The mud beach in San pancho

40 reasons to love San Pancho, Mexico

San Pancho, Mexico was a town that surprised us. A month’s stay easily turned into six months and we almost set down roots there. We loved and love it, and my oh my how much we miss it. In homage to our beloved town, here are some reasons to love the San Francisco you’ve never heard of. This includes things … Read more

San Pancho friends

On goodbyes and what comes next…

Eleven years ago, I left a little town in Sri Lanka with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I’d been there two months and fallen in love with the place and its people. Multiply that feeling by a hundred and you have how I feel today, leaving San Pancho behind. For … Read more

Barcelona with a baby- Hotel Barcelona Catedral

Introducing Avatar therapy: a visit to San Pancho’s mud beach

Look at our smiling faces, the sunny days, the stories of lands afar. People often say how wonderfully happy we look – and we are, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our moments. We drown in piles of work, become irritable with those around us and get overwhelmed by the very fact of life … Read more

acro yoga at sunset

On plans and patience…

I’ll be straight up with you. Writing this post was a pickle. Clarity has been like a soap in the bathtub – I can see it but it slips away with every grasp. Trying to write it down has filled this page six times over and led to picking apart. Only one thing is sure: … Read more

Planetary premiere at SXSW

Life-changing moments, and a film you need to see…

‘Life-changing’ is mega high acclaim in my books. Of course, the pedant in me could argue that everything is life-changing, but when I use it, I’m referring to those memorable moments of awakening that shift your consciousness and alter your path perceptibly. The day I watched The Constant Gardner was one of those moments. I … Read more

Steve at Selva Azul, San Pancho

Why I’ve been distracted…

There’s something I can’t get off my mind. I return to my ‘blog post ideas’ list but nothing takes my fancy. How to couchsurf safely, why animo is such an awesome word, and an ever-growing list of why we love San Pancho. They’ll come one day, but it’s hard to focus on anything else when … Read more

Canopy Camp Casa Isabel Yelapa

Special Stays: Casa Isabel, Yelapa

Details Casa Isabel, Yelapa, Mexico Price From $35 for a single room, and $70 for a double. Three night minimum stay. In a nutshell… In their words: “A peaceful retreat for the enjoyment of nature and rejuvenation of the human spirit”. Probably the most characterful and sustainable place you can stay in Yelapa, Mexico’s road-less … Read more

Alaya at Sol y Luna Coroico

A year on the road in photos…

It’s 365 days since we stepped out of our empty London home onto the early morning streets of Peckham and made our way to Rio. Twelve months and twelve countries later, we’re in Mexico with no intention of stopping our travels. It’s been an epic year and, short of reading the blog in its entirety, … Read more

How do you up one on paradise? Discovering Yelapa…

Every year I take Steve somewhere special for his birthday – a Kasbah in Morocco, a surprise Joanna Newsom gig in Budapest, a medieval turret in Tallin – somewhere that makes him say wow. Back in London, it was easy – with Europe on the doorstep and a never-ending urge to escape the city, the … Read more

Guitar making work station Paracho

Road trippin’ to Paracho, land of guitars

Two new guitars, one rolling pin, eight passion fruits, six mangoes, a mask of a terrifying red-haired woman, a wearable blanket, a wooden cigarette holder, and an extra passenger. These were the fruits of one three-day road trip to Paracho, Michoacan, a small town in Mexico’s Western Central Highlands, famous for its guitar makers. It … Read more