Bold Magazine 2013

Antonio Pendones A Digital Story Teller INDELIBLE JOURNEYS Cambodia The Amazons Puerto Rico Ecuador

GLOBE-TROTTERS TRACY HACKET FABIOLA SICARD SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR ANTHONY LACAVERA FASHION ICON SUZANNE ROGERS

BOLD 2013

DINA PUGLIESE

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from the publisher An Inspiration

Editor and Founder, Bold Magazine marlon@boldmagazine.ca

4

I am a disciplined procrastinator, if that makes any sense. I have little patience for anything that requires me to sit or be tied to the same spot for more than two hours. I am more of a hands-on kind of guy. I remember when I was in university, I would always leave the assignments and the important essays to the last minute. I suffered from the mañana syndrome.

Fast-forward 20 something years later, and I am still a disciplined procrastinator– nothing much has changed. Take for instance this letter. I had started to craft this letter, as requested by the design team, earlier on in the game – even before we even knew who would be on the cover or what we’d write about this issue. I remember their words clearly: “Please Marlon, we want you to write your letters a year ahead if you can”.

I then went on a few press trips, wrote a line here and there, came back – put it away – but nothing inspired me. It is now less than 24 hours before this issue goes to print and I am still trying to find that something that would inspire me to write this note. Then I got a tweet from a dear friend of mine that shared an article – that made me wonder if she knew exactly what I was going through!

The article shared with me was a beautiful piece written by ceaseless entrepreneur Arlene Dickinson in her blog You Inc., “Nobody Succeeds Alone.”

Here is my favorite paragraph:

“The entrepreneurs that I admire most share one significant trait: they don’t consider themselves the sole architects of their success. They have the humility to recognize that many others have helped them along the way: dedicated employees who believed in what they were doing; mentors and advisors who gave generously of their time and expertise; loved ones who supported and put up with them; inspirers who served as their role models.”

As those words resonated in my head, I revisited the moment when Diego Casco, the President of the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce called me to share some good news: I had been selected to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2012. The first thoughts that came to my mind then were, why me? I couldn’t fully grasp the idea of being recognized for something that I do out of passion. But then it dawned on me: this recognition had a purpose and an intent.

As entrepreneurs, we are faced everyday with challenges and rewards. There is no handbook or magic wand that will give you an immediate solution when you are faced with uncertainty. I must admit that as I leave my 30s, soon to enter into my 40s, I have learned and become better at many things – and one of them is to keep myself grounded no matter the degree of success, for success can be something fleeting!

More importantly, I have learned to surround myself with creative individuals, doers and thinkers that will keep me grounded.

The award bestowed on me is not mine alone. It belongs to a wonderful group of people that drive this publication! Without you, this publication would not be what it is today! So today, I want to use this page that stood blank for quite sometime to thank you, Lu, Gustavo, Antonio, Lea, Mehreen, Tishan, Dyone, Humaira, Magda, Marcelo for being my inspiration. When I always turn to you, you never cease to amaze me with the right encouraging words, always coming up with solutions and with your constant positive energy which inspires me from the moment I get up until the moment I put this passion to rest.

To thank my parents and family, for giving me the essential tools to navigate through the journey of life and for always supporting my crazy ideas. And a special thanks to Pina, Jenny and Mariale for always being there in one way or another when the tough gets going, you are always there to lift me higher.

And finally, it is in this spirit of inspiration, that I welcome Kate Browning to the wonderful family of BOLD magazine. Like we say in Spanish, nuestra casa es tu casa. As you take on the role of editor, I have faith in you that you will make our wonderful publication grow along with the rest of the team.

Photo Credit: www.insandoutsofsvg.com

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ST. VINCENT, YOUNG ISLAND, BEQUIA, MUSTIQUE, CANOUAN, MAYREAU, TOBAGO CAYS, UNION ISLAND, PALM ISLAND AND PETIT ST. VINCENT

5

FOOTNOTES The ROM’s BIG Cultural Bites

P15

The Symphony Of Scotch Oscar Niemeyer’s Love Affair With Concrete

P18 P4 P12

Travel Essentials for Him + Her

Publisher’s Note

P8

Editor’s Letter

Contributors

INDELIBLE JOURNEYS P16

CAMBODIA, THE KINGDOM OF WONDER, Where Spiritual + Human Realms Connect

By Humaira Riaz

P28

6

MYSTERIES DEEP IN THE AMAZON, A World Of Breathtaking Vistas And Unforgettable Wildlife

By David Sendra Domènech

> P34

PUERTO RICO + WOMEN ON THE VERGE, 4 Industrious Women Contribute In Unique Ways To The Isle Of Enchantment’s Entrepreneurial Tradition By Andrew Brudz

P32

CANADIAN HIGH TEA, Rediscover An English Classic With A Canadian Twist At Langdon Hall Country House

By Lea Puechel

ECUADOR STATE OF MIND, A Multifaceted Land Of World-Class Cuisine, UNESCO Heritage Sites, And Andean Terrain

By Erin Armstrong

P50

P20

ANTONIO PENDONES + DIGITAL EXPRESSIONISM, The Artist Whose Work Begins Not On A Canvas But On A Touch Screen

By Kate Browning

P24

FABIOLA SICARD, Cultural Maverick Of Mixico + Champion Of Latin American In Canada Interview by Kate Browning

TRACY HACKET, Globetrotting Banker, A Modern Day Renaissance Woman + World Explorer Interview by Lea Puechel

P52

P54

GLOBE TROTTERS

<

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DINA PUGLIESEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s THOUGHTS FOR TODAY

SUZANNE ROGERS, A Stylish Canadian Icon, Mother + Philanthropist + Fashion Aficionado Interview by Marlon Moreno

ANTHONY LACAVERA, Entrepreneur For Canadians +Serial Entrepreneur Interview by Marlon Moreno

7

from the editor

Coming Home I recently relocated to Toronto from Halifax. I’m no stranger to the feeling of new. Early on, I lived the life of a fringe military brat—both my parents taught the real army brats of Canadian military bases in Germany. I spent several of my younger years traveling around Europe, not out of luxury but because it was incredibly cheap and every country so easily within reach. In the Europe just after Mr. Gorbachev tore down the wall, even the truest of homebodies became intrepids. My love of travel was established early and has only been reinforced since.

In the end, my parents’ fundamental decision that travel was worth sacrificing for, more than made up for my teenage frustration watching bunny-eared channels on an ancient television, or embarrassment driving around with the squeals and grumbles of my grandfather’s ailing Isuzu Trooper.

The restlessness I’ve felt living in one place for too long has since brought me down the Pacific, back across the Atlantic, and in Canada, from one coast to the other with stops in between. Yet after years of always burning to be on the road, I’ve landed in Toronto.

Growing up in rural Central Ontario, Toronto always fascinated me.

Each summer throughout my childhood, my sister and I visited my aunt in Etobicoke for some of the most memorable weekends of my life. I’ll never forget how Toronto looked at night from my aunt’s windowsill—the city lights of my childhood. I used to stare in awe at the CN Tower and was beyond elated the day I finally stood on its glass floor and peered down and out at Toronto, my Emerald City. I’ve perched myself near many windows, overlooking many cities and landscapes but Toronto was my first, and none have captivated quite like it since.

Toronto is alive. It’s brimming with people who are living their passions and sparking others to do the same. It’s a whole world of communities to jump into and explore, each of which make you feel as though you’re meant to be here.

BOLD is one of those communities. It’s a vibrant centre of inspired and

Photo by Tishan Baldeo Kate Browning wears Greta Constantine.

inspiring individuals who live and breathe what they love; I’m honoured to count myself one among them. In my new role as Editor I’ve found another example of the dynamism and openness I think characterizes this city. After just 6 months, I’ve found my place within this city and this magazine; and it’s this experience of finding home—in its many forms—that permeates our latest issue.

Home is sometimes discovered in an improbable place, like the sense of peace David Sendra

Domènech finds in the wilderness of the Amazon (page 28). Sometimes it’s uncovered through a perceptual shift, or a change in the way we understand the world, as Erin Armstrong learns in Ecuador (page 41). It can be created anew by carrying pieces of another home with you, as Antonio Pendones (page 20) has from the Dominican Republic to New York, and then Toronto. It can be reinvented by contributing to a tradition of greatness in a fresh way, as Andrew Brudz seeks out in Puerto Rico’s newest generation of entrepreneurial women (page 36). And this pursuit of innovation, as Canadabased luminaries like Anthony Lacavera (page 56) and Tracy Hackett (page 24) show us, it can foster a sense of pride here at home too.

Finally, Dina Pugliese graces our cover (page 46) as an unmatched portrait of a modern Canadian

woman—one with a rich cultural background and strong roots, who not only proudly calls Canada home but also strives to remind us that home can be transformed into a brilliant milieu of achievement.

With little more than a thirst for life, we can discover home anywhere, just as we can discover a

limitless number of worlds at home. With unrestrained imaginations, we can return to our childhoods, and we can see anywhere the bright lights of the city of life and say, I’m where I need to be; I’m home.

Kate Browning

8

Where to find me kate.browning@boldmagazine.ca Twitter @BOLDmagKate Facebook.com/boldmagazine.ca

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publisher

& editor-in-chief

Marlon Moreno

editorial

art

editor

art

& creative director

Kate Browning

Antonio Pendones

america’s editor

graphic designer

Magda de la Torre

Lu Aguilar

associate editors

web developer

Lea Puechel Humaira Riaz Mehreen Shahid

Marcelo Frank photography

Tishan Baldeo Felicia Byron Di Mora Mauricio Jimenez Nicolas Kleiman

production head of production

Gustavo Reid production assistant

Dyone Firme

social media

Erin Armstrong ON THE COVER DINA PUGLIESE, Host of Canada’s Got Talent & Co-Host of Breakfast Television Toronto.

stylists

Neil W Balmbra Stephanie Black Zaida Olvera, Hair & Makeup

© Pulso Media Inc. Photo by Di Mora.

Photography Assistant: Tishan Baldeo Hair by Kelly Ann Araujo (Hair on the Avenue) Make up by Tracy Peart Styling by Stephanie Black Dina wears a Baby Steinberg Design (www.babysteinberg.com) Jewellery courtesy of Links of London, Effervescence Collection Location: Citytv - Breakfast Television Studio

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80 Wellesley St. East # 302 Toronto ON M4Y 1H3 www.boldmagazine.ca BOLD is published every quarter by Pulso Media Group Inc. BOLD is independently owned. Opinions expressed in BOLD are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the publisher or advertisers.

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Enrique Iglesias

11

www.enriqueiglesias.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Erin Armstrong Writer “Ecuador State of Mind” Ecuador means to me a break from the fast paced life in North America. I’ll always remember the nights I spent in a hut in the jungle on the Napo River. Most surprising discovery how cold the climate is for being on the equator and the diversity in terrain and wildlife throughout such a small country.

First time visitors to Ecuador should take altitude sickness medication before arriving to acclimatize, schedule a driver so that they can explore as many parts of the country as possible, and pack for every kind of weather. Remember to bring sunscreen, bug repellent, a camera, a rain jacket—especially if going in the wet season. Eat at El Ventanal in Quito. Only in Ecuador You stand on the equator line, see shrunken heads, tour a volcano crater, explore the Galapagos, soak in volcanic hot baths and wake up in the cloud rainforest.

Humaira Riaz Writer “Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder” Cambodia’s uniqueness lies in its people. Treasured trip memory I stumbled upon a girl playing in the heavy monsoon rain. She was in her own world and joyfully oblivious to everyone and everything. If all of us could find that bliss we’d never be unhappy. I’ll never forget how I immediately felt at home amongst Cambodians. Don’t leave without a trip to Angkor Wat and one of the local artisans workshops. How to blend with the locals a simple smile does the trick. Also, in Cambodia, you’ll look like a tourist if you are wearing a sun hat and carrying sunblock. To truly let go just let Cambodia work its magic on you.

Be receptive and open to the country’s culture and its spirituality.

It’s a dead giveaway! My biggest regret not being able to visit all the temples! My next adventure South America!

12

Mehreen Shahid Writer “Oscar Niemeyer’s Love Affair with Concrete” From this assigment I learned that Oscar Niemeyer’s form of architecture fitted right in with my own perception of how form and function should make the dweller happy and delight one’s senses. Best places to travel for architecture China! From ancient architecture to modern day buildings, they have broken all conventions and have achieved true artistic freedom in their novel creations. If I had the opportunity to have lunch with Oscar, I would ask him to draw me his abode as he would envision it in heaven/paradise. Our city should include more flowing and open spaces like Niemeyer’s buildings, so our lives are not cubed or boxed but instead free form, in promoting a sense of peacefulness within its occupiers.

