This shot was taken in the Nordegg area of central Alberta, Canada while Mr. CG and I were camping with some friends.

Catching the sunset in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Sunset reflections in Bali, Indonesia.

Watching the sun go down in Koh Phangan, Thailand.

Fiery red sky in Ibiza, Spain.

Low tide sunset in Koh Libong, Thailand.

Cloudy sunset in Koh Phangan, Thailand, last Christmas.

Desert sunset in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Reflective sunset in Sayulita, Mexico.

Sunset shadow portrait in Jiquilillio, Nicaragua.

Pretty blue sky sunset in El Manzano Uno, Nicaragua.

Where ever you may be, there you are. Take the time to watch the sunset and be thankful for another day.

CG xo

Haramara, located in Sayulita, Mexico, is famous for many things, but if you talk to past guests chances are you will hear about the amazing granola they serve daily at breakfast. The recipe they use at the resort contains oats, so I was unable to indulge while staying there, but when I got home I set to work finding substitutions for some key ingredients to make it gluten-free. It turned out fantastic and has since become a family favorite and staple in my breakfast regime. This granola is totally delicious!

Ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup amaranth
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup each sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup extra virgin coconut oil (melted if solid at room temperature)
1 cup honey or agave
1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the coconut oil and honey or agave and mix well. Bake for 30 minutes or until the granola is fragrant and brown. I find it is best enjoyed with unsweetened almond milk. Enjoy!

CG xo

We got some crappy news today. Our land deal in Nicaragua didn’t come through the way we had hoped, so we are very thankful that we had a fantastic lawyer to advise us. You see, the process of buying property in Nicaragua is really different than it is here in Canada. Titles have to be thoroughly researched because somewhere in the history the land could have been sold by someone who didn’t own it, and the laws pertaining to the land and where it is located are really intricate. The long and the short of it is: we have decided not to close on the land we chose because there is a possibility that in the future it could be taken from us by the Nicaraguan government, and that sort of roulette is not a game we want to play.

So, it’s back to the drawing board. Literally. We are headed back to Nica next month to continue looking for our little slice of heaven…and since I believe that everything happens for a reason, I can only imagine how amazing the place we find will be.

This is my kind of lemonade.

CG xo

Doing of my fish taco research in Sayulita, Mexico.

I would consider myself a fish taco aficionado. If they are on a menu (and of course are gluten-free), I am eating them. I make it my mission to try as many different varieties as well as restaurants that serve them when I am in Latin America. Last year alone I went to Sayulita, Mexico, twice and did my fish taco eating diligence there. You can go to vendors on the street that serve ‘tacos pescado’ or you can eat in restaurants that serve them. You can have them ‘a la plancha’ (grilled) or ‘empanizado” (breaded). Since Sayulita is known not only for its surfing, but also for fishing, it is a great place to indulge.

Not to be outdone by Mexico, you can also fine some really great fish tacos in Nicaragua. Cafe Tranquilo, on Little Corn Island, makes what I would consider the best grilled fish tacos I have ever had the pleasure of eating. The fish, prepared on a smokey grill, is a little bit crispy and still really moist. They add gallo pinto (rice and beans), shredded cabbage, and pico de gallo to their tacos et voila! Pure masterpiece. Of the five days we spent on Little Corn, I’m sure I ate fish tacos at Cafe Tranquila four times, minimum. I could not get enough!

Fast forward to Valentine’s Day. Mr. CG and I were talking about how we should celebrate when it suddenly came to me: we were going to try our hand at making one of our favorite dishes.  Combining all the knowledge I had acquired through extensive research, I set to work on a list of ingredients and hit the organic supermarket to get prepared. This is the recipe I came up with, minus the rice and beans, but I’ll definitely make them the next time.

Completed prep work.

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 pieces of cod, or other white fish
4 corn tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 of a head of light cabbage
4 small limes, or 2 large ones
1/4 white onion
3/4 c grape tomatoes (I love the sweet taste of these, but you can use any tomatoes you have)
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small serrano pepper (or a jalapeno if you can’t find serranos)
1 tsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp chipotle Tabasco
1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (or any hot sauce of your preference)

Method:

• Mix 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of each sea salt and fresh ground pepper, then coat the cod with it. Refrigerate.
• Make the pico de gallo. Chop onions, tomatoes, garlic, serrano pepper (use less for milder heat), and cilantro, and mix together. Squeeze 2 small or 1 large limes into the nix and combine thoroughly. Set aside.
• Make the chipotle hot sauce. Mix mayonnaise, Chipotle Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, and the juice of 1 lime together. Set aside.
• Finely chop the cabbage and put in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, and 1/2 tsp of each sea salt and fresh ground pepper and mix well. Set aside.
• On medium heat, barbeque your fish on both sides. Do not overdue it, you want it to be moist on the inside and not flaky.
• Heat the corn tortillas in a skillet until warm, but not crispy.
• Assemble tacos: add fish, pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, and drizzle chipotle hot sauce last. You can garnish with more cilantro if you like.

