I am very proud and excited to share with you our Cancun project. Encanto Retreats LLC where we are building 4 cabins and a house in the Selva Azul Eco Village in the Mayan Riviera. We are in the midst of 250 pristine cenotes. Our architect is working on creating a “Vikings meet the Mayan” design on the cabins. We chose this number one, due to my Scandinavian upbringing and my partner’s latino heritage and number two, to represent how there in fact is evidence Vikings made it to the Yucatan area. Some Mayan huts use the same form of building in the shape of a boat in order to provide cooling and air ventilation. Evidence of Viking being present can also be seen in the surrounding temples in Tulum and Chitzen Itlza.  References from the Eyrbggia saga  mentions two possible Vikings who may have sailed to the Yucatan region of Mexico – Gudleif Gudlaugson (c.1025 AD) and Björn Breiðvíkingakappi (c.965). Guðmundsdóttir and Thorsteinsson claim that the Eyrbyggja saga describes how Björn Breiðvíkingakappi (Björn the champion of the Broadwickers) sailed around Ireland and landed in Mexico.

The cabins will be available for booking around fall of 2023, whether you are traveling alone, with your family, or if you are having an event such as a wedding or a retreat. We will also be running our own retreats and hosting local trips and experiences.

Because it is important to take charge and be empowered, I am a huge proponent of living a life close to the earth and taking care of our physical, emotional, and spiritual health by building a sound foundation upon which we can thrive and live in freedom and sovereignty. 

Eating fresh foods is a huge part of this. How do we target all at the same time? 

Growing a garden! It is a fantastic investment with a large ROI. Not only do you know how your food has been grown, what soil it has been grown in and whether or not it has been sprayed with pesticides, it is also very grounding to work in the garden.
It is so exciting to see plants grow from seed to a little delicate spring, into a plant and eventually food actually comes from this whole process. You literally watch miracles happen on a daily basis. Think how abundant you will feel when you have baskets full of freshly picked greens, fruits, and vegetables, you share with your neighbors and friends and family. 

Imagine how many health problems you prevent or even reverse because of eating fresh foods. You are contributing to enriching the soil on your land by how you nurture the soil and feed it. If you have children, think of the lifelong lessons they learn from being ambassadors of the earth. They inherit what we leave behind. What kind of earth are you leaving behind for the next generation? You have an enormous source of power of making changes in the world, and making it what you want. As Arleen Lorrance said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It is a mindset, which starts with you. Next step – ACTION. 

Rather than starting with a lot of guesswork on what plants work best where, I hired a permaculture food forest designer to design a garden for us. This way the designer has put together plants that support each other while making it aesthetically pleasing. Once the design is to your liking, you can either DIY or the company has people who will install the garden for you.

Another source of much dis-ease are all the chemicals our household products have. From the air fresheners, to laundry detergent, and cleaning products. There are so many cancer producing, hormone disrupting chemicals in there it is no wonder more people end up with debilitating chronic illnesses. This is why I look for companies dedicated to providing high quality products. I trust Young Living for my aromatherapy and household products. Once you start using high quality products, you can smell the chemicals in other products as well as recognize when essential oils are watered down.