Mark Bylok Writer “The Symphony of Scotch” My assigment in five words learning the subtleties of Scotch. My finest moment tasting that ‘71 first-fill ex-sherry cask barrel sample. I drink Lagavulin 16, neat, failing that, a Manhattan with Maker’s Mark. If I had a year off I’d spend the ‘warm’ summer months in Scotland and the rest touring the best restaurants around the world. To relax on vacation I eat and drink. I’m definitely not a beach person. When I travel, I pick a destination based on what restaurants I want to eat at.

What I didn’t know about Balvenie the extent of their contributions to their local community. If I were a scotch I would be some peaty/smoky cocktail with bitters, a little bit of sweetness, and no ice. When I travel I read mostly sci-fi, especially old school sci-fi.

Lea Puechel Writer “Dina’s Thoughts for Today” Interviewing personalities can be just as interesting as picking the brain of any other person, though it’s sometimes more difficult. Starstruck moment no judgment please - Heidi Klum.

Next personality I’d love to interview Anne Hathaway. And a mafia boss, for good measure.

From Dina Pugliese, I learned that body language is underestimated.

Thought of the day about Dina she really has an unexceptional ability to make you feel good and laugh. She can show sympathy and thoughtfulness through her warm body language, which is like a natural healing experience for those that meet her. I truly admire that.

David Sendra Writer “Mysteries Deep in the Amazon” In the Amazon you can enjoy the purest sky in the world and the swell of the river when there is a storm.

The Amazons in three colours green of the forest, blue of the river and the sky, and yellow of the sun. A must do boat travel in the Amazon and meet the Amazon pink dolphin: the boto-cor-de-rosa. A must taste with more than two thousand species of fish, you must taste the tambaqui and tucunare. I wasn’t prepared for the suffocating heat.

Don’t leave the Amazon without an intense trek for the jungle, especially if it is raining. And swimming in the river with the dolphins. In my carryon camera, notebook and books.

My trip inspired me to protect the Amazonia and guarantee that the next generations can experience this wonder undamaged. My next trip Africa.

Tishan Baldeo Photographer Photography allows me to meet people from all walks of life.

The trick to a great portraiture is connecting with your subject.

Photographing public personalities is rewarding simply because they are important in some sort of shape or form in our community.

My dream public figure would be Jeremy Clarkson.

Favourite Subjects? People, mostly because we can all share and connect with the emotion produced in a Portrait photograph.

BOLD magazine has allowed me the experience of being a travel photographer and introduced me to a few inspiring figures in the city of Toronto.

Andrew Brudz Writer “Women on the Verge” Puerto Rico hightlight swimming off the deserted Isla Caja de Muerto. Dish to fly back for the 60 Luquillo roadside kiosks en route to El Yunque rainforest.

How I document my travels with a Moleskin. Surprisingly, in San Juan cockfighting is still very much legal. Transformative moment an impromptu parking lot dance party on Calle Loiza. My sense of the city sprawling and diverse. Delighted at discovering outdoor movie screenings at Cinema Paradiso en la Loiza. Only in Puerto Rico you can hear the distinct sound of the coqui at night. Don’t leave without coffee.

FOOTNOTES

big

BIG TIME 500 hours to create BIG SIZE 166.5 metres of cloth

BIG EVENT Last and most technically challenging collection

by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Passage # 5 (Coat-dress and belt) Haute Couture Collection / Spring Summer 2011 Dior by John Galliano

cultural bites

Words by Humaira Riaz

|

Image courtesy of Laziz Hamani

Beautiful, Elegant, Majestic, Extraordinary… These are the words that come to mind strolling down the great halls of the Michael Lee Chin Crystal into the BIG exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Image courtesy of Laziz Hamani Paris, France This acquisition was made possible with the generous support of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust.

F

eaturing 40 artifacts from around the globe, BIG is a captivating exhibit inspired by BIG ideas, BIG names, BIG news, and BIG social and cultural significance. The 40 creations, rarely shown due to their exceptional size and fragility, were chosen from among the thousands of precious pieces in the ROM’s collection of textiles and costumes. From a 600-year-old Peruvian feather tunic; rich, brilliant textiles from India, to Albania, to Sierra Leone; to masterpieces by fashion legends John Galliano, to Alexander McQueen, to Tom Ford, BIG has something to offer every visitor—young and old, fashionista and historian.

Curators Dr. Sarah Fee, Anu Liivandi and Alexandra Palmer chose to tell the compelling stories behind the artifacts with succinct, thoughtful descriptions, including why each belongs in BIG. The exhibit lets visitors explore and understand the complex meanings behind textiles and fashion. A seating area has been specially designed for those interested in viewing the exhibit’s films about the selection and mounting process of the artifacts. Walking through BIG means gaining an understanding of how textiles and fashion have been entwined throughout the ages.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the one-piece coatdress designed by John Galliano for the House of Dior 2011 SpringSummer Haute Couture Collection. This legendary dress exemplifies the true art of fashion. The iconic piece took

14

designers and seamstresses 175 meters of cloth and a grand total of 500 hours to create. The ROM specially commissioned a video for the exhibit that documents the making of this intricate haute couture marvel and beautifully captures the complexity of the production process.

Galliano was dismissed from the House of Dior for his anti-Semitic comments shortly after the production of the dress.

Though his Dior career may have been cut short, exhibits like BIG show why his iconic dresses will live on in the world of fashion.

An equally significant though less extravagant artifact is a handspun cotton cloth from Sierra Leone. This piece epitomizes the notion that first appearances can be deceiving. In West Africa, even a little piece of white cloth holds great cultural importance. Associated with rain and spirits, a white cloth is said to protect, honor and heal when made into a dress or given as an offering. It is also believed to have life giving properties when adorned by a woman.

Galliano’s dress and the West African cotton cloth may be worlds apart in the eyes of a fashion critic but they are both big in their own ways. All of the BIG artifacts are aimed at enlightening and entertaining those who are fond of gaining a fresh perspective on sartorial beauty, and highlights how BIG an influence fashion has on our lives.

The exhibit is on display at level 4 of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume and will be open to the public till Fall 2013.

SCOTCH Words by Mark Bylok

|

FOOTNOTES

The Symphony of Images by MARK BYLOK

A trip to Grant & Sons’ Balvenie Distillery in Scotland to deconstruct a single malt scotch with David Stewart, taught Mark Bylok that this subtly refined whole is greater than the sum

C

elebrating his fiftieth year working for Grant & Sons, David Stewart is a living legend in the Scotch industry. He began his career as a clerk in the ‘60s and truly worked his way up through the company becoming Malt Master in 1972. In that role, he was responsible for crafting the whiskies of storied brands like Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Grant’s Blended. Though he retired from this position in 2008, he continues to innovate as Malt Master for Grant & Sons’ Balvenie Distillery.

Earlier in the year, Stewart led me through a very special tasting, Balvenie Tun 1401. This unique single malt scotch is a blend of nine special barrels that have been aging in Balvenie’s Warehouse 24 (one of the distillery’s oldest) since between 1966 and 1991. Single malt scotch is almost always a blend of many barrels from the same distillery. As long as all the scotch is from one distillery, it’s considered a single malt. It is in the art of this blending process that a malt master is able to bring out specific flavours. What makes Tun 1401 unique is that only nine barrels were used to make the finished whisky—and we had the rare opportunity to taste barrel samples from each one.

All nine barrels were aged in the same warehouse; that’s the extent of their similarities. No two barrels are ever the same, so they will never produce the same drink. Just like twins, two barrels with a similar history might produce a drink that’s comparable but changing evaporation rates in a warehouse that’s not climate-controlled ensure they won’t be identical. The barrels’ varying ages adds another layer to the art of blending.

In this case, some were first-fill and others were second or thirdfill, which produce milder flavours. The Malt Master’s job is to nose and taste the whisky in the barrels and blend to achieve the flavour profile they envision for the finished product.

The tasting began with the finished Tun 1401. It’s a rich, spicy and fragrant scotch bottled at just over 50% ABV (alcohol by volume). Definitely a scotch-drinker’s scotch, it has a warm, long, dried fruit finish. After tasting the finished whisky, we were given the opportunity to taste samples from the individual barrels that went into the final blend. During the blending process, Stewart nosed a great number of barrels before narrowing it down to the chosen nine. That blend of

of its parts admittedly captivating parts. nine was then ‘married’ inside Tun 1401 (a large cask used for blending scotch) for several months.

What made this an eye-opening experience was the array of flavours between those nine barrels. For example, one of the barrels included was aged since 1966 and was now at 37.8% ABV. It alone would be too light to even qualify as Scotch (a minimum 40% ABV is required). It was very popular among the non-scotch drinkers in my group because of its milder alcohol but I found it tasted a little flat, like home-made white wine often can. We then tasted a first-filled, sherry cask-aged scotch from 1971 that was 52% ABV. Its flavours were rich and sweet— I’d even argue this barrel would make a great scotch by itself. We then moved on to a 1970 second-fill, barrel-aged scotch (the barrel was used previously to age another scotch) that was 58.8% ABV. As you can imagine, the alcohol was overpowering and it lacked the balanced finish or strong start to make it enjoyable on its own.

Each of the individual barrels had their own strengths and weaknesses, and most lacked the complexity scotch drinkers expect. However, each played a vital role in the final product.

The light 1966 barrel balanced out the harshness of some of the stronger barrels. The first-fill sherry cask-aged scotch that was overly sweet on its own, was balanced out by scotch aged in bourbon barrels, giving the final product a spicier finish.

Tun 1401 is an example of a Scotch produced in smaller batches. A Malt Master, however, must essentially perform the same magic on a larger scale all the time as a distillery aims to produce an identical flavour profile for its line of regular products. Each barrel needs to be nosed and tested chemically for the right components. It’s all then blended together so that your Balvenie Doublewood 12 always tastes the same no matter when you buy it.

Deconstructing the Balvenie Tun 1401 into its nine unique parts was epiphanic to my understanding of Scotch and it revealed the complexity that goes into each glass. It was like listening to an entire orchestra play, and then listening to the same piece played by individual instruments. After hearing the final piece, the individual parts don’t quite sound right. But after hearing them alone, you gain a greater appreciation for what the individual instruments contribute to the finished sound.

15

FOOTNOTES

Cambodia The Kingdom of Wonder Words and images by Humaira Riaz

In Cambodia, Humaira Riaz discovered a place where spiritual, magical, and human realms intersect.

A

s I stepped down from my 13-hour plane ride and into Siem Reap International Airport, my body was sore. However, rest was the last thing on my mind, I was in Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder and I was ready to commune with the Gods.

It was 5am on a rainy Friday morning and Souhav, the cab driver assigned to me at the airport, was eager to show me what his country had to offer—nothing short of majestic.

‘Would you like to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat?,’ he asked in impeccable English; I of course said yes. From afar, I could only see the blurry outline of the famous temples of Angkor Wat but as we slowly inched forward through the throngs of tourists, the details became clearer, solidifying out of obscurity and clustering together like filings around a magnet.

Built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century, Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world and it is a miniature replica of the universe, based on Hindu mythology, set in stone. According to mythological beliefs, the mountain Meru is situated at the centre of the universe and the central tower at Angkor Wat is an earthly model of Meru. The five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru, the outer walls to the edge of the world, and the surrounding moat a representation of the oceans beyond. A classical example of the architecture of the Khmer period and a stunning representation of the cosmic world, Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and for a good reason. People from far and near come to this wondrous land, in hopes of finding a spiritual awakening–in part the reason why I was there too.

The intricately designed Buddha statues and carvings at every turn in the complex could captivate the imagination for hours. ‘Some of the Buddha statues were decapitated and their heads sold for a fortune in other countries,’ Souhav explained with a solemn expression on his face. The centuries old Khmer architecture has withstood the test of time but unfortunately large portions of the complex were not able to withstand the

16

violence that was rife during the tyrannical Khmer Rouge era.

Hollywood—in particular, Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider whose action sequences were shot at Angkor Wat—may in part have been responsible for the popularity of Cambodia as a tourist destination. However, its true appeal lies in its rich cultural history and the warm hospitality of its people.

On previous visits, I had the opportunity to visit Cambodia’s famous landmarks and museums but this time I was adamant to do something that I had never done before, and that was to find out more about the people and their lifestyle. So when Souhav offered to drive me to the local woodwork shop, I jumped at the chance. For what better way to get to know people than to see them work.

At the workshop, artisans were intently bent over, working away on their magnificent creations. For just a meager 50 cents an hour, they carved intricate pieces that would become centerpieces of a hotel lobby or a home in a far-flung location.

‘We make the best out of the work opportunities that we have’ one of the artisans explained, ‘and this really is one of the better paying and stable jobs.’

After admiring the carvings for some time, we were on our way to a local diner that served steaming pots of delicious Khmer food. We were served a mouthwatering three-course meal that included the world-renowned Amok trey, freshwater fish fillet, covered in herbs and spices and served wrapped in a banana leaf. While I took my time to enjoy the delicious and generous offerings in front of me, my mind continued to wander and a question arose in my mind, ‘have I found what I came in search of?’