The finished product!

The Valentine’s Day tacos pescado turned out amazing. The next time I’ll grill more fish because we have leftovers of everything else – so really, this recipe could feed four if you wish.

Delicioso! Enjoy

CG xo

Al Cielo, which means 'The Sky' in english, has a gorgeous 360 degree view of the ocean and surrounding hills.

Owned by William and Xavier, two fellows who hail from Paris, France, Al Cielo is located on an absolutely beautiful piece of land overlooking the Pacific ocean. It is a bit ironic that these two found a piece of property in Nicaragua that so closely resembles the French countryside; this place is a little slice of heaven!

At Al Cielo you will find incredible french food inspired by Xavier, who is a trained chef, lovely wines, accommodating hosts, a view of the sunset that is parallel to none, and a chilled out vibe that encourages hammock lounging during the heat of the day. William and Xavier are also experienced surfers, so you can hitch a ride to the beach daily to catch some waves if you wish. They also have a pool on site so you can take a dip to cool off if needed. Al Cielo has a lot to offer if you are looking for a quiet place to stay that has a wonderful view. If you visit ask William and Xavier to teach you the French game Petanque – it is a lot of fun and can get very competitive as the afternoon progresses!

Our casita had amazing views of the countryside.

Al Cielo's restaurant serves up some incredible French fare, and is a great place to hangout for some after-dark shenanigans.

The sunsets from Al Cielo's vantage point are absolutely spectacular. If you plan to go for an evening meal, make sure you are there in time to catch the sunset!

We thoroughly enjoyed staying at Al Cielo and getting to know William, Xavier, and Jahaira. Can’t wait to get back there!

CG xo

We got up early the next morning, feeling hopeful that the weather had changed and the panga was going to start transporting passengers to LCI. To our dismay, the Coast Guard had cancelled it for yet another day. With the help of our friend, Vendell, the local taxi driver who had been helping us, we were able to find a fisherman who was willing to take us to LCI for 7x the amount of money the panga costs. At $20 per person, we jumped at the opportunity and took the rockiest 45-minute boat ride of our lives. And speaking of lives, we certainly held on dearly for ours.

Our new friends were staying at the same beachfront hotel as us, so when we arrived we all headed in the direction of Little Corn Beach Bungalows. There are no motorized vehicles on LCI, so we hired a man with a wheelbarrow to bring our bags. After a 15-minute walk, we arrived in paradise. Little Corn Beach Bungalows are owned and operated by  Kristine and Scot, a couple from Colorado, who have followed their dream and made LCI their full-time home. They are very accommodating, and have an incredibly friendly staff. It was our intention to stay on LCI for eight days, but the weather was very unforgiving and we cut our stay short. During the periods of time when it wasn’t raining, we took full advantage: we went for extensive walks exploring the untapped beaches, spent a day scuba diving, and did some snorkeling, too.

LCI is one of the most beautiful places we have ever had the pleasure of visiting, and we do plan to go back one day…at a much less rainy time of year! Check it out…

Our beautiful cabana at Little Corn Beach Bungalows, steps from the ocean.

The serene view from our LCBB cabana...taken during a snippet of time when it wasn't raining.

Beautiful, lush jungle surrounds walking paths around the island.

Recycling is difficult on such a remote island, so many folks building with empty bottles. I love this bottle mosaic!

We spent an afternoon snorkeling at and lounging on this deserted beach...until the inevitable rain came!

We had a fantastic diving experience with Dive Little Corn. We saw whale sharks, a massive turtle, and sting rays...all on the same dive. It was awesome!

There are cabanas all over the island, each operation accommodating different budgets.

