Ushuaia, known as the city at the end of the world, is situated at the southern-most tip of Argentina and is famous for being the gateway to Antarctica. Most people make tracks to the far-flung city to join one of the cruises which sail across Drake Passage and explore the vast frozen continent. Even if you aren’t lucky enough to be taking a cruise, Ushuaia is worthy of a visit – as I recently discovered …
Browsing: South & Central America
As the chef proudly leans across the counter to hand me my lunch, a few pieces of chopped tomato plop onto the floor.
He smiles sympathetically, knowing that by the end of the meal, I’ll be a mess. There’ll be sauce on my shirt, avocado on my jeans, and a splodge of mayonnaise on the floor. I expect he’s already alerting the cleaners: “get ready, a foreigner is eating a completo.”
The completo is practically …
If I ask you to describe a sommelier, you’ll almost inevitably picture a man. White and middle aged, perhaps a little portly, and with a slightly intimidating air.
The exact opposite of Karla Abarca, who gives a huge grin as she swirls some wine around in her glass, raises it up with her tattooed arms, and takes a big, appreciative gulp. She’s a tiny powerhouse, young and lively, cheeky and irreverent, and she giggles when …
For an area famous as the driest place in the world, Chile’s Atacama Desert boasts a surprising amount of activities involving water. Which is fabulous when the temperature tops a sizzling 35 degrees (91deg F) and you’re dying to cool off in a lagoon or a refreshing river.
The Atacama, in the north of the country, is a place full of contrasts, and my favorite is the unusual opportunities to get wet in the desert. …
Deep inside the jungles of Colombia, archeologists have discovered an extensive array of ancient rock paintings, hailed as the “Sistine Chapel of the Ancients.” These glyphs represent a significant milestone in the study of pre-Columbian history and offer a new window into the lives of people who lived during the Ice Age. This discovery, made in the Serranía de la Lindosa and nearby areas, including the Chiribiquete National Park, was led by a British-Colombian team …
Costa Rica is, of course, a paradise for nature lovers. It, therefore, makes sense that many people only wish to spend a minimal amount of time, if any, in the gritty capital of San Jose before heading to the beaches and tropical rainforests.
Surrounded by volcanoes, coffee plantations, and cloud forests and situated in the central valley, San Jose is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. If you travel independently in Costa Rica, …
Colombia — The land of drug runners, cartels and kidnappings, right? You might be thinking of the Colombia of old. This diverse gem nestled at the top of South America with coasts kissing both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea has successfully emerged from underneath a less than desirable reputation a few decades ago due to rampant drug trade and violence.
Now, tourists have been dipping their toes back into the country, enjoying some of …
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an subterranean church located 200 meters underground in the Andean mountains of Colombia, carved out of solid rock salt. The Salt Cathedral has become a top tourist destination and an important place of pilgrimage in Central and South America.
The history of the Salt Cathedral goes back to the Muisca indigenous people who occupied this region before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The Muisca extracted salt from …
Situated in the desolate beauty of Chile’s Atacama Desert, a colossal hand emerges from the sandy surface. This iconic, larger-than-life sculpture known as “La Mano del Desierto” or “The Hand of the Desert” has been an intriguing spectacle for many who traverse Chile’s Route 5. The Hand of the Desert is an imposing, 11-meter (36 feet) tall sculpture that depicts a right human hand, rising eerily from the desert sands, palm facing up towards the …
Mankind has always sought to leave a mark on the world, a testament to our existence, beliefs, and art. Among the most puzzling and fascinating imprints of our ancestors are the ancient geoglyphs—colossal figures etched into the earth’s surface. These gigantic artworks depict a variety of figures, from geometric shapes to animals and humans, spread across diverse geographies. They are enigmatic remnants of ancient civilizations, their purpose, construction, and symbolic meaning often shrouded in mystery. …
It’s no coincidence that some of the most pristine places in the world are also the most inhospitable.
If a place is easy to reach and nice enough to stay, people flock there in droves, settle down, and gradually destroy the beautiful scenery that attracted them in the first place. It’s far better to have a hostile climate if you want to protect nature. Forgive the philosophy, but those are the things you ponder when …
Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is not only a place of rest for the deceased but also an important cultural attraction in the city. Cementerio de la Recoleta in Spanish, is a famous burial ground located in the heart of Buenos Aires. The cemetery has a rich history and is considered one of the most beautiful and important cemeteries in the world.
Recoleta Cemetery was first opened in 1822. At the time, the cemetery …
International business and leisure travel trends have rightly indicated the advent of a new era for the South American nation of Colombia. That change is apparent nowadays from the moment of arrival into the city of Medellin from its international airport – a descent into a remarkable panorama of soaring skyscrapers and cranes busy with even more construction in both business and residential districts reflecting the transformation underway in this second largest Colombian city.
What …
It’s only 10 p.m., but everyone has retreated to bed except the five of us playing cards in the hostel dining room.
“Deal another round,” I say, “I’m staying up all night.” Sleep seems unlikely when the temperature is plunging towards minus 12 degrees C (10 deg F), there’s no hot water for showers, and six people are sharing each room where the beds are blocks of salt.
I’ve discovered that you can’t enjoy the …