The answer was a simple, resounding and reassuring, yes.

That night before I went to bed, I was thankful for this muchneeded lesson in humility. I realized that the spiritual awakening many, myself included, seek in this transcendent mecca comes from not simply being in Cambodia but from being around people who genuinely teach you to reconnect with humanity.

FOOTNOTES

Oscar Niemeyer’s Love Affair with Concrete Words by Mehreen Shahid

“

Architecture for me has always begun with drawing. When I was very little my mother said I used to draw in the air with fingers,” said Oscar Niemeyer of his passion for architecture. The iconic Brazilian architect always spoke of how curves attracted him, curves in the mountains, in the sea, and above all, in the body of a woman. He built palaces, government buildings, museums, chapels, cultural centers, and cathedrals, each a reflection of his vision of utopia; he was an unabashed sensualist and intent on sharing this infatuation with the world. Each of Niemeyer’s architectural achievements tells the story of his dream to aggrandize his country. He razed traditional ideas of architecture to the ground and then resurrected them through his profound, imaginative genius. His buildings helped rescue Brazil from the depths of its struggles and set it on course to achieve ascendancy in the modern world.

Niemeyer’s first solo project in Brazil was the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Pampulha. The church defied conventional architectural styles, and challenged and frustrated Catholic church-goers and priests alike. The curves, in Niemeyer’s perspective, channelled the flow of God’s message much more effectively. He maintained that he did not want to design St. Francis of Assisi in an outdated style that to him was a dark reminder of sin; instead in a way that reflected a livelier and more joyous image of God. In 1996, when his Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum opened in Rio de Janeiro it was called “radical”. The museum, shaped like a bowl, is

perched on the edge of a cliff as if it could tip water into the ocean. The design of the building is such that each level naturally melds into the next one. Its massive radial structure has entrances on two levels leading to 5 galleries on each level. The building looks like a flower in full bloom and the placement of verandas on a high level gives a divine view of the city and the ocean. The curves in the spiralling ramp leading up to the museum and the tubular glassed levels give incredible views of the Guanabara Bay and keep visitors connected to the museum’s breathtaking natural surroundings.

Niemeyer once said, “I pick up my pen. A building appears.” That is precisely what happened when the city of Avilés, Spain commissioned him to build its cultural centre. The complex contains an auditorium that is adorned with swirling staircases, designed in the image of the dress of a diva descending steps, caressing the curves of her legs.

Outside, a path luxuriously uncoils towards the 2500 square feet dome that houses an exhibition space and between the dome and the auditorium lies the tower, which serves as a look out over the estuary of Ria de Avilés In all of Niemeyer’s work we find freedom of construction, no over detailing and filling spaces in with unnecessary technicalities; his buildings are elegant without being fussy. In his eyes, the ultimate task of an architect is to dream and his dreams brought 50 years of progress to Brazil in just 5 years.

He passed away at the age of 104, a celebrated architect and a national hero, having gifted his entire life and creativity to his beloved Brasilia.

17

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

This year, stay chic, comfortable and stylish with these must-have travel essentials!

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6. Time Traveller Daniel Wellington Classic Nottingham ($198). Available at A2Zane or A2Zane.com 7. You’ve been

Photography by Tishan Baldeo Art Direction: Antonio Pendones Production: Gustavo Reid StylistS: Humaira Riaz + Erin Armstrong

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framed - Karen Walker Number One sunglasses ($275).

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19

ART & MINDS

Digital Expressionism In the fast-paced world of digital communication technology, Antonio Pendones has discovered a genuine tool artistic expression. For this born storyteller, the work begins not on a canvas but on a touch screen.

Words by Kate Browning Photo by Jennifer Aurich Hair & Makeup by Tana Damico Artwork “The Storm” by Antonio Pendones.

56” x 42” FijiFlex print back-mounted to diebond.

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A

ntonio sits in front of the 24” Apple screen in his home office and studio, downtown Toronto. If an artist weren’t living in this 15th floor apartment, this would simply be an immaculately designed and well-kept family room.

The cozy room is impeccably tidy. Its colour scheme is warm and tasteful.

Each and every throw on the couch sits perfectly in place. But art punctuates

the clean beige walls and fills both the chest that doubles as a coffee table and the pages of the magazines stacked on top. The piece that covers the north wall is signed AP. And an iMac and two MacBook Pros use up all the space on the desk by the window. This is a graphic artist’s space.

Antonio’s work is part of a contemporary genre of art that seeks

to harness and express the speed of our time. He is an artist whose creative process begins on an iPhone and, more recently, an iPad. Labels floating around out there include, iArt, new media art, and digital art. But Antonio Pendones, like his art and the medium with which he creates it, is ever evolving. He is, in his own words, “to be determined.”

“This medium captures energy—it’s what I love the most, I can

just immerse myself in it,” he says as he clicks open folders of his work. “It’s very quick, it’s very responsive, and it’s rewarding that way.”

Antonio Pendones expresses himself with the clarity and honest

insight I think is a gift often particular to artists. Though he speaks softly, it’s with the intent that each sentence hits the core of truth; and he’s careful to amend his statements so as not to be misunderstood.

“Man With Glasses” - antoniopendones.com

It’s been four years since Antonio started drawing his first piece,

Man with Glasses on the iPhone app, Brushes. He was inspired to explore the app after The New Yorker, where he worked for several years as a graphic designer, published the first cover ever designed entirely on an iPhone. “I fell in love with the app and what I could do with it,” he says. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“These devices have changed how we communicate with

people; we lose our phones and we go crazy, we have everything in them,” he reflects on the tools that to him are like other artists’ sketchbooks or oils. “So the fact that I can create art on the phone, then, is very unique and a sign of the times we live in. The phone isn’t just for social media, not just for your contacts, it’s for everything else—that includes art.”

Some works are based on personal stories; some on specific

moments, and some simply come to him as feelings from deep within his consciousness. China3, for example, began as an iPhone drawing while Antonio and his partner were traveling in China with two other couples—the three couples appear abstractly in the piece. No Light “came out,” he says, while he was listening to the eponymous song

by Florence and the Machine. Whereas, Red Look, he explains, “was very fluid; an instant, not even a minute of drawing, … [it was] trying to capture a moment of energy.” For Antonio, creating a drawing like Red Look is like trying to capture “a feeling in an image.”

Regardless of its particular story, each of Antonio’s works is

shaped by and reflects his culture and his own history.

Antonio grew up in the Dominican Republic, immigrating first to

New York and then to Toronto, as an adult. His formative, Dominican identity is ever-present in his work, most significantly in its vibrant colour. “I didn’t set out to make everything very colourful,” he laughs.

“To be honest, it’s just part of the process. Everything is a reflection of where I’ve been somehow, because it reflects how I feel.”

“China3” - antoniopendones.com

21

are made of pixels, that’s why resolution is an issue,” he explains.

“Vectors are lines; they can be stretched as much as needed. It’s like taking a string and pulling it out. This is essentially making it into high-resolution line art; this allows me to produce the pieces as big as I want. …I picture some pieces as large as skyscrapers—huge. It’s something that’s always in my mind: the larger the better.”

Antonio searches through folders of his work. He’s looking for

the right images to show what each stage of the process looks like and how different an original image can look before it’s vectorized, printed and mounted. Though he keeps his files organized, he doesn’t seem to find exactly what he’s looking for to help me visualize the process in the clearest detail. Sitting on the edge of the couch beside his computer, watching him click from folder to folder, I start to understand how prolific an artist Antonio really is.

He opens Vibrations then later Man with Glasses to show

me how vectorizing an image also breaks each colour down into a mosaic grid of different shades and explains that importing an image to Adobe Illustrator gives him the ability to decide whether a piece will have 6 or 266 colours. A piece with 266 colours is far more complex than one with 6, beyond the obvious, as each colour has been subdivided about 44 additional times. How many colours a particular piece will have is a question of how much Antonio wants to alter or customize his work.

“These are the decisions I need to make—is this something I

want to customize further and make different versions of, or is this something that I just want to let be. I tend to like when it’s random. I like the idea of going with the flow and the process and seeing how it changes, and how each image becomes something different.”

Vectorizing also adds lines between each colour in a piece.

When the image is blown up, or the viewer looks closer, the effect “Mélida” - antoniopendones.com

“I tend to like when it’s random. I like the idea of

To add even more complexity to an image, Antonio can alter the colour of these division lines. The larger the images become, the

going with the flow and the process and seeing how it changes, and how each image becomes something different.”

more striking the impact of these lines—along with the small AP in

Antonio leans back from the screen into his large computer chair.

Toronto Image Works studio, where they are printed on Fugi Flex

He explains that the process a piece undergoes is like developing a

paper, back-mounted to dibond (aluminum composite) and face-

picture—and he won’t know what a piece will look like until it’s been

mounted to plexiglass. “The way they are produced,” he explains,

through every stage. “It’s a continuum, the process a piece goes

“they become more of an object rather than just a print. The plexiglass

through,” he explains, “until I end up with something that I like.” He

becomes part of the process.”

pauses. “And hopefully people like,” he adds.

Antonio explains that an original image begins when he swipes

is one of his most deeply personal and it hangs in his room, on the

his finger across the screen in the Brushes app. And with a glint of

wall beside his bed. The piece is based on a photograph of Melida,

excitement, tells me this stage can take as little 3 as minutes. “It’s very

a woman with whom he shared many coffee dates and most of his

spontaneous that way,” he says as he navigates to the Gallery section

childhood in the Dominican. “Mélida was a character in my life who

on his website. “Although this is just the beginning of the process, it

was like a mother figure while my own mother was living in New

captures that moment.”

York trying to support the family.” Mélida reveals how profoundly

He is careful to express that the brevity of this stage of the process

intimate Antonio permits his work to be. It also marks another recent

is a positive and essential quality. “It’s very immediate and lends itself

development in his method, of incorporating photographs as the core

to bursts of creativity without having to go to a studio and draw,” he

images of his pieces.

says, adding that the app’s quick and versatile nature inspires him to

capture the world around him. He compares drawing on his phone or

digital technology from which it originates, regardless of the artistic

iPad to doing a sketch, which later could become a painting—these

boxes it fits into or defies.

are both moments of inspiration captured in haste and the embryos

of the final product.

through his art. “I might be long dead before this can be judged

properly. I just have a need to create—other people sing, dance,

In the next stage, Antonio changes the building blocks of these

raw digital images from dots to lines through a process he calls vectorization, which he applies in Adobe Illustrator. “Photographs

22

is something like the cracks in a mud puddle dried out by the sun.

the bottom right corner of his pieces, they have become Antonio’s signature.

In the final stage of the process, Antonio sends the images to

Antonio finally opens the image that became Mélida. This work

Antonio maintains his work will continue to evolve alongside the

He insists what will not change is his desire to keep telling stories

write—I create art using digital devices.”

B

www.guerlain.com

Tracy Hackett Globe-Trotting Banker Interview by Lea Puechel

|

Photo by Tishan Baldeo

Dubai Desert Safari images by Sandeep Nandy, (Smart Pixels).

T

racy Hackett, RBC’s Vice President of Marketing, shatters the mould of a typical banker. She is a world traveler who could in the same breath recommend a great place to eat lunch in Halifax or Dubai. She is a knowledgeable businesswoman who always speaks first about the capacity of her team to build a strong brand but rarely about her own vital role in such accomplishments.

It’s this humble attitude that allows her to excel as a leader in her field. Tracy possesses the rare talent of blending a bubbly, outgoing personality with an intensely-focused drive. Her Twitter feed reveals, however, that the party lover she keeps under wraps is never too far from making an appearance.

We met with this petite modern-day Renaissance woman in her quiet office that reflects her easygoing nature and bears her signature-- simplicity. At ease yet entirely engaged, amidst the odd peal of infectious laughter, she spoke with us about matters of business, travel and the piano.

Where is your home base?

I grew up in Burlington, but I would consider Toronto home because this is the place I always come back to. This is where my friends and my support system are. I love the city and I’d always come back.

What made you move to Halifax?

I was career driven … I could have stayed in Toronto, but then I had opened my mind to a great adventure, moving, meeting new people and living in a whole new environment.

I was given another opportunity and I said, What the heck let’s go. I had never lived or worked in Atlantic Canada. I was set for an adventure. It was an extraordinary experience that taught me the incredible spirit and generosity of the people in Atlantic Canada. I also learned how different [each Maritime] province really [is] and this experience really made me appreciate Canada. It reminds you that we are diverse. That’s the joy of moving around.

proudly so when

BOLD EXPLORER

“I always feel Canadian and I travel. And I feel Canadian in my respect of a different culture and people around me.”