A few other tidbits about LCI…

• Little Corn Beach Bungalows has a great restaurant, but we also patronized Tranquilo Cafe for lunch a lot. They have the BEST fish tacos this girl has ever eaten. I certainly got my fill of them at Tranquilo!
• LCI was originally colonized by the British, and has a really caribbean feel. English is the most widely spoken language, but most everyone on the island also speaks spanish as well as a local dialect called ‘miskito’.
• If you are heading to this area of the world, don’t waste your time on BCI – it is nowhere near as beautiful and chilled out as LCI.
• Little Corn Beach Bungalow is eco-friendly, and the owners do a great job of sustainably living on this land while encouraging all their guests to do the same.

This island oasis is well worth the extensive traveling it took to get there!

CG xo

We ate a lot of good food in Granada, but the best restaurant we visited by far was Imagine Restaurant and Bar. It has a really lovely, chilled out vibe, a fantastic wine selection, and an incredibly outgoing owner who is always up for a chat. If that isn’t enough, the food is absolutely to die for. They often have live music, and this cozy environment is a great place to watch the local Nica band that played the evening we were there. This definitely isn’t the cheapest place to eat, but if you are visiting Granada I highly recommend you check it out.

We wandered a lot around Granada by foot, trying to take it all in. Here are some of the sights we saw…

Beautiful colonial houses with a view of the town square.

Calle la Calzada, home to a large number of Granada's restaurants, is a great place to people-watch!

A Nicaraguan gentleman relaxes on the steps of Iglesia de Guadalupe.

View of the Granada Cathedral from the oldest church in the city, La Merced.

A front view of La Merced Church which originally built in 1534.

Colorful buildings line the streets.

Rammed earth building techniques stand the test of time!

A traditional Nicaraguan-style painting depicting Semana Santa in Leon.

San Francisco Church, which is attached to the city's historical museum.

A closer look at the Granada Cathedral, colorful and beautiful.

No visit to Nicaragua is complete without getting your fill of their delicious, homegrown coffee!

I am really happy that we took the time to see Granada, because trust me, it would have been very easy to beach hop for the entire month. Two or three days is definitely enough time to take it all in, although next time, we will check out the Lake and likely take in Laguna de Apoyo which we have been told is fantastic. The fun never ends!

CG xo

As a result of our late arrival in Managua followed by a three-hour taxi journey, we got to El Coco Loco in the middle of the night.  As you can imagine, we were tired and disoriented, so we hit the sack in our sweet cabana and had a fantastic sleep.  The following morning, we got up and found ourselves in paradise: steps to the ocean (and the surf breaks!), amazing food, fantastic, friendly hosts, and beautifully landscaped grounds. We were muchos excited to say the least!  During the days that followed, we surfed, ate, relaxed, and attempted to improve our spanish skills.  It was total bliss. We also got to know the staff, with whom we had a great connection, and some of the folks in the community. We quickly learned that the guys who own El Coco Loco aren’t just a couple of pretty faces – they have a burning desire to give back to the community they now call home and as a result have started an incredible charity called Waves of Hope. Through this non-profit organization, Jamie and Ben are sponsoring some incredible projects to sustainably help the local people get ahead. They have built an elementary school, they send adults to english school in a neighboring community, provide steady work for many of the inhabitants, have built and continue to build houses for families in dire need, organize and host a kid’s program, and encourage the children to attend school regularly by rewarding them with surf lessons on Saturdays. This is the just the tip of the iceberg as there are a lot of other incredible things happening in this community as a result of the efforts of Waves of Hope and it’s volunteers.

Mr. CG and I have traveled to a lot of poverty-stricken areas over the years, but have never felt the immediate need anywhere else like we did in El Manzano Uno. Since we plan to make this community our part-time home, we too want to contribute to the Waves of Hope efforts. We are tossing around ideas for fundraisers in our local city, online, and beyond. If you or anyone you know have ideas we are open to hearing them. We are currently collecting gently used clothing donations to bring down on our next trip, so please think of us when you are cleaning out your closets. Clothing for all ages and both genders accepted!

Without further adieu, here are some of my favorite shots from El Manzano Uno…

Our cabana away from home at El Coco Loco.

El Coco Loco is very eco-friendly. They have composting toilets, and re-use all the grey water on the property to keep the foliage on the grounds thriving.

The newest Coco Loco edition - the pool! A surprisingly cool place to hangout in the hot afternoon sun, with a cerveza, por favor

There is also a beautiful yoga pavillion at El Coco Loco, and they frequently host yoga and surf retreats - check www.suavedulce.com for more info.

