Photoblog: Final Crew Meal at Mexico City's W Hotel

Flashing back to the June Mexico trip with ProjectExplorer.org, I thought I'd memorialize a fantastic project-closing meal we had at the W Hotel in Mexico City. We relaxed after a hectic day of capturing on film Mexico's complex and difficult history. It was a well-deserved and tasty spread. [All photos were taken by Vijaya Selvaraju.]

Guerrero Negro Seared Sea Scallops

Handmade Brie Cheese Baguette

Mexican Black Oyster Mushroom Soup

Citric Pesto Crusted Ahi Tuna

Coriander & Lemon Marinated Chicken Breast

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Me Enjoying Myself

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ancho Chilli

Not Jack Johnson's Banana Pancake

Pina Colada Sweet Pineapple and Cardamom Ravioli

Reviewing David Lida's First Stop in the New World

this book, come three or four chapters deep, wasn't yet rave-ish. David didn't write a travel narrative taking place in the hypermetropolis of Mexico City/Federal District (D.F.); he did something better than that. Working off twenty years of experience as an expat in Mexico's capital - as a journalist and, therefore, a well-informed observer of society - David describes this somewhat daunting land of 20+ million residents as THE example of the future of the urban future. We in America have no idea what's in store for our homes, that is unless we look deep into the essence and creation of the world's second largest metropolitan area.

Photoblog: Xochimilco and Frida

Man, I'm swamped with ProjectExplorer. The amount of work we have to create and cover in our short three weeks on locations is deep and vast. However, I'm still loving it and virtually recovered from my bout of hilarious food poisoning. We have moved on to Oaxaca for the second destination of three on this adventure, and our digs are beyond this world. I've got a lot to share.

Two days after a little food poisoning, we boarded brightly colored boats in the man-made canals at Xochimilco. A woman dropped a bucket full of cerveza, soda, and water while our "gondolier" pushed off the dirt walls with his feet and striped pole.

We witnessed "tajin" at Xochimilco, which is a tradition to awaken the rain god and bring precipitation to their lands. It involved four guys flying around in circles from their waists - odd but entirely cool.

Frida Kahlo's Museum moved me nearly to tears. The artwork, the idea of her presence in that space, the colors and shadows of her garden - I could have spent days there.

Vijaya was a wee bit excited to find out the 27+ ingredients used to make mole sauce. Since Oaxaca is "the land of the seven moles," it was imperative we found out about the mysterious substance.

Have you been jones-ing for some video visuals from Mexico? Tomorrow, I'll show you some of the quick trips I've been churning out.