Styling by Neil Balmbra Hair & Make-up by Zaida Olvera

How was it living by the ocean?

I felt like I wanted to understand nature much better.

Literally you could be by the ocean in five minutes. It also makes you want to try new things, for example outdoors activities such as biking and whale watching tours. You just get a sense of the majesty of the ocean and nature. At the same time, a couple of kilometers out, you see huge oil rigs.

It is fascinating. Then you go down the south shore – Nova Scotia – where you see people fishing in the traditional way making their everyday living.

I will always be drawn back to Atlantic Canada. I still have friends there. As soon as I land there, I feel really grounded and I feel like I am home. As much as it has the small community feel, it has an amazing biotech and film and television industry. There are some real high-end businesses and of course its universities produce some of the best people. It’s just this great range of things.

You started with RBC as front line staff—a part time teller. When did you realize your love for and career in marketing?

It was an opportunity the Royal Bank presented me … and for me it was the challenge of coming into a group full of experts – every single person I work with is a career expert.

They are fabulous and talented and so highly skilled. They allow me to bring my front line knowledge about banking and customers to my new position and over the past 5 years I have had the chance to learn everything about marketing.

I earned my knowledge. I can now say that I am a marketer.

It is exciting and challenging – especially in marketing you are dealing with people inside and outside the company and it can get wonderfully chaotic.

We are speaking in easy-to-understand language and we made the bank more approachable. There are more wonderful things, for example carrying the torch across

25

Canada during the Olympics. But I have to say that the pride comes from being on a journey with the team.

What are the proudest accomplishments in your personal life?

Oh, wow (laughter). One of the things that I am very proud of persevering was learning the piano. I decided to take it up just a few short years ago as an adult. It would have been easier to say, I just missed my window. Nonetheless, I did it. Nobody has heard me play. … That’s my weird claim to fame—because it keeps the joy and as soon as you are being judged, the competitive environment surfaces. All in all, probably all the things I am proud of personally are the things I have taken up or learned to do as an adult. I am also very proud of having learned to give to the community and making sure that I am being generous. When I was 20, I did not realize that you need to give back.

Would you say you love a challenge?

I do. For example with the piano, there are times when I go to lessons and the person coming out before me is an 8 year old kid who plays better than me. But it is humbling to know that I have to work hard to get it. I also choose pieces that are really beyond what I can do at the moment and I set myself to learn them. It keeps me motivated. My next challenge is to do acrobatic silk. It takes incredible strength and balance and just like with everything else, I can’t worry if I am too old or not fit enough. I’ll just do it when I have the time.

Where do you volunteer?

It all depends on where I live. But right now, I have a real passion for the work and the service that women’s shelters provide. I think it is sad that we need them but is so amazing that they are there. Whether it’s money, time or a clothing drive. To me it is finding what speaks to you …

Would you consider yourself a workaholic?

I would say not; I work long and hard but it’s out of passion.

I do take down time and I think I do know when to turn it off. I think the one thing that helps those you work with is to not sit and spend all weekend sending emails and expect them to answer. If I want to work during the weekends it is up to me but I do not expect those around me to do the same. But I go with the flow. If I have an idea that is brewing in my mind and I am at home, I do not try to fight it—then I work during off-hours. But again, this is because I love to do what I do.

You are very open on Twitter. How careful do you think one should be about mixing personal and business identities?

I do Facebook updates if I am out. I do not equate that with being reckless and inappropriate … to me it is a message to say that I am social. I think it’s all about the intent. What you tweet or Facebook is really important but I think that there is an underlying intention that people can read. But you have to be willing to be judged for what you say and you have to stand by what you say. I still struggle with the notion that anyone would bother to follow me. Overall

26

though, I find the connectivity fantastic. But it does not replace the intimate way of being with people.

What are your top travel destinations?

To me, favourite spots are places that are culturally diverse.

Not too long ago, I was in Dubai and I felt completely energized by its different geography and culture. I found incredible, gracious people, and to see a place like Dubai under such rapid growth and the blend of the old and the new is wonderful. My favourite local custom while in Dubai was the gracious way strangers introduce and address each other. Where as in Canada we say hi/hello and we are done.

[In Dubai] it’s very welcoming and there, people always ask how you are.

The one place that was most challenging for me—in a good way—was China. I was in Hong Kong and Beijing just before they announced that they were hosting the Olympics. I learned so much. [Beijing’s size] and the pace and the layers of the economics were especially interesting to me because I was doing my MBA at that time. When we went to Tiananmen Square where the palaces are, it was not anything I thought it was going to be like. I thought it would be much more celebrated, almost like a shrine. But it was so quiet. You walked up to it without the fanfare I was used to. But this quiet way was much more ceremonious.

What is the biggest risk you took traveling?

The biggest risk I took, was a trip way outside the city of Dubai into the desert in a Jeep Safari. It was not that I was in danger but no one knew where I was and literally at times there were no wheels on the ground. I thought I was maybe in for a Jeep ride touring the sand dunes but no, this is the equivalent of heli-skiing on sand.

What items always make it into your carry-on?

In my carry-on, you will find some sort of puzzle, there will always be perfume. The obvious thing, my Blackberry, snuggly socks, always, my favourite t-shirt and my best sunglasses. It also all depends on where I am going.

It is different if it is business or personal travel. There probably will be some sort of print out of a restaurant recommendation with the way to get there. As much as I play it by ear, I usually have one signature place that has been recommended. Having said that I am pretty adventurous and I find that hotel concierges send you to the best places.

Out of all your journeys, have you developed a travel philosophy?

My travel philosophy is actually simple and twofold: go where you have never been if you can and reservations are meant to be changed. I have been known to change direction and plans.

When do you feel Canadian?

I always feel Canadian and proudly so when I travel. And I feel Canadian in my respect of a different culture and people around me.

You know that L A S T DAY O F S C H O O L

FEELING? San Diego feels just like that.

answe r the call at san diego.org

INTREPID CHAPTERS

MYSTERIES DEEP IN THE AMAZON

WORDS and images by David Sendra Domènech

David Sendra Domènech takes us deep into the Brazilian jungle on a riverboat journey down the Amazon River, to discover a world of breathtaking vistas and unforgettable wildlife.

28

M

y journey begins in Manaus, where I embark on my trip up the Rio Negro, the Amazon’s main tributary. While I wait, I bask in the luxury of the Tropical Manaus Hotel and daydream about the river’s verdant banks and the villages nestled within them. The immense Amazon River is surrounded by a lush forest of ancient trees so tall they seem to touch the sky. Such scenes present themselves to you, the Amazonian explorer, as if you were the first to discover them. Setting out on my river expedition, I feel like one of the first explorers in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World.

My river vessel is the Jacare-Açu, one of Katerre Expedition’s fleet. Katerre is a company that specializes in onboard expeditions throughout the Rio Negro Basin, with a focus on creating socio-ecological itineraries. The small size of its vessels, holding only up to 16 people, permits each passenger an intimate experience of the jungle, the river and the local communities.

Our destination is the Jaú National Park, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and the greatest fresh water forest park in the world. Jaú National Park still contains mysteries to be uncovered. Here, you can still find trails, waterfalls and creeks that are tourism-free. You can spot monkeys, sloths, dolphins, pacas and birds on jungle nights, or near sunset in the river of mirror-like waters.

Although the Jacare-Açu’s comfortable and ample cabins, equipped with full bathrooms and air conditioning, guarantee a good night’s rest, the warm Amazon nights beckon to be admired and inhaled on the breezy top deck. In no other place on the globe is the air as pure and healthy as it is in the Amazon rainforest; its effect is transformative. When you do finally get sleepy, however, rest assured a nice bed awaits, and when you wake up, the lush green shoreline will be easing by your cabin window.

After delighting in a superb breakfast created by the Jacare-Açu’s chefs, that include Brazilian fruits, juices and other delicacies, you are ready for one of the many daily adventures the cruise offers: perhaps a canoe ride on the Igapó, the Amazon’s flooded forests; a swim in the Rio Negro with Tucuxi or pink river dolphins; or a hike in the jungle; followed by light-spotting alligators or piranha fishing, or a sleep in the

Madadá Observatory. The 3-hour hike through virgin forest to the Madadá caves and gliding alongside Pink River dolphins performing joyful leaps are two personal favourites. Chasing alligators and piranhas, however, is an adventure after the thrillseeker’s heart.

The local variety of alligator is the Yacare caiman, which can grow up to up several meters long. Although you can spot them by day, nighttime is your best bet to stalk them—their shiny eyes will give them away. This awesome beast, when it senses the spotlight, remains still for a few seconds. Later in my trip, I was lucky enough to glimpse a Yacare jump in the water with a rapid, accurate and dangerous action, from the safety of my treetop room in the Ariaú Towers Hotel, nestled in a canopy of trees above the Amazon River.

Put a Yacare together with a pirhana and the image is terrifying. A good place to catch a ferocious piranha also happens to be in the canal outside the Ariaú Amazon Towers Hotel, where hundreds of them, red and yellow, swarm for meals.

If after stalking the local wildlife the daredevil in you still thirsts for raw adventure, there’s the Amazon Tupana Jungle Lodge. It’s a small jungle hotel with 12 rooms, a very charming atmosphere and rustic architecture, and it’s smack in the middle of the biological reserve of the Tupana River. It’s so remote, in fact, that to get there requires a 3-hour drive and 1-hour speedboat ride. Overnight jungle treks are one of the Jungle Lodge highlights; if you choose to embark on one of them, you will be challenged to test what you’re truly made of and build a camp using only the natural resources of the jungle.

Sundown on the Amazon River brings a different kind of thrill: a heavenly light show mirrored on the dark water. And as the stars appear, you stay glued to your hammock, a peaceful feeling overcomes you as the sky and water join together and the silence is only broken by the sounds of nature. The planet’s nighttime show is underway, animals calling, birds singing: a symphony nonpareil that has you wishing you’d never have to leave this part of the world.

In the Amazon, you walk silently, slowly, and mindfully; reality becomes like the jungle you’re walking through, visceral, profound and mysterious.

29

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high tea

Canadian

Words by Lea Puechel Images courtesy of Langdon Hall

32

I

n the 20th century, the acclaimed author C.S. Lewis wrote, “tea should be taken in solitude.” Today, there are corners of Southern Ontario that offer exactly the kind of peaceful solitude required for an afternoon tea in the 21st century. If you find yourself thirsting with a posh kind of wanderlust, a day at Langdon Hall Country House, less than 10km from Cambridge, could be just your cup of tea.

Langdon Drive, a fairly long and winding road of great epicurean personality, prepares you for the visit. Entering Langdon Hall Country House, you set foot in an estate with 154 years of history. Don’t expect an overwhelming grand hall to greet you but rather a venerable and charismatic country house.

It’s equally Langdon Hall’s history as well as its charm that make it the perfect getaway.

The Langdon Hall estate, previously Cruickston Park, was purchased in 1858 by Matthew Wilks. Around the turn of the century, Wilks’s son, Eugene Langdon Wilks took possession and transformed the estate into a Federal Revival style summer home, with a palatial thirty rooms and grounds totalling more than 25,000 square feet that would remain in the Langdon Wilks bloodline until 1982.

The latest owners, architect

if you meander down Maple Lane, not only will you walk down a path symbolic of Langdon Hall’s unique approach to locally grown produce but also right in its kitchen.

Alongside Head Garderner Heather Riddle, Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Jonathan Gushue plans his dishes with careful consideration of local and seasonal product. Langdon maple syrup, for example, comes directly from Maple Lane.

Sarah Villamere, Langdon Hall’s current pastry chef, is also inspired by the seasonal delights available on Langdon grounds.

Villamere mixes flavours and textures, churning butter and drizzling honey from Langdon Hall’s very own apiary into unique yet traditional desserts.

This commitment to quality has earned Langdon Hall’s Dining Room the Five Diamond Award from AAA/CAA, distinguishing it as the only five-diamond awardwinning restaurant in Ontario, as well as membership with Relais & Châteaux, an association of the world’s finest hoteliers.

Stepping into the Conservatory Sunroom, hushed, soothing chatter, accompanied by soft background music and clinking of silver spoons and porcelain, settles you in the right frame of mind to enjoy a classy cup’o’tea on a very majestic wicker chair. The tea is loose-leaf

Wanderlust Weekend

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xperience a modern Canadian take on a classic English custom in the comfort and elegance of Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, near Cambridge, Ontario.

“The decidedly English gardens, the broad sweeping, well-manicured lawns, and the handsomely wooded slopes invite you to pause and wonder about life at the turn of the century.”

duo William Erlandson Bennett and Mary Beaton, developed their own vision for the summer home—an idyllic country house hotel, with 52 guest rooms and suites, a full-service spa and a celebrated restaurant. Bennett and Beaton carefully incorporated the new into the traditional to create a tasteful and unique experience. Think, North American luxury and convenience coupled with English graciousness and charm. Inside, Beaton meticulously furnished each room with exemplary finesse.

