Dorothy of Wizard of Oz fame tells us there is no place like home.  Dorothy has many wise words, but on this one, I’ll have to respectfully disagree.

During my travels over the years, I’ve stayed at wonderful hotels, not so wonderful hotels, encountered a mosaic of interesting individuals and captured stories that will remain with me forever. But very few places have felt like “home” – the place where you can kick off your shoes, hang out with a few books and chill.

I arrived for the second time at Hacienda San Agustin de Callo on Thursday (I came for a day visit in July during my first trip to Ecuador).  Inside the hacienda’s majestic historic walls, there’s a special room – what’s known among the visitors and staff as ‘the living room’ – where numerous new and old books, plush sofas, an ever-roaring fire and pictures of the hacienda’s past bring the room alive. Give it character.

The room is just one of many of the unique aspects of Hacienda San Agustin – but likely my favorite.

Last night, like every night there, the guests gathered in the living room for pre-dinner cocktails. We were quite the mixed and matched crowd – a few visitors from Italy on a long holiday trip, one couple stopping by just for dinner and some friends of the owner, Mignon Plaza.  We all spoke different languages, but translated for each other along the way, managing to cover a range of topics – from the health care situation in the U.S. and to Ecuadorian President Correa’s political view to raising children and favorite artists.

Each night at the hacienda features different faces and conversations. For me, bands of energetic people and animated chats easily remind me of home – with four siblings, we grew up with friends coming in and out, music always playing and food always at the reads. My parents kept the door open for everyone – something my sister, brothers, close friends and I  remember fondly to this day.

Perhaps that’s my personal connection – the familiarity of the way of life – even if in design, the hacienda is geographically away from where I live.

But, despite Dorothy’s popular mantra, perhaps we are meant to have more than just one place that feels like home.

Are there places – near or far – that are your home away from home? Share in the comments and be sure to tell us where and why.

*The picture above is my own and is a snapshot of the hacienda living room coffee table books. Right next to the fireplace. Awesome.

If you liked this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed

Share/Bookmark this!

Not long ago, I visited Ecuador on a short holiday. I spent my time hiking, horse-back riding interviewing and hanging out with locals, trying to perfect my mediocre Spanish.

As with all of my adventures, I met so many great people along the way. One of them was Mignon Plaza, who owns and runs Hacienda San Agustin de Callo, a magical palace right outside of Quito, Ecuador. San Agustin is replete with rich history, culture and adventure – I noticed it the minute I was greeted at the entrance.

After I finished my horseback ride, Mignon and I had coffee, chatted about life and our interests. I shared my writing and marketing experience and my obsession with researching and capturing the stories of the global cultures, people, places and things. Mignon graciously invited me to come stay with her and the staff there to help capture the San Agustin story, brainstorm innovative ideas to help raise awareness of this exquisite cultural destination and spend time with the magnificent people of the village.

Of course, accepting this invitation was a no-brainer. I am eternally grateful and hope this is one of many such projects and expeditions I’ll lead during my lifetime.

I have a million ideas, completed many weeks of research, outlined my activities and planned a few intended adventures during my stay. I know not all of this will go according to plan, and that’s the part of the expedition that I love.

To round this out though, I need your thoughts, your creative minds, your insightful angles.

What do you want to hear about from the expedition? Questions I should ask the people to help bring the culture alive in words, photos and video? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below – let’s make this a collective project!

If you liked this post, please subscribe to receive regular updates.

Share/Bookmark this!

I know what you’re thinking. Enough Eat, Pray, Love already.

Everywhere I go – subway, airport, bakery – someone is reading it. By someone I mean the 90% of the American female population.

Tomorrow, the movie comes out. And more women will be eating, praying and loving again.

But, in my opinion, popular does not equal trite. This book has had the power to change many lives, including my friends and my own. In fact, I actually know a man that read it. And loved it. (Though, admittedly, he did not read it in public for fear of being mocked by others).

Let’s take a look at the universality of this piece. Elizabeth Gilbert, at 31, realizes the American dream (husband, suburbs, children) is not what she wants. A faint internal voice murmurs this reality until it gets so loud that the voice is screaming – and she ends up on the bathroom floor wailing one evening, knowing that change is mandatory. Subsequent chapters describe her journey through Italy, India and Indonesia in an effort to challenge herself to find some inner truth.

Now, let’s back up to the bathroom floor part. I can guarantee with 100% certainty that 95% of the women I know have found themselves on the bathroom floor in a similar fetal position, bemoaning some aspect of their lives that is no longer tolerable. The other 5% are in denial.

This fact is what makes the book so inspiring and yes, popular.

But some people didn’t like it.

Some question it and cite comparative views to other inspirational books and women. I get it. Is finding your answer and purpose all about traveling the world? But what if we don’t have the money, resources or time to do so?

I think there are ways. In my view, the book’s popularity has only had positive repercussions. Women practicing yoga is at an all-time high. Gilbert’s book signings and readings are often sold out. I even wrote to her to let her know how the book changed my life and she wrote back personally, mentioning that the hundreds of letters she’s received have given her great comfort by sharing her truth.

And she doesn’t claim to be the Sage For All Women. I saw her speak in Chicago last year and she admitted that since the book, she’s had many low times too. She’s what I might call a Regular Person.

And a Regular Person has the power to choose his or her own adventure and create their own reality in whatever way they are able. I’ve found that it just takes a dash of willingness to plant, tend to and grow your own juicy life, with or without an official passport.

I hesitate to write more about the plot, evolution of character or outcomes because it takes everyone’s personal filter to understand how it will impact you.

But take a look and decide for yourself.  If you’ve read it – or even if you haven’t – I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Did you like it? Why? Did you hate it? Tell all.

I’m proud to say, though, that Gilbert has been the inspiration for me to get off the couch, dust myself off and get writing again.

If you liked this post, please subscribe to receive regular updates.

Share/Bookmark this!