A Secret no Longer – The Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs Mississippi @SeeCoastalMS #CoastalMS

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Walter Anderson Museum of Art Ocean Springs Mississippi @DownshiftingPRO

An artist, naturalist and mystic, Walter Inglis Anderson was also a great American Modernist who lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. A recluse in is later years, he was a prolific artist and writer. Plagued by mental illness, he produce not just paintings but elaborate murals. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is not-to-be-missed in Coastal Mississippi.

Ultimate Guide to Fruits and Juices of Colombia – with 32 Stunning Pictures

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Ultimate Guide to Fruits and Juices in Colombia @DownshiftingPRO

UPDATE- 2026 – As I return to Colombia after 6 years, I have had a wonderful time exploring more fruits. I have gone out of my way to have better pictures and include more fruits from the Carribean coast to provide you with the ultimate guide to fruits and juices of Colombia. One of the best activities that I participated in my three week tour, was a fruit workshop in Periera.

In the heart of the coffee region, it was great to be lead by

My parents missed Colombia’s fresh fruits and juices. Whether a sweet guanábana or a bittersweet lulo, there are so many juices to savour. In this tropical country, there is a huge abundance of fruits from which one garners tropical juices, be they made with water or milk. 

Making juices with milk instead of water may seem like a foreign concept to most but adding dairy creates a richer flavour which may surprise your palette. Drinking your vitamins is not uncommon in a vegan or vegetarian diet and Colombia has adopted “smoothie” variations for years. My aunts are now making juice with almond milk to avoid lactose. This worked just as well if not better!

Fruits and juices in Colombia. DownshiftingPRO

The variety of fruits juices in Colombia is due to the biodiversity of the climate. There are three mountain ranges crisscrossing the country with cool mountain top and hot, humid valleys. This variance in temperature creates the perfect environment to grow fruits. Experience farming techniques lend itself to successful cultivation of mangos, curubas, moras, bananos and cherimoyas.

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The Stunning Botanical Gardens in Bogotá Colombia

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Botanical Garden in Bogota DownshiftingPRO Margarita Ibbott 1
Guide to the Botanical Gardens in Bogota Colombia - @DownshiftingPRO
Botanical Garden of Bogota

I was expecting beautiful tropical flowers and exotic trees – it was the Botanical Gardens in Bogota afterall. I was surprised to see flowers I would more likely find in North America. The large pumpkins in February were the best surprise because of the joyful expression on my aunt’s face when she saw them. For my mother, it was the roses. To see roses in February is never expected. There are many treasures in the Botanical Gardens in Bogota (Jardin Botanico de Bogota Jose Celestino Mutis) the least of which are the brand new pavilions which were still closed off to the public but should be inaugurated later on this spring.

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