Her decision to decorate with the estate’s original paintings maintains a connection with Langdon Hall’s past. Outside, the decidedly English gardens, the broad sweeping, well-manicured lawns, and the handsomely wooded slopes invite you to pause and wonder about life at the turn of the century.

Langdon Hall is nestled in nearly untouched countryside. Its playfully named trails, Woodland Walk, Deer Run, Maple Lane and Grand Allée among them, offer visitors exceptional strolls through the meadows and wetlands of Carolinian Canada. And

tea at its finest. From classic Orange Pekoe, to Darjeeling and Oolong to Herbal teas, all teas set the highest standards for Canadian afternoon tea. And the treats are all Langdon Hall originals. Saugeen Honey Butter and Devonshire Cream look ready to jump on the freshly baked Orange Buttermilk and Apricot-Ginger Scones that I let slowly dissolve on my tongue, savouring every crumb. After, I am presented with double-tiered cake stands stacked with delicate pastries. Perfectly crisp Carrot and Thyme Biscotti and moist Pistachio Brown Butter Financier were my favourites on the sweet side. The classy Monforte Dairy Cheese Straws and revitalizing Smoked Salmon and Lemon Cream Cheese on Endive (gluten-free) were my top pick on the savoury side.

There is an art to travel, and there is an art to the custom of drinking tea in the afternoon; and you can experience both at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa – it’s closer than you think.

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women on the verge Four unique Puerto Rican women offer exciting new reasons to visit the Isle of Enchantment.

I am life, “ strength, woman.”

Julia de Burgos Puerto Rican Poet

Puerto Rico, “the shining star of the Caribbean.”

This island—8,670 square kilometres and 3600 kilometres from the U.S. mainland—is home to over 3 million people.

From Medalla Light (the favourite local brew) to

Kasalta (the Ocean Park bakery visited by President Barack Obama) to homegrown talent (like Ricky Martin), Puerto Ricans are proud of their heritage, their land, and most importantly, their people—never shying away from reminding you of their accomplishments.

Now, Puerto Rico has four shining new stars it can

be proud to call its own: a high class hotelier based in San Juan’s Condado strip, two exciting new film festival founders, and a passionate specialty coffee purveyor.

By Andrew Brudz

INDELIBLE JOURNEYS

O: Living the life

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Loisse Herger and her husband Fernando Davila Lopez, founders of O:live Boutique Hotel.

estled between the cobblestone streets and colonial buildings of Old San Juan on the west, and the mega-hotels and rowdy cockfighting of Isle Verde on the east, is the Condado area.

With chic nightclubs, flashy casinos, high-end boutiques and trendy restaurants along Ashford Avenue, and a beachfront popular with locals and visitors alike, it’s the elegant epicentre of San Juan’s tourism industry.

Since its boom in the 1950s, Condado has been home to the retro Caribe Hilton (birthplace of Puerto Rico’s signature cocktail, the Piña Colada), the sophisticated La Concha resort, and the historic, long-abandoned Vanderbilt Hotel–currently undergoing a lavish restoration.

But O:live Boutique Hotel marks a first for the happening hood. Never before has it seen a five-star luxury boutique hotel, making owner, 33-year-old Loisse Herger, something of a modern pioneer woman.

Born in Ponce on Puerto Rico’s southern Caribbean coast, raised in San Juan, and educated in Miami, Herger found herself in the hotel business rather accidentally.

In October 2010, after the death of her aunt, Loisse inherited the beachfront hotel, Hosteria del Mar, in Ocean Park.

After getting a taste for the industry, the statuesque yet disarming Loisse, along with contractor husband Fernando Davila Lopez, wanted to create a hotel that reflected their unique style.

Thus began the task of transforming a 3-story office building owned by Fernando on a quiet street just off Ashford Ave. The vision: a 15-room luxury boutique hotel that’s upscale yet cozy. Each floor evokes the feel of some of the young couple’s favourite travel destinations: Morocco, France, Spain and Italy, where they were married in 2010.

The elegantly lived-in vibe is helped by impressive walls of thick marine rope stretching from floor to ceiling, cast iron

furnishings, rustic wood, and Fernando’s strikingly oversized sepia-toned travel photos.

Using the help of employees and friends, they rushed to complete the space in time to be considered for the Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s exclusive listing, one of only three in all of Puerto Rico with this distinction.

Only open since May 2012, O:live is already an unparalleled success, becoming a new favourite for both new and longtime visitors to the island, and zooming to the top of Trip Advisor’s most recommended hotels in Puerto Rico.

The recently opened, members only Rooftop Club has a stunning view of the tranquil Laguna de Condado and a pool that looks too pretty to swim in, where you’ll often find Loisse, enjoying her creation...and a cocktail.

PARADISO FOUND

Cinema Paradiso founders Ginna and Michelle Malley Campos.

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nly a few kilometres east of Condado— but worlds away from the five-star hotels and high-end boutiques—lays Calle Loiza, a block south of the gated, beachfront community of Ocean Park.

The gritty street is home to San Juan’s Dominican and Mexican immigrant population, along with dive bars, abandoned proyectos, fast food chains and impromptu daytime parking lot dance parties, while the distinctive sounds of reggaeton blare from passing cars.

Amongst the hubbub once sat an unassuming, vacant lot owned by a local dentist. Enter sisters Ginna and Michelle Malley Campos.

In the summer of 2011, Michelle, a filmmaker who studied at both Northwestern University in Chicago and at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts Film School at New York University, was looking for a unique setting to screen her short films, El Vecino and Sonríe.

The vacant lot proved the ideal location and the sisters, born in San Juan’s Santurce barrio but raised in the upper-class suburbs of nearby Guaynabo, convinced the owner to allow them to transform the space for their outdoor premiere.

Twenty-three-year-old Ginna, a recent graduate from the Sociology program at University Of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus, recalls, “Everyone that passed by during those two days of cleaning up was very intrigued. Many smiles, many blank stares of curiosity and awe—to see women doing dirty work like that.”

After the success of Michelle’s screening, they decided to keep the space active. Cinema Paradiso en la Loiza was born, with Michelle and Ginna curating screenings every other Sunday as

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night falls on Calle Loiza.

Each series presents a unique collection of films: silent classics, local talent, Mexican and Dominican programs, animated shorts, 16mm, and digital.

Cinema Paradiso has also hosted circus performances from Circo Nacional, live shadow puppet shows by Poncili, and the alternative book fair FLIA (feria del libro independiente y alternativo).

Eventually, the space’s evolution became a collaborative endeavour. Puerto Rican art collective and puppeteers, Poncili, spent 12 hours creating the vibrant murals of fantastical creatures on the walls that flank the space. A local university tasked architecture students with creating original furnishing and decor, including seating made from old phone books, an eye-catching light installation, and a vertical garden.

And the collaborative spirit has been kept alive in other unexpected ways, Ginna says.

“Many people simply collaborate by offering to cut the grass once in a while, help us set up on Sundays, and give donations.”

The once-dark lot’s flickering images and sounds emanate onto Calle Loiza, drawing die-hard cinephiles, out-of-towners and curious passersby to a unique outdoor cinematic experience.

“People stand in the entrance of Cinema Paradiso and ask, ‘How much does it cost?’ It’s rare for people nowadays to find anything for free,” Ginna adds.

“For me, one of the most important ideas behind this project is for people to feel part of these spaces, for the community to feel empowered in some way. There are many abandoned lots and buildings that can and should be reclaimed and given life by the people and the communities that need them”.

At each screening, grown-ups munch on popcorn and sip cans of Medalla Light and children enjoy Happy Meals from the nearby McDonalds. And quietly and humbly Michelle sits behind her glowing laptop while Ginna mans the popcorn machine, bringing life and colour where there was once none.

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ight years ago, 50-something Lucemy Velasquez awoke from a nap with an idea.

“I wanted to start my own coffee plantation!,” explains the gorgeous and deceptively younglooking grandmother and doctor’s wife.

And not just any coffee plantation. She wanted to produce “specialty” coffee.

To clarify: the distinction by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is afforded only to coffee which scores 80 points or above on a 100-point scale. It must contain a full taste with little or no defects.

No small ambition, the years-long process began with Lucemy securing a plot of land in Ponce, 77 kilometres south of San Juan.

Puerto Rico’s “second city,” Ponce is home to over 160,000 citizens, many of whom are part of the city’s thriving college population.

On the coast of the Caribbean Sea, it is also the location of a central mountain range and a rainy, tropical climate, which, as Lucemy points out, create the ideal conditions for growing some of the world’s best coffee.

Her newfound enterprise, Café Lucero, is located in the San Patricio barrio on 216 acres of land, 2,500 feet above sea level, surrounded by lush forests, citrus trees and winding mountain roads.

Soon, Lucemy’s team, including her now retired husband and some locals, was producing hand-picked, 100% Arabica beans, selecting only the best beans to create the distinctive character and particular flavour.

Always environmentally conscious, Lucemy has strict measures to reduce waste and conserve water. Ecologic machines minimize the quantity of water used and coffee bean shells are use to fertilize the soil.

Her efforts have not gone unrecognized. In 2009, Café Lucero was the recipient of the South District Conservationist Farmer

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DISCOVERY TRAVEL

BREAKING NEW GROUNDS Lucemy Velasquez founder of Café Lucero.

of the Year Award from the National Resources Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture of the United States.

Since launching her project after that fateful nap, Lucemy has joined the ranks of worldwide coffee connoisseurs, not only producing her own brand of renowned specialty coffee, but also traveling the globe as a judge at coffee competitions from Paris to Korea.

Today, Café Lucero hosts visitors for tours of her grounds and crash courses in the delicate art of coffee tasting.

Lucemy walks us along the grounds of her planation, recounting her journey with a sense of quiet pride and tranquility, a bright new star in the coffee stratosphere.

The passionate, pioneering spirit of Puerto Rican women is not new to the island, from Maria Bibiana Benitez, Puerto Rico’s first female poet and playwright, to groundbreaking singer and Senator Ruth Fernandez.

“From the world of art, the environment, education and culture, I have seen that the mind, spirit and energy behind many great initiatives come from women,” says Ginna, standing in the Cinema Paradiso lot.

Today, Loisse, Ginna, Michelle and Lucemy can count themselves as part of this rich tradition.

BOLD GUIDE TO PUERTO RICO

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Capital: San Juan Area: 9,104 km2 Population: 3,667,084 (2012)

BOLD GUIDE TO PUERTO RICO

AT L A N T I C O C E A N San Juan

Ponce

CARIBBEAN SEA 02 0

0 20

40 Miles 40 Kilometers

WHERE TO STAY O:live Boutique Hotel 55 Aguadilla St., San Juan oliveboutiquehotel.com

Gallery Inn 204-206 Norzagaray, Old San Juan thegalleryinn.com

WHERE TO EAT Caficultura 401 San Francisco San Juan, Puerto Rico

1919, Condado Vanderbilt Hotel 1055 Ashford Ave., San Juan, 1919restaurant.com

Ponce Hilton Resort 1150 Caribe Ave., Ponce hilton.com

Al Sur 2325 Ave. Las Americas Ponce, Ponce

WHAT TO DO Cockfighting at Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico 6600 Isla Verde Ave., Carolina

El Yunque National Forest Luquillo elyunque.com

TOUR OPERATOR(S) CanRico Canadian operator with offices in Liberty Village

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www.canrico.com 416.304.9906 or 1.855.SEE.RICO Email info@canrico.com

Museo de Arte de Ponce 2325 Ave Las Americas, Ponce museoarteponce.org

Ecuador

State of Mind

By Erin Armstrong

From Andean rapids, to Amazon wildlife and market-inspired cuisine to UNESCO recognized Quito, in Ecuador, “the Middle of the Earth,” Erin Armstrong discovered a land that is so much more than just the birthplace of Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution.

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T

he night breeze was fresh and the air was thin as I took my first steps into Quito. In Ecuador’s capital, I was standing less than 30km from the equator and 2,800 meters above sea level. I certainly felt the change in altitude as I struggled to take some deep breaths. As I knew Ecuador lay within the high Andes mountain range, sandwiched between Colombia to the North and Peru to the South, I expected the shortness of breath. But on what I envisioned would be a tropical expedition I was not prepared for cool temperatures. It took less than 10 minutes in the country, however, for me to realize Ecuador would far exceed anything I could have imagined it would be.

Rising sharply with the sun at 6am the next morning, I sipped on some cocoa tea for my altitude sickness as I wandered the city streets of Quito, a city defined by its colonial architecture and history. Founded in 1556 by the Spanish, Quito feels like a subtropical version of Grenada, Spain or Palermo, Italy with its narrow cobble stone streets, expansive city squares and elaborate buildings.

