach. Although the water is clean and vibrant, the sand is not the silkiest. But after traveling much of Thailand, The Sanctuary’s facilities are among the best  – as long as the Four Seasons, Hawaii isn’t your reference point.

Dwellings ranges from dorms to two storie houses which means prices range dramatically as well. You can’t book in advance but take the risk. There is a lot to gain and a little to lose as there are other resorts minutes away. The Sanctuary welcomes all, even if you haven’t scored a room.

This is a place where the ‘locals’ are not only the Thais but the lovers who continually return. I’ll be back and I’m sure I’ll see some familiar faces when I do.

Sometimes I feel as though the world is deteriorating, moving backwards not forwards. With each new invention or technological outbreak comes the opportunity to become more detached. An opportunity to use something or someone as a scapegoat for the development of disease or some other misfortunate event. Philosophers and the general populace alike have arrived [...]]]>

Sometimes I feel as though the world is deteriorating, moving backwards not forwards. With each new invention or technological outbreak comes the opportunity to become more detached. An opportunity to use something or someone as a scapegoat for the development of disease or some other misfortunate event. Philosophers and the general populace alike have arrived at the same realizations for thousands of years. Now, among all the excess, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sift through the over abundance of stimuli to arrive at the same epiphanies as Plato, Socrates and your Mom.

Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine “advocated diet as the chief way to prevent and treat heart disease” (pg 345) and now in the new millennium Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas, are too. The China Study written by the Campbell duo has been coined as the “most important book on nutrition and health to come out in the last 75 years”. Although it may not be the easiest read as the arguments are backed by scientific facts and jargon, it provides an easy, affordable and attainable way to a healthy lifestyle – EAT A PLANT BASED AND WHOLE FOODS DIET. Campbells’ facts are undeniable as they have gathered primary and secondary research from hundreds on studies. This isn’t another fad diet book selling a ‘guaranteed to get skinny’ drug or shake, or a dehydrated meal in a box. Campbell is a scientist, had his share of altercations with humongous food industry leaders and is a healthy 70 something year old. Together, the Campbells, present scientific facts as well as blatant corruption and influence the food industry and drug company moguls have over medical school curriculum, school lunch programs and even the World Health Organization.

Our society has gotten so accustomed to believing that there is a pill or a surgery to solve all our medical problems but have neglected the most simple way to combat such prevalent diseases as cancer, heart disease and obesity – DIET.

My background is not in the sciences but common sense and intuition and The China Study guide me to believe that adhering to a plant based and whole foods diet is basic and brilliant. “It costs very little, harbors no risks and put the control back into [your] hands” (Pg 339). Why would we poison our body with foods that look far from food and medicine that is expensive and often pulled from the shelves within 25 years for proving to be more deteremental than helpful?

Grab a copy, in fact grab a few, and pass then around to the people you love.

This could be a lifechanger.

Greeted with a kiss on the cheek and a warm embrace, you feel as though you are walking into a close friends or relatives house, not a stranger’s.  So, owners and couple, Diego and Sanra Felix don’t remain strangers for long.

Casa Felix, located in Chacarita with no [...]]]> The Unpretentious Supper Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Greeted with a kiss on the cheek and a warm embrace, you feel as though you are walking into a close friends or relatives house, not a stranger’s.  So, owners and couple, Diego and Sanra Felix don’t remain strangers for long.

Casa Felix, located in Chacarita with no signage, could be easily overlooked. But once you step inside, it is everything but ordinary.  The concept is simple yet genius. Open only Thursday – Saturday, Diego and Sanra open their homes and their hearts to 12 guests per night for a 5 course, pescatarian meal/masterpiece. The evening begins by a tour of their home-cum-restaurant and casual drinks in their garden.  Guests, owners, waiters, and chefs all mingle over tasty cocktails learning a little bit more about each other and how they found out about this ‘secret’ restaurant.

I immediately gravitate towards the garden and start asking questions. Diego and Sanra maintain 2 garden beds in which they pluck tasty herbs and veggies to incorporate into their menu.  Oh and they aim to cook with as many local ingredients as possible. I love them!

The meals are seasonal and change often but here’s a peek:

1. Welcome Drink : Kumquat infused Pisco

2. Botana: Black bean and plantain empanada, huacatay guacamole

3. Salad: Arugula and spinach, hulled wheat, tomato gratin, beet and chañar dressing

Intermezzo: Apple granita

4. Main Course: Grilled surubí in mesopotamian broth with aguaribay, manioc, fresh fennel and flower salad

5. Dessert: Blue corn muffins and passion fruit cream

The presentation is stunning and the taste even better.  Diego ensures you know exactly what you are eating and why. Offering explanations for the night’s inspiration and indigenous Argentine techniques used throughout the preparation of the meal.

Diego and Sanra are far from bums.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION: travel to Italy, find myself a charming vegetarian cook/farmer, start an Italian branch of Casa insert my man’s name here.