On a recent trip to Oaxaca, one of the culinary and cultural hearts of magnificent Mexico, I was lucky enough to experience the wonder, strangeness and joy that is the Day of the Dead (el Dia de los Muertos). I’d always been somewhat flummoxed by the differences between Day of the Dead and Halloween and […]
There was a time period at the end of the 70’s, when rock and roll belched up 15 minute ballads sticky with hairspray, and the efficiency of a 2-4 beat and counterculture got lost in the woods and egos of stadium shows. We ended up with “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”. Fortunately punk rock and […]
Located in one of the sunniest parts of the French Alps, the small town of Barcelonnette (not to be confused with Barcelona in Spain) is home to almost 3000 souls. Barcelonnette is not only a friendly family ski town known to every ski enthusiast in the South of France (only 3h away from Marseille), it […]
Lately I’ve been on the search for the perfect beach, and not because I particularly love beaches. But because I enjoy travelling with my kids, and a good beach is an ace in the hole. Grab a bucket and shovel, and the sand can bring endless hours of creativity and fun. And swimming in warm […]
I think it was late spring, and school was going to let out a few weeks later, but things had been rough on the home front so it must have been decided that my brother and I were going to skip the end of the class year, and my 7th grade finals would be missed. […]
We were on our way to the market, as lead by our guide, the ever-capable and personable Paco, when my co-culinary-conspirator, Susannah, mentioned in a hushed tone that she had never visited this market before, as she had been warned-off by friends and people-in-the-know, that it was too dangerous to visit, especially for a non-Mexican […]
There are plenty of stereotypes that come to mind when someone says “vacation in Mexico”: sandy beaches, frozen cocktails, wild spring breakers. All of these things are available, of course, but there is so much more to this country. If you want to explore and discover many different elements of a destination without moving around […]
If there really is such a thing as heaven on earth, I believe it is called Hierve el Agua. These natural pools nestled in the mountains outside of Oaxaca city are so perfectly formed and wondrously beautiful that some have a hard time believing they’re naturally created and not man-made. Hierve el Agua means “the […]
Despite being popular with surfers and backpackers, and offering direct flights daily from Mexico City, the beach town of Puerto Escondido (which literally means “Hidden Port”) still feels like one of Mexico’s beautifully kept secrets. Unless you happen to arrive during Christmas or Easter, you will be amazed at the quiet, relaxed vibe that this […]
Brazil seems to be hogging the limelight lately, with the FIFA World Cup this summer and the Olympics in 2016. While we love it as a destination, there is plenty more in this area of the world to be excited about. Our Latin American enthusiasts here at Trufflepig feel we shouldn’t neglect the rest of […]
The world underwater can be an eerily beautiful, serene place. Some of my best memories from far flung destinations are of being under the deep blue; swimming among sea lions in the Galapagos, or floating through the clear glacier waters of the Silfra fissure in Iceland, where all you can hear is the sound of […]
At Trufflepig we often declare that “we know further afield better than close at hand”. But sometimes you don’t want to go all that far. The idea of sitting on an overnight flight for a short getaway seems daunting. You just need to relax and recharge a little closer to home. That’s just what I […]
“Vamos a la playa!” is perhaps my favourite phrase in the Spanish language. It is a little like the Brits saying “let’s have a nice cup of tea shall we?”, meaning let’s forget what ails us and focus on something else. In Spain and the Spanish-speaking world of Latin America, this is totally justified—it conjures […]