I walked past the vibrant pink, orange and blue houses that line its quiet side streets towards the impressive city square known as Plaza de la Independencia.

Squares like Plaza de la Independencia are an important part of Ecuadorian culture; they serve as city or town-wide gathering places in which to set up food and textile markets, meet with friends and celebrate festive holidays. I sat on the city steps soaking up the sun that afternoon as I watched a parade begin in the main square. People crowded together to form a loud jumble of chatter, laughter, singing, trumpets and drums. The locals marched on past me wearing traditional red, white and black uniforms. But before the crowd got too dense, I snuck through the congested streets and down a clear alleyway to avoid getting lost in the growing party.

Ducking into a building to find some quiet from the parade and rest from the equatorial sun, I discovered La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, a church in the heart of old town and unlike any I have visited before. Constructed in 1605 by the Jesuits and modeled after two of their Roman Jesuit churches, it took over 100 years to complete. Today, it’s one of South America’s most impressive and

well-preserved Roman Catholic churches. The building’s ceilings and walls are covered in gold leaf, woodcarvings and gilded plaster; it reminded me of a temple of treasures from an Indian Jones movie.

I wandered down the long, glittering corridors and inhaled the hundreds of fresh cut roses sitting in massive urns. Buildings such as this are the reason Quito has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is today one of the largest and best preserved historic city centers in all of the Americas. The building itself is also very important to the Ecuadorian economy, my guide Adriana later told me, as the amount of gold it contains would melt down to about a 7-ton block.

Continuing my adventure, I headed north out of the city; stopping to enjoy some local markets to see what everyday Ecuadorian life is like. It was a Thursday, the most important day for locals to trade their goods. When I arrived at the Saquisilí market I stepped out of the car and into what seemed like another era. I maneuvered my way over pigs and chickens basking in the sun baked mud, as people wandered past me carrying everything from oranges and alfalfa sprouts to babies and bricks on their backs.

The smell of corn, potatoes and chicken roasting filled the air, and small children ran by eating sugar cane treats. The locals who had come to the market from the mountains to trade their goods were friendly people with skin ripe from the long years of sun exposure.

And those who spoke English were eager to practice as I browsed through their impressive and colorful selections of alpaca blankets, scarves and sweaters.

It was becoming clear from my visit to the market and even my few nights in the city, that Ecuador is a country not yet greatly touched by North American influence. Gringos, as I was referred to, are not as frequent tourists to Ecuador as they are to say, Mexico or the Caribbean. This however, may be rapidly changing, as a new airport and Canadian backed investment, is set to open in the country within the next few years. Many Ecuadorians expressed the hope it will bring in Europeans, North Americans and Australians, since there are currently very few direct flights from those regions into the country.

Carrying onto another local market in Machachi, I met up with one of Ecuador’s most famous chefs, Alvaro Samper. Together with

were brought by the Europeans centuries ago to decorate the town his wife, Lorena, Alvaro transformed their impressive 300-hectar squares. ranch- style home into a four-bedroom hotel, Hacienda Umbria.

The lake we finally arrived at was breathtaking and nestled in a Before your stay, Alvaro meets with you to take you shopping for landscape reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands with its rustic rolling local produce, which he and Lorena later teach you to prepare. hills and heavy skies. I wandered the park for a while, watching Over the course of my stay at Hacienda Umbria, Alvaro and Andean condors soar up above, and stood on the lake’s rocky shore Lorena taught me how to prepare authentic lentil and pumpkin taking in the vistas of lakes, mountains soup, celery, avocado and fennel salad, and wild horses. But the sun began to set crispy rice with lamb, free range eggs and with it the temperature plummeted, with shallots, and even homemade sorbet. and my newly purchased alpaca sweater Alvaro impressed on me that “cooking Ecuadorians are wasn’t quite standing up to the cool air. should be an art, an event, a ritual, not undertaking a very Regrettably, and despite the spell cast upon just something you throw together”—with serious effort to me by Cotopaxi Park’s beauty, it was time the meals he was preparing, he easily won to head to my hotel for the night. me over with this philosophy of eating. conserve their country’s I arrived at my hotel in the province of Hacienda Umbria’s wine selection was also magnificent natural Tungurahua, home to the village of Baños. truly incredible, as the farm’s basement environment.

As we climbed up the winding mountain has been converted into a wine cellar that roads, the chill from the cold air of the stores over 1,500 bottles from the world’s park still had me feeling like I needed finest vintners. Alvaro and Lorena may a hot bath. When we finally reached be the owners but they make you feel as my mountaintop hotel, Hosteria Luna though you’re staying with friends. From Runtun, I was thrilled to discover volcanic Alvaro’s quick wit and riveting life history thermal pools just outside of my suite. The that began in Chile, to the wild love story hotel—also an adventure spa that boasts of how he and Lorena met, the Umbria activities such as Amazon hikes, rafting, experience was entirely unique and left me biking and city tours—rests high amongst laughing, fascinated and a small step closer the hills of the Sangay National Park, or to culinary excellence. the “cloud forest.” I understood the full After saying goodbye to Alvaro, Lorena meaning of this name when I woke up the and their massive St. Bernard, “Little next morning, opened my blinds and saw Michael”, I carried on to the Cotopaxi nothing but the white mist of the cottonprovince, a name it shares with the 19,388 candy like clouds that engulfed my hotel ft. high volcano that towers over it. My suite window. The clouds broke just long first expedition was into Cotopaxi National enough for me to get my first daytime glance of Baños, which Park. The park spans 3 provinces and has strict guidelines about looked like a miniature town millions of miles below me. The who they let in. After I paid my fee, I met up with my female guide, view from my room was amazing: clouds, mountains, rainforest Adriana—one of the parks requirements for entry. I was struck by and a massive volcano. That night I felt like I was sitting in the the plants that whizzed through view as we began our drive into sky watching the clouds roll by and enjoying the view from my the park. They were not, as I had imagined, tropical palm trees and turquoise thermal volcano pool as I was served cocktails. As if my cacti but rather rustic pine trees and giant ferns. I felt as though I Luna Runtun experience hadn’t pampered me enough, I soothed was back in Canada driving in Northern Ontario rather than South myself with their incredibly affordable spa treatments: a 60 min American wilderness. And I wasn’t far off. Adriana explained that massage, for instance, cost a mere $45 US dollars. these pine trees and ferns, in fact, aren’t indigenous to Ecuador but

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With my batteries re-charged from the spa, I finally set off into the jungle. In hindsight, I was probably not prepared for what I was about to experience. It was 8pm when I arrived at Cotococha Amazon Lodge, an eco-lodge in the rainforest; it was pitch black and all I could see were two tiny lights approaching from the darkness. It was the hotel staff with coal miner flash lights on their heads that greeted me and grabbed my bags. It was then that they informed me they did not have electricity in the hotel since they are eco-friendly, and gave me a kerosene lamp and one flashlight. A little taken-a-back but up for the challenge, I decided to make the most of my stay. Feeling a bit like a pioneer I swung my kerosene lamp around and entered my hut. The loud hissing and chirping sounds of bugs, and animals and the pounding of the Napo river right outside my door filled my room. At first I could only see the outline of the bed in the darkness engulfing the room. As I set my bag down and looked around I discovered that there were large sized cockroaches right next to me. I realized then that it was a good thing I had gotten to rest at the spa because the next two nights would be dedicated to hunting cockroaches, not sleeping.

The sun rose sharply at 6 am after my sleepless night, and I could finally see. The room was large with a thatched hay roof and a big balcony overlooking the river. My first day in the jungle started with a boat ride down the Napo River where I saw men and women crouching over the water with cups and bowls in search of gold, a mineral the river basin is rich in and an activity many indigenous people partake in daily as 1 gram can fetch up to US $50.00. I then stopped in at an animal rescue reserve where monkeys, toucans, turtles, and tapirs roam free from tree to tree, with very few restrictions. I carried on down the river, heading to lunch on the banks of the river. However, before we could proceed towards our exotic lunch by the riverside, our boat was pushed between some large rocks in shallow rapids, where it became wedged and jammed. We were told to get out of the boat and stand in the river so our guides could free the boat from the rocks. With a rising fear of piranhas, and memories of Discovery Channel documentaries filling my head, I felt a little uneasy as I stepped out of the boat in the middle of the rushing water. Luckily with no piranha attacks to slow me down, I got back in the narrow wooden boat and only heaved a sigh of relief when I stepped foot on land again. I arrived on a small island where an indigenous Quechua family lived. Their house was elevated by tall wooden stilts underneath, where dogs, chickens and even children played as usual. Cocoa seeds roasted in the sun in preparing for making chocolate. As we wandered into the island further, the image of the rainforest I had always pictured finally came to life. As our guide pulled back a palm leaf I was

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able to see a vast forest of palm trees, vines, and orchids. Before I stepped into the dense bush, I applied some more bug repellent, to go with my equally neurotic attire of long pants, a hat, running shoes, backpack and a raincoat. Lucia, the young girl who lived on the island, trailed behind me, shoeless, wearing a sundress and picking up fallen plantain fruit as an afternoon snack. As we approached a lagoon our guide cupped his hands over his mouth and let out an odd sound. Confused, I inquired what he was doing.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when he pointed to the massive alligators whose eyes were

now sticking out of the water looking at me. I was impressed but no longer interested in seeing what other animal calls our guide had in store. We left the island just as the sun fell and arrived back at the lodge for one more noisy night in the dark.

Ecuadorians are undertaking a very serious effort to conserve their country’s magnificent natural environment. Developers, both home-based and international, have started projects aimed at supporting eco-tourism in an attempt to capitalize in a sustainable way on the country’s extremely diverse areas of wildlife, climate and outdoor activities—the eco-lodge is just one of a long list of such places to stay. The jungle hut may have not played out as smoothly as I had hoped, and I may never be the next great jungle explorer, but the friendly people at the lodge, its natural surroundings and the adventurous activities it offers were well worth a few disrupted sleeps and night time bugs.

As the trip started winding down, before I headed back towards the city, I got my one last hit of nature. I stopped in the Pichincha province at a hummingbird park. Ecuador is one of the best places in the world for bird watching; it supports 17 species of hummingbirds alone. The park’s vegetation is lush and full of magnificent hummingbird sightings. I hiked through the park’s hilly paths that follow a turbulent river which pours down from the surrounding mountain range in a series of cascading waterfalls.

Bird feeders pepper the park’s property to assure visitors quite a few sightings. Regardless, I had to look with nimble eyes as the buzz of wings and blur of feathers was so quick.

Hummingbirds aren’t the only natural attraction to Ecuador, which I learned is also famous for. So my next stop was in the Cayambe valley to breathe in one of the country’s main exports.

Just as the colours of the hummingbirds had been so vivid and striking the rose farm’s greenhouse had a similar wow factor. I took in row after row of beautiful flowers and watched workers cut and package the roses for export to Russia, Canada, China, and America. Red, white, purple and even specially dyed multicoloured roses were chilled in a room as they awaited a truck to come pick them up for international export. The farm’s owner let me in on a trade secret: unscented flowers last longer. After a hard day of watching the birds and smelling the roses, I headed out to one of my last hotels to rest.

I arrived at one of the most beautiful hotels in the country in the city of Otavalo. Hotel Hacienda Pinsaqui was a textile factory built in the 1700’s by a family from Spain; the same family runs the converted factory as a hotel today. I opened my massive hotel room door with an old skeleton key. The ceilings were high enough that the owners used to lead horses and alpacas through the rooms.

The halls were filled with old black and white pictures of family, guests, and factory workers. Hacienda Pinsaqui is filled with a sense of mystery and piqued my curiosity to explore it further.

The hotel has a rich history of high profile guests. I came across a picture of Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera, frequent guests of the old mansion; the photo was taken in the massive dining room that doesn’t look much different today. And Simón Bolívar, the famous Venezuelan general also known as ‘El Libertador’, used to stay for long periods in the impressive hotel. Later I walked around the property, and enjoyed watching wild horses graze by palm trees. I hiked the many paths through the forest and finished the day with a horseback ride up the mountain. I sat by the fire that night and was served my dinner and drinks as I listened to traditional Spanish orchestral music playing through the halls. It is no wonder many locals and visitors choose Hotel Hacienda Pinsaqui as a wedding and honeymoon destination.

After almost 2 weeks and 7 provinces I arrived back in Quito, where it all began. Through my journey I had defeated cockroaches in the rainforest, become a chef in the foothills of the Corazon volcano, an expert in purchasing alpaca scarves to keep me warm in the brisk mountain regions, and a scholar of Quito and Otavo’s history. What remained was only to enjoy a final meal overlooking the city’s bright lights.

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a

DINA PUGLIESE’S THOUGHTS for TODAY Interview by Lea Puechel

W

e meet with the Co-Host of Breakfast Television and host of Canada’s Got Talent in a boardroom at CityTV’s studio downtown Toronto. We do not have to wait for her; she does not have to be asked to come in.

