Lonely Planet named Colombia 2nd best country to visit in 2017. I first visited Colombia a few years ago, when I set foot into the walled city of Cartagena. I had just finished reading Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ Love in the Time of Cholera, and as I moved through the old town in Cartagena, pages of his novel came to life, setting the tone for that trip. I discovered a colorful, romantic city where Latin music and dancing greeted me … [Read more...]
Trekking Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia
"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” - John Muir I like to think that John Muir was correct in many of his writings. And I also like to think that Torres del Paine is as close as it gets to the wilderness that he describes, the one that fuses the soul into the universe. Located at the southern end of Chile, deep in South America’s famed Patagonia region, this majestic national park surely ranks among the most … [Read more...]
Cruising the Fjords of Patagonia
Few places around the world evoke as much myth and awe as Chile’s Patagonia region. The mere name conjures imagery of pristine wilderness and raw nature, of stunning scenery and awe-inspiring mountains. This is where land meets sea, where ocean currents are funneled through narrow gorges opening to cavernous bays, where innumerable fjords and glaciers carve through rocky massifs. Surrounded by only water for thousands of kilometers in three … [Read more...]
Street Art of Bogota
“See that hummingbird? They appear frequently in murals because we have over 100 different types of them here in Colombia,” says Jay, my tour guide. Bogota would probably not come to most people's minds right away when thinking of the world’s great street art traditions. Yet, here I am, standing in the middle of the colorful La Candelaria district, surrounded by mural-covered walls everywhere I look. It is a veritable 360-degree immersive … [Read more...]
Pucon – Nature’s Playground
Chile sure has a lot of laid back and beautiful rural cities. And of all of these, Pucon has to be my favorite so far. The town lies on the shores of sprawling and beautiful Lago Villarrica, at an elevation of 227 meters, and surrounded in all directions by dramatic peaks covered in lush, green forests. Above all towers the glacier of the great volcano. Like the eye of Sauron, but perhaps less sinister, it keeps constant vigil over the valley … [Read more...]
From Los Angeles to Bogota – a Day Trip
Yup, you read the headline right. I made a day trip to Bogota, Colombia from Los Angeles, USA. I'm probably not the first one to do it, but I bet not many people have done it before. So how'd it happen? Mostly through my opportunism: I managed to squeeze in a stop in Bogota while on my way to Santiago, Chile. It wasn't really on my original plans but I had a choice of two flights - one with a 4-hour layover in Lima, Peru and one with a 16-hour … [Read more...]
Chile Producing Premiere Carmenere
Chile’s signature grape varietal arrived just before phylloxera hit Europe in the mid 19th century. With the country's new wine region just getting established, a few Carménère cuttings were imported and planted in the valleys of Santiago among Merlot vines. Despite the sparse rainfall and hot days, they immediately flourished in their new climate. Carménère was at first confused for “Chilean Merlot” until a 1994 DNA analysis revealed its … [Read more...]
Peru’s Inca Heartland: An Experiential Vacation With Kuoda Travel
I’m in a remote Peruvian village in the Sacred Valley, deep in the heart of the Inca world. Surrounded by mist-shrouded mountains and cobalt blue lakes, agrarian rhythms define life here, just as they have for centuries. I feel as far off the beaten track as I can possibly get. I’m spending the afternoon with the women of the village. Traditionally dressed with their long black hair in precise plaits, it’s as if time has stood still. They … [Read more...]
Spring Skiing at Valle Nevado in Chile
The Mountain As the ski lift reached the mountain top, I released my white knuckled grip on the J-bar and slid forward toward the majestic snow capped Andean peaks looming large in the distance. It was spring in South America and the backside of the mountain, was nearly empty, inhabited only by myself and the occasional lift operator. The resort was visible as a spec in the distance beyond the lift I had just exited, and a mountain vista of … [Read more...]
A Remington and a Volvo
At 9, I thought it was crazy. My dad was going to squeeze Mom and all six of us kids into a boxy, top heavy, narrow Volvo station wagon, and we were going to drive for three months from our home in Paraguay to Kansas where my father grew up. This trip had been his dream since coming to Paraguay in 1951 to found and manage a Mennonite leprosy mission. “Is there really a road that goes all the way from Paraguay to the States?” I asked. Dad … [Read more...]
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