Mr. CG gets to know some of the local Waves of Hope kids at Coco Loco's staff Christmas party on December 25th.

One of two weeks' worth of daily sunsets. Makes me soul smile, bye! (can take the girl out of Cape Breton...)

The local beverage of choice and pride of the country - Flor de Cana rum! (warning: is delicious & can barely be tasted when mixed with soda & fresh lime)

Mr. CG hits the deserted surf. Heck ya!

Fisherman bring in the day's catch at Playa Santa Maria, just down the beach from Coco Loco. I just about turned into a fish, I ate so much of it on this trip!

One of the Coco Loco canine mascots, Roco. He slept on our cabana porch each night and accompanied us to the beach for our daily sunset viewing.

The closest town, Chinandega, is home to some of the dodgyest fireworks vendors I have ever seen. They set up booths during the holidays, flogging their gun-powder-filled wares. Hold onto your thumbs!

I could seriously go on and on about this part of our trip… Suffice to say that it was mind blowing in a life-changing way! We are excited for the future.

Last words: as with any charity, Waves of Hope can use your help.  There are many ways to get involved – you can find out more on their website. If you would like to make a donation to Waves of Hope, you can be assured that 100% of your funds will go directly into the community and you will also receive a tax receipt. There are a lot of smiling faces in the community that will thank you!

CG xo

I am really driven. I do not take no for an answer and dive into projects that I am passionate about. No one can ever say that something I started didn’t flourish because I didn’t give it my best effort. I do not accept failure; I simply look at these experiences as a springboard toward my next successful endeavor. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, right?

I am currently in the process of closing a chapter of my professional life that has been a part of me for a number years. I feel ready to move forward, having found a vehicle for my talents that is not only profitable, but portable. While yes, financial stability is important, so is doing something that is satisfying and liberating. Simply put: my goal in life is to be happy. I want to have a lifestyle that compliments our decision not to have children, and takes advantage of the path we have chosen. We do not have to live in one place year-round, so why should we?

Mr. CG and I recently spent a month in Nicaragua. We chose this Central American country as a destination based on a very complicated formula – how far away can we fly using our Visa points. Once we decided on Nicaragua, we became very excited to travel to a Latin American country where we could surf, scuba dive, and experience a culture with which we weren’t overly familiar. Little did we know on the fateful day that we cashed in our travel reward points that we would find a piece of heaven that we could be excited to call home.

While in the northern part of Nicaragua we had an ethereal experience. We found ourselves in a community that felt like it was drawing us in, luring us to become a part of it. A place where we could stretch our legs, relax, spend time together, and challenge ourselves to be better while helping others. Our decision to make a part-time home in this beautiful, undiscovered, impoverished community did not come lightly. We spent the entire month asking questions, doing research, and re-visiting the land that we had fallen in love with. On the last day of our trip, we looked at each other and said ‘yes’. Let’s do it. We signed an offer to purchase the ocean view property and left Nicaragua with our fingers crossed and our hearts soaring.

A few days later we received the good news – our offer had been accepted. We are currently in the process of closing on a property purchase in a foreign country, a feat unto itself I assure you. Everything we knew about buying property here in Canada has gone out the window, and a lengthy acquisition process is underway. With the advice of our new, soon-to-be expat neighbors in Nicaragua, we found a fantastic law firm to help us, and trust me, they have been so great. Our dream gets closer by the day…I can feel it.

It may not look like much, but one day it will be home. One day soon, that is.

Steps from the beach...and the surfing!

Some beautiful palm trees adorn the land...can't wait to see a rancho, house & massive garden on the property!

A month’s worth of photos are coming your way…stay tuned.

CG xo

Afternoon altar preparations for the upcoming evening's festivities.

A beautiful wood cross adorns an altar, surrounded by apples & candles.

A dirt cross outlined with marigolds on the ground in front of an altar.

Evening sets in and the light changes drastically on the altars in Sayulita's town square.

Candles add light and life to this offering.

A family member tends to a deceased's memorial.

A candle cross illuminates the marigold-covered ground around this altar.

A young boy lights candles while wearing a 'sugar skull' mask.

Beautiful flowers decorate this altar.

A sweet little girl prances around barefoot, enjoying the evening's events.

Intricately punched candle holders surrounded one altar, each with their own message carved.

I feel so blessed to have been able to witness this incredibly special tradition.  I think that more cultures should look at celebrating the lives of their deceased loved ones.

CG xo