When we enter the room, Dina is simply there. And as soon as we arrive, we get her full attention. Her effortless charm immediately captivates. Indeed, Dina Pugliese’s witticism is fundamental to the elusive gift that has made her one of Canada’s most beloved TV hosts. Dina Pugliese, however, is not a host; she is a performer whose full potential would never be realized off-camera. She knows when to clap, hammer her fist on the table or raise her voice to underscore a perfect punch line. She plays the air guitar or dances when she talks about music. She smiles mischievously even before she completes a thought, because she knows exactly where she is going with her story. Dina is a match made in heaven for television whose mind is an action-packed film at its finest.

How interesting then, to glimpse inside that mind...

My life is pretty much an open book. I get up way too early.

You never get used to it, but I am grateful for my job. It’s so much fun that it doesn’t feel like work. I go to bed really early and I keep a toddler’s hours. I go to bed at 7pm. When I have a latenight event, I go to work very tired the next day, or I book it off as a vacation day, because it sets off your clock for the rest of the week. Whereas my co-hosts can run on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I really admire that quality. There is not enough coffee in the world to help me on anything less than 7 hours of sleep.

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Photographs by Di Mora

How do I feel about being interviewed? Awkward! I so prefer being on the other side! Yes. I love asking people questions.

I am a sponge; I am so intrigued by people. I like sharing the light with other people . . . My job is my highlight of the day, so I don’t feel like I have an interesting life to talk about. After work, I come home, cuddle up on the couch and watch Reality-TV.

My husband is the most patient man in the world. He’s a saint. I always say that he is my rock. He is so supportive and he really helps to coach me and steer me in the right directions so that I can always keep a sense of myself. And I couldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for him. I tell him that through every interview I can. I think he might be sick of reading this.

He knew me way before I was on air and he knows where all of my morals lie. He helps me by making sure - just like my parents and sisters do - that I stay grounded.

Being Italian, oh my gosh, it’s everywhere. Big dinners and lots of talking. My family is so sweet, everyone accommodates to my crazy clock. It’s always a good time. It gets super loud now with all the little babies running around, but they are so adorable.

And just to see how my parents light up with all the different generations around one table reminds me of the relationship I had with my grandparents. My nonna used to say non ti preoccupare: don’t worry. That whole sense of family and taking care of one another is really the most important thing in the world to me.

My parents always thought that I was going to be a lawyer because I always had to have the last word and was in control of the room. But everyone also always looked for me to tell jokes

Dina Pugliese wears a Baby Steinberg Design & Links of London, Effervescence Collection Styling by Stephanie Black Hair by Tracy Peart Make-up by Kelly Ann Araujo (Hair on the Avenue)

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around the dinner table and I always loved playing dress-up and make up stories and games. So, they always knew that I had to be something that required a lot of talking and animation.

When they saw I was going to study journalism, they thought I was going to be like Diane Sawyer, someone to look up to, to admire for journalistic integrity. But here I am, dancing as a hulk. I always say I am forever Peter Pan, cracking jokes.

I am no Diane Sawyer. At the end of the day though I think that they are proud because they see the reaction I draw from people. People from all ages who thank me for helping them get through their day and making them laugh.

It took university to teach me discipline. You had to be your own boss. You had to be self-directed to compile a whole lot of information and huge concepts, narrow them down and sell your point in a 20-page paper. My gosh, you had to be so disciplined.

I went into broadcast journalism because I loved the idea of being able to communicate with people in a live form. I was always drawn to Radio and TV but I never imagined for it to be a career for me. I never liked to deliver hard news to people; I just didn’t know where I would fit in. Then I found the love for all things entertainment and lifestyle. Now I get to have fun and I get the immediacy of connecting with people’s lives. It’s all

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light, fun, and easy-breezy. I think there is too much negativity out there, and providing the other side of the spectrum is what makes me happy. I like to bring the “don’t sweat the small stuff” and “have fun” scheme into people’s lives.

To critics that say I am not a journalist, I’d say, you are correct--nor do I want to be one. I love to tell stories but it’s my home stories, you know. It’s my stories about my nonna and stories about what I did on the weekend. They actually had a segment called “Dina’s Book of Stories” for that reason, because being in a big Italian family, that’s what you do; you share stories, you laugh, you learn. And I feel that those lighter stories are just as important. You need balance.

Don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t. I think there are a lot of people who go into media and think, Well, I got A’s in school, I deserve this. But there is no deserving; there is no sense of entitlement. They want to see you work hard. You have to earn it-- but don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t.

I need a Twitter intervention, I am an addict. I was the last one to get on because I knew what was going to happen. It’s like opening Pandora’s box. On the show I don’t have a prompter; what you see is what you get. That is the same with Twitter.

I have to write; I feel the need to respond. ... The problem is that it is now hours a day. I have been kicked off Twitter because they think I am spam. But I loooooove it, it is such a cool sense of community. ... My vision has weakened, I am not even joking.

Haha, it is actually taking a physical toll on my body. But I have rules in place. When I am having dinner with my husband, I don’ t look at my phone. But then people actually tweet and ask, Where have you been for the last couple of hours? So it’s pulling you in all directions. I need a Twitter intervention. I need answers and therapy for the sake of my eyesight and my finger dexterity – my right hand is shaking a lot.

However, I try to be very careful, because what might be a joke to you or what is meant as sarcasm, might not be read that way. People might not be able to read your tone. I think it’s your responsibility as a public figure, when you have the power to reach out to so many people, to be considerate at the same time.

My website on the other hand, buuuusted. It’s not been updated in a year. I am such an existentialist, a person who is in the moment. Anything that requires me to think about and prepare well in advance, I get so disorganized. ...Now, I feel like a terrible human being. But thanks for rubbing it in.

Working out is my one vice. I really gumped up my knee in 2008. I used to love jogging and Tae Bo. The injury diminished my ability to do all that stuff. I know I should build it back up but it is really boring because all I can do is swim or stationary exercises. Now, none of my jeans fit; I have a muffin top. So, I have two choices, go up a size-- and you know where that goes, it doesn’t end-- or get back into those jeans through eating less of those carbs at night and drinking less wine. I’ve been eating away all the Halloween chocolate and I keep thinking that I will burn it off running around for work. But, no no no, my jeans don’t fit now. So, there it is. It creeps up; I am like every girl. But I have never been the super skinny minnie. The only time I really lean out is when I work a lot because I just don’t have the time to eat as much.

When I worked for another entertainment show and went to the US, they would have all this food out and it would kill me because you would see all the males and females from all the different US networks and from Canada who would have a little tomato, a little celery stick and maybe a little dipping sauce. Me? Oh, big pretzels, Tostitos, the guacamole-- awesome guacamole in LA-- and everyone would look at me like, You’re going to eat that? You eat all that stuff? They’d say this almost in disgust, because they are so skinny and tiny. It’s almost like they have to compete with the stars that they interview. I have

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never been one who is about that. Just recently, a salesperson from a store that I shop at often told me that when she tells her customers that I shop there she adds, You know, she is a normal person size. Haha, thanks! But it is a compliment. I eat healthy and I love balance, so I indulge in moderation. When your jeans get a little tight, pull it back. Gotta live, gotta live!

I was a vegetarian for a long time. For me, being vegetarian started when my mum had us girls cook. We were preparing some veal and all of a sudden I thought, This stuff smells weird – what is this? A vein?, and I got so turned off the raw meat, that it just became an aversion to meat in general. Then later on, in university, I joined the York Greens, which was the environmental group-- we were seen as the tree huggers-- and I got turned off eating animals even more. But because I actually need protein, I might have a couple of bites of meat a year. It is one of those choices where you do what you can. And there are so many other choices now; you don’t need to eat meat every day. Funny thing is, I am getting my parents all into this healthy stuff. It is great to educate them as well.

My Co-Host Kevin Frankish is a genius. I always marvel at how he is able to switch from hard news to light so effortlessly.

And he is so funny. He comes up organically with something I call The Threat. It is priceless and it can’t be taught and either you can or you can’t do it on live TV. You pick up on something funny that happened, you weave it and you tie it in a bow so that you can come back and revisit it throughout the show. I learn from him all the time.

I am not afraid to come up with the right questions. I always go into interviews being super well prepared. I shelve all that research and will use whatever comes to my mind organically.

If you look at your sheet, you can’t engage and be present.

Interviewees appreciate that, too. And if I have the luxury of sitting down with them before the interview, I will ask them if there are things that they would like to talk about. It’s kind of like a lasagna, you just figure out where things fit best while you’re doing it.

The most fascinating interview was Tony Bennett because he is such a classic. He was so charming, sharp and he was so generous with his answers. That was so cool, what a class act!

Taylor Swift was great, too. She is at the top of her game. Here comes this tiny little thing and yet she was so open – so open in a world where everyone is following your every step, and to still be able to share so much about her life is amazing. She was kind of like an old soul; and so grounded. I was really impressed.

I always hope that in the end, it is my personality that people connect with and remember me for because I am not a Glamour-Girl. Right now, my hair is a red-hot mess. I can’t do anything by myself. I have hair and make-up help. If not for the help I get, I would only wear lip balm-- like I do on the weekends. I have gone on television without make-up but

“

Don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t.

I think there are a lot of people who go into media and think, Well, I got A’s in school, I deserve this. But there is no deserving; there is no sense of entitlement. They want to see you work hard. You have to earn it– but don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t.

”

people are very honest about such things. There was a point when they would say, Listen Dina, we really love that you try to be organic but we don’t want to see Dina without make-up every day. Oh yeah, very honest. Other people were like, Good for you Dina. But I got a lot more of, People want to aspire to a certain look. I always say it is a façade and it all comes off after the show. I am getting to that age where I might have to think about it. It is tough; people are especially tough on women.

I’m often asked how I would describe Dina Pugliese. That’s a hard one to answer... I love to live in the moment; I love to have fun. I am a big kid and I love to be surrounded by good family, feasting, food, fun, faith – the good f’s. B

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Fabiola Sicard Cultural Maverick Interview by Kate Browning | Photo by Tishan Baldeo

Styling by Neil Balmbra Make up and Hair by Zaida Olvera Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario

f

abiola is the face of a new brand of power in Canada. Like many powerful mavericks, she moves gracefully between diverse and demanding roles: mother, Director of Latin Markets for Scotiabank, member of the Advisory Council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad, co-founder of the Latin American MBA Alumni Network (LAMBA), newcomer, and overall champion of Latin America in Canada. She is a passionate, intelligent and daring leader. What sets her apart, however, even from other dynamos, is the generosity of her vision. Fabiola Sicard lives her dream everyday and ceaselessly creates spaces for others to do the same.

High up in the Scotiabank Tower, downtown Toronto, we sat down with the thoughtful trailblazer who pauses to

think before she speaks with eloquent intention in her third language, to uncover what inspires her, how she does what she does, what is so special about Mexico and Latin America, and why, of all places, she ended up in Canada.

I came to Canada because I always wanted to live outside of my country. I was always curious about living in a different language, so I came first to study English. Then, I wanted to pursue an MBA, and my first option was to go to France but when I first came to Toronto, I thought, Here, I could do the MBA, I could find a job and people are very nice—this really made a difference for me. My experience in other places is that people just don’t understand you and they don’t care. My feeling in Toronto is that everybody makes at least an effort to understand you if you have an accent—you can see people

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following your mouth trying to understand. And at the time the Prime Minister was Chrétien so when I heard his English I thought, Oh, I’ll be fine!

I’m very passionate about Mexico and I have made a conscious effort to always put the topic of Latin America or the topic of Mexico on the table. I also like talking about the positive side of things; I tend to talk about the good things, the things people don’t know about the country. Right now, I’m doing some volunteer work with the Mexican government, I’m part of the Advisory Council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad

and that’s a commitment I have up to 2014. My objective with that volunteer work is to create the foundations to integrate the Mexican community within Canada and to improve the image of Mexicans here in Canada. I also like creating connections and uniting people. When I came to this country, one of the first things I noticed was that the Latin community was not that integrated. Many of the things I do, I do with the intention of creating that sense of unity.

When I came to Toronto I was surprised by how little people knew about the countries in the Americas, and also how little relationship there was between Canada and Latin America—or interest. Because China and India are so huge, there is a natural interest in those two countries—and in much of Asia. But Latin America is closer and Mexico has long had a trade agreement with North America—NAFTA—but I saw little trade activity with Latin America. That’s what sparked my interest in trying to do something or find out what existed in terms of trade or organizations that promoted the region.

When you’re new to Canada, they tell you that you have to network, and you freak out and don’t understand the concept.

You don’t understand it because you were born with it. Your parents’ friends, your neighbours, your classmates—when you go to another country, you realize all of those contacts were your network. That’s the challenge here, you have to start from scratch to create a name and a place for yourself. We formed [LAMBA] to help each other by creating that network, and also connect with Canadians and Canadian corporations.

