Category: South America
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Santander Department, Colombia
This region of Colombia is all about pushing your physical limits. I did my third bungee jump here in San Gil, which is the most popular city and attraction in the area. it is known as the adventure sports hub of the country. My ankle was feeling a lot better after a few weeks of…
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Rock climbing at Mesa De Los Santos, Colombia
Colombia has some excellent rock climbing if you now where to look. Vibrant communities have sprung up around the emerging sport. I saw pictures of Mesa de los Santos and immediately wanted to go there. It is a lowkey crag in the north central part of the country with beautiful red rock and sweeping valley…
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Minca, Colombia
Minca was a runner up prize for us. We had originally planned to visit Tayrona National Park, which has incredible beaches. However, getting there required hiking for a few miles with our large backpacks on slippery terrain. I had badly injured my ankle the week before so this prospect was daunting. There was no availability…
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Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena needs little introduction. This colonial city on the northern coast of Colombia is the country’s biggest attraction. We spent about 4 days exploring it. I was recuperating from a serious ankle injury and this was a perfect place to relax and observe life.
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Cali, Ladrilleros, and San Cipriano, Colombia
Western Colombia is not a particularly popular tourist destination. Cali is known for it incredible salsa dancing but it doesn’t draw the crowds that Medellin or Cartagena do. We had come here to access El Choco, which is the region on the Pacific coast of Colombia. Whale were migrating past the area this time of…
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Valle de Cocora, Colombia
After a fun time in Bogata we were ready for the natural beauty. We hopped a bus to Salento to visit the famous Valle De Cocora. This is the home of the world’s tallest palm trees. Salento itself is a charming town with a small colonial square, quaint shops, and a proliferation of painted murals…
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Bogata, Colombia
Crossing the Colombian border in the Amazon had left us deep in the jungle. Luckily, Leticia has an airport and we hopped a quick ride to Bogata. Our friend Tim needed a break from med school so he decided to meet us. What ensued was a great time in a beautiful city.
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Iquitos: Goodbye Peru
It was time to bid Peru farewell. We had done and seen so much. We had trekked, climbed and explored from one end to the other. We were tired, but tremendously happy. We went out for a last bash with Jan and Ryan in Lima. We danced our hearts out. Then a plane whisked them…
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Climbing Giants in the Andes
During the 2017 winter in South America we climbed four mountains in the high Andes. The first was Huayna Potosi 6,088m / 19,974ft In Bolivia. This massive peak towers over the city of La Paz. It’s summit is guarded by a long knife edge ridge. This was Val’s first time climbing a mountain in her…
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Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Peru
On our second visit to the famed Machu Picchu we decided to walk. Our journey took us over high passes and through deep valleys. Val’s friend Jan flew in from Alaska to join us and we had an incredible time.
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Peruvian Highlands
Life is hard in the high plains of southern Peru. Few animals survive here. Endless seas of grass stretch as far as the eye can see, interrupted only by patches of lifeless rock in the brilliant red and purple hues of volcanic upheaval. We had been gently inquiring about religious festivals for weeks. We had…
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Ausungate Trek, Peru
Nevado Ausungate 6,384m / 20,945ft is Peru’s fifth highest mountain, but perhaps it’s most sacred. Most of the high peaks of Peru’s Andes are in the North of the country around Huaraz. Ausungate rises out of the grasslands as one large freestanding massif. Valerie and I trekked a complete circle around the mountain. We saw…
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Copacabana, Bolivia
Our final stop in Bolivia was Copacabana, a quaint and beautiful town on the banks of the Lake Titicaca. We mostly relaxed and watched the sun make it’s way through the sky but we also got to see an amazing parade.
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Samaipata, Bolivia
We had a fun romp around central Bolivia taking in sugarloaf hills, animal sanctuaries, beautiful colonial towns, and crazy highways.
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El Chalten, Argentina
At the bottom of the Americas, in the deep South of Patagonia there exists a town called El Chalten. Five miles away the Patagonian Ice sheet stretches as far as the eye can see. Between the two a series of