Experience the color and delight of Latin America with Mexico resident Merry Elizabeth Foss
Adventurer & Traveler
A lifetime of curiosity & travel has equipped me with the knowledge and experience to personally assist you, in both organizing an adventure and guiding you throughout the Latin American countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia. I now live full time in the colonial gem of Malinalco, Mexico.
Background Information
I worked my way around Europe in the last four years of my teens, returning to Canada to find myself training as a canoeist and leading isolated northern adventure trips for troubled inner-city kids. As an outdoor educator in assorted modalities, I found my bliss for years to come, doing seasonal work in assorted areas of Canada. I came and went across the Canadian border to adventure & reside elsewhere during those times, as well. I lived in Big Sur at Esalen Institute and also the Hawaiian Islands, both stunning natural environments.
In 1988 I left Nova Scotia, Canada, for Santa Fe, New Mexico to study massage therapy, maintaining a private practice there for eight years. As a former outdoor educator, I was strongly drawn to Santa Fe for its mountains; mountains that beckoned me to hike up, over and beyond. And for my first arid, high desert experience, soaking up the pungent scents of pinion, pine and sage. The vast open spaces of the desert and mountain vistas spoke to me in such a quiet, expansive way. The combination of great beauty and cultural diversity of all of the Southwest further enhanced the Santa Fe appeal.
1996 I co-organized a private trek into an isolated, untraveled region
of the Andes Mountains of Peru. Upon our return, we were invited to
present a slide show of our adventure, which soon led to a return trip
guiding a small, intimate group along the same route. It was thrilling
for me and for them, as we shared many wonderful adventures,
including Machu Pichu and traveling on to Bolivia following the shores
of Lake Titicaca. It was the stuff of dreams and I wanted more!
From that point forward, I returned to Mexico and South America each
year for months at a time, deepening my love and understanding of these
extraordinary cultures. I witnessed lives fully engaged in daily creative
expression, nourishing not only my eyes but my soul. Back in Santa
Fe, my photography, folk art & ethnographic pieces, stories and
collections, synthesized into a thriving ethnographic business.
My fascination for the indigenous people of these Latin American countries actively engaged me in a twelve year seduction and brought forth a sense of mission; namely, to honor and promote the cultures I had grown to love through every piece
I acquired as a professional ethnographic dealer.
" Ultimately, the true revelation of adventuring into the new and different for
me, beyond what I am familiar with and understand, is to discover that indeed
there are no strangers or strange ways. Rather, such experiences are an
entree to better embrace the whole of the world as one. "
The Present
Settled full-time here in Malinalco, Mexico, both my days and nights are steeped in the flavors of saturated color, food so fresh it startles me, of gracious people creating a beautiful life and beautiful things. With enthusiasm I will share this with you!!! Not just Malinalco, but all of Mexico and countries south of its border. On my personally-guided, customized experiences created just for you, you will never feel the tourist, but rather a fellow traveler exploring and adventuring together.
Whatever imaginings you might have, I do hope you will journey along with me through my ever-changing Newsletter.