LAMBA’s objective has always been to help those who have just arrived figure out how the labour market works, where the opportunities could be for them, and so on.

The Latin American Community may be one of the largest invisible minorities in Canada. I know that most Canadian corporations or people, who are in the diversity and multicultural space, haven’t realized how big the Latin community is. The reason is that when they look at the statistics for Latin America, they look the individual countries. They look at Colombia and then Mexico and in the immigration numbers, these countries are number 12 and number 15; they don’t realize that although they are different countries, they have something similar— we are like cousins. We have very similar culture, religion, traditions—for example, we are very family oriented—and of course, we all speak Spanish. It’s an easy group to put together.

But the growth of the Latin American community in North America over the last decade has practically doubled.

When I received the Ohtli Award, [Mexico’s highest award honouring those who have significantly contributed to improving Mexican communities abroad], I was thoroughly surprised. I had been to a previous ceremony of [the Ohtli Award] and at the time I didn’t even know the Mexican government gave that award. I thought it was really great that they recognized what people could do abroad for Mexico. I was really surprised but I was really, really happy to receive it. For me it was more of a commitment with Mexico and the Mexican community to do more. Mexico is one of the 3 countries in the world with the largest Diaspora—it only places after China and India.

My life is not perfect. I think you have to decide what life balance is for you and you have to choose your priorities. I have a 5-year old daughter and maybe other mothers spend more time with their daughters than I do. But I’m happy in [my career] and the time I spend with my daughter is special. I like sharing my work with her, she has accompanied me to events, and I enjoy having her experience things other people might not. I think you have to be really honest with yourself and try to understand exactly what you like doing.

Having the support of the bank to bridge the Latin community, and working in a company that employs this many Latin Americans and is a champion of the region is huge for me.

I think it would be tough for me not to work for Scotiabank in Canada; it’s a very Latin place.

Social media for me is ... Chismografo! a place to gossip.

Social media is a vitrina: it’s a place where you can display yourself. What I like about social media is that it’s very natural; it’s a natural place to share formal and informal things. I like it because you get people’s [candid] side—and you can’t retract anything, it’s very impulsive.

My parents have influenced me immensely. In Canada, nobody knows my family. They don’t know what I’m a product of, why I am the way I am. My parents have been wonderful. My father is very perseverant—and stubborn. For him, when you have a goal, if you work toward that goal, you will get there. That’s what I’ve learned from him. Whenever he said he was going to do something crazy or impossible, he did it. He made me realize that anything is possible if you really focus on it. My mom is a very generous person. From her I learned that side of giving. I mean, you normally don’t give rides to just anyone in the streets because it could be dangerous. But she would give rides to anyone. She will just grab people from the street, basically, and give them rides. It’s silly how you become so afraid of people when you live in a city. Sometimes you see people carrying a bunch of bags when you’re in your car, and you could just give them a ride—even just a few blocks would help. That’s the type of thing my mom would do. From her I learned what sharing and not being afraid is. They are also party animals, and maybe that’s a reason I love events!.

My life philosophy … Ahh, I need a bottle of wine to answer that! I love honesty. It’s not easy to be honest because it can hurt people. But I do my best to be honest—honest in the whole sense. I believe in being humble. I think we are all the same, human beings, and there is no title or position that sets you apart. People will not remember you because of a title but because of what you do and help them with. I love happiness.

And I think that happiness is a decision. You have to be happy with yourself… You have to be happy with what you have today. I try to be happy with what I have and also look for what I want. If I don’t have the job I want, for example, instead of complaining, I just work my a** off to get that job. If you know what you want, go out and get it. So, it’s honesty, humility and happiness (being a happy person).

I Always listen to ... My heart.

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Mother + Philanthropist + Fashion Aficionado Interviewed by Marlon Moreno | Photo by Maurcio Jimenez

On this late summer day, Suzanne Rogers greets us in her garden. She is wearing a Mary Katrantzou dress one of her favourite London based fashion designers - with delicate floral prints. She is one of Canada’s most photographed personalities, a fashion icon and the wife of media magnate Edward Rogers. But behind this glamourous public persona exists a humble and hardworking philanthropist who has organized many high-profile charity fashion shows in Canada, enlisting renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa. This afternoon, Rogers shares with us her thoughts on life, motherhood, and how she engages fashion and philanthropy to help raise funds for a number of global children’s charities.

I

in a small town in northern Ontario called Elliot Lake and my father was a miner. My parents came from Hungary and unfortunately my father passed away when I was six months old so my mother remarried to another Hungarian gentleman who is my stepfather, and I have one sister. I grew up in a very basic middle class family. However, we traveled a lot to Europe to see my grandmother in Hungary.

Family to me is the definition of success. Having that

strong European influence, I learned that Hungarian women are tough. I know my mother lost her husband at the age of 23 and both of my grandmothers lost their husbands in the war so I think that I can get through anything.

My parents taught me that nothing is easy. I have instilled

that philosophy in my children. You have to work hard for what you want, you are responsible to yourself, to your family and you are responsible for how you behave and what comes out of your mouth.

The most interesting thing about being a parent is watching

yourself growing with your children because you certainly grow and change as they do. It’s an evolution that happens together.

My life philosophy is that family comes first.

The only fear that I have is if anything happens to my children. was born

A typical day for Suzanne Rogers. I’m usually up at seven,

getting the kids ready for school. Then I drop them off, come back home and have a quick breakfast then do a quick workout, and make a few phone calls. I open letters or emails and then do some errands.

I do work. I might not have an office job from 9 to 5 like

many moms do, but I work hard in different ways. I tried to pick and choose but I focus on children’s charity. And with my foundation, I raise money with the galas that I put on which involve fashion—which is another passion of mine.

I studied political science and I graduated in 1992 from

The University of Western Ontario. When I was in high school, I was very much interested in politics. I was a member of the United Nations debating team but there wasn’t really a career in it for me after university.

I am a very private person. I’m not on Twitter or anything

like that. I like to be private. My daughter and I are on Facebook but that’s it. Even though I go to events and get photographed and perhaps written about, I am a very private person. I was never really in the spotlight until I was married. People are more critical when you are in the spotlight; they want to know who you are without really taking the time to get to know you and they make judgments quickly. That’s tough but you get used to it. That’s what I’ve learned.

The word socialite makes me cringe. Every time I hear

people calling me a socialite, I don’t know what to think. I don’t think it’s a positive word. I think there should be a better word to describe someone who maybe does a lot with his or her life, perhaps not with a 9 to 5 job, but has a very fulfilled life contributing to society in other ways.

Canadian fashion is very dear to me. It’s important to support where you are from and support Canadian talent.

I never woke up saying I’m going to do some shopping and become a fashion icon. When I was a teenager I just had the passion for fashion.

However, I do not consider myself a fashion icon, I just

consider myself someone who loves fashion and enjoys dressing well. I think Toronto needs to dress up a little bit more. This is the European in me. My mother was always dressed up, even my grandmother at the age of 75. I just love fashion.

I have no regrets. It has been a great journey from Elliot Lake.

The most interesting thing about being a parent is watching yourself growing with your children because you certainly grow and change as they do. It’s an evolution that happens together.

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ANTHONY LACAVERA ENTREPRENEUR FOR CANADIANS I nterviewed

by

M arlon M oreno | P hotography

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by

F elicia B yron

rom his modest up bringing in Niagara, ON, Anthony Lacavera has become the vanguard for Canadians wanting a change in the oligarchical telecommunications industry. Lacavera lead the revolution in the industry with his innovative company Globalive and then the groundbreaking WIND Mobile.

We step foot inside Lacavera’s office in the Globalive headquarters on Yonge Street. As we wait for the telecom tycoon, we notice—hung among the many pieces of art on the walls—the number of awards he has received over the years.

CEO of the Year reads one; Entrepreneur of the Year reads another. This is the space he calls his second home. Here, Anthony Lacavera is in his element; what better place then, to explore the head of the man, the CEO and the Entrepreneur that transformed the way Canada talks.

“When I see the colour orange, I see the colour red, blue and green dying …”

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I

grew up in a typical Canadian family with Italian heritage from Niagara, from relatively humble beginnings. I did not start with any particular advantages or any particular connections to capital.

I didn’t have any contacts and I was not the brightest either – I was a good student, do not get me wrong— but I was not the brightest—so from a very early age, I did not have any advantages.

I was 22 when I told my family that I was going to own a telephone company. My parents were very much focused on stability and thought that starting a telecom company was an unnecessary and unusual risk. My dad wanted me to go to law school. He is a lawyer and my mom is a teacher.

And around that time my sister had made a decision that she was going to go to law school. Truthfully, I even ended up doing the LSAT test because I was trying so hard to be conventional, follow the path and listen to my parents to have a profession to fall back on. My parents said, “Hey make sure you go to school, make sure you get a good education and then why don’t you go to work at Nortel?” Funny enough, if I had gone to work at Nortel, I would be out of a job today. But looking back now, 15 plus years have gone by, and I always credit my success to my parents.

When I was in university, I started Globalive and for almost ten years, it was a much lower profile company—the only product people knew back then was YAK. In 2002 and 2003, we were really saving people money, mostly first generation Canadians, which was huge because the cost of calling overseas was crazy. In 2007, I realized that I couldn’t make the company any bigger using the existing infrastructure, so I had to build my own infrastructure, and that required raising a huge amount of capital—over a billion dollars initially to build our own network and to have our own cell towers. I met with investors in Canada who told me I was going to kill my company [YAK], that I was suicidal to be thinking of going from a decent sized business,

by Canadian standards, and betting it all to start something that would compete directly with corporations entrenched in the Canadian psyche. So in 2007, I changed the whole business plan, and I was going directly at those very corporations.

Instead of being a cute little company that offers first generation Canadians mostly a cheaper long distance alternative, suddenly I was potentially affecting [those corporations]. I was surprised at how powerful they really are and how entrenched they are in Canadian society. It became, at the time, a David and Goliath type of story.

Canadians are fed up with paying the highest prices in the world for wireless services. So from ‘07 to ‘09, I invested a great deal of money and time to pursue this cause, and I found that it wasn’t that there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I believed that we could build a very successful wireless company in Canada and make a good profit, so definitely I saw that endgoal. During the struggling years, people would ask me “Why are you pursuing this crazy fight? What are you getting from it?” All I was getting was lawsuits.

When I see the colour orange, I see the colour red, blue and green dying …

WIND is a choice. And WIND like almost all other companies has to earn your business. If you are not happy with your Starbucks coffee today, you might go to Tim Hortons.

There is no contract at Starbucks.

I am amazed at the growth in usage of mobile phones.

People are not just on their phone. People are texting, emailing, browsing, and watching youtube. Almost every day someone stops me on the street or an elevator and says, “You know the only reason I can afford a phone is because of you.” When people say stuff like that, it’s very motivating. I am part of a movement.

I am a consensus-driven type of CEO. I am not a top down type of person. I do not even pretend for a second to have the skills that my CFO has in terms of corporate finance or the skills that my Chief Regulatory Officer has with respect to government relations. I never pretend to have their expertise. I am pretty much “let’s get everyone together, let’s build consensus and let’s move forward with a cohesive plan.” But at the end of the day, I am very comfortable making decisions with partial information and moving quickly. When I make mistakes, I put my hand up and say, “Yep that was my bad!,” and I own them 150 %.

What I have learned along this journey? I have made so many mistakes over the years, too many to recount. I was a young guy and is not that I was arrogant and thought I knew everything.

Today, I would ask more people for advice.

To other young entrepreneurs, whatever your dreams are, do not listen to anyone who wants to tell you what your dream should be. Your dreams have to come from you. And whatever they are, know you can achieve them. Look where I started and look where I am today. I did not have any money; I did not have advantages but as long as you have discipline, perseverance, a good work ethic, it will work. There is no magical formula to my success. Constantly pursue your dreams, everyday.

One of the things we need to do in Canada is to improve our Canadian entrepreneurial drive and spirit. We need to build into our culture that it is a good thing to take a risk, that you are going to fail, and that that’s a good thing as long as you learn from it. And it is not that you need to become a lawyer, teacher, professional to be successful. We need to start measuring success with entrepreneurship in Canada.

I truthfully think that since I was a kid, I wanted to be doing something for myself and I never felt that I was going be good reporting into a bureaucratic corporate structure. If you look at how short our life really is—70 years, 25,000 some odd days— this is a short time to make an impact and pursue your dreams.

So I try every day to wake up and make sure that what I am doing is in the pursuit of my dreams.

I am a very proud Canadian. I love my country and I love what we stand for internationally. And if I can make it my mission to give all Canadians fair access to wireless services, then I can say that I have made it and that I have a made a positive contribution to our society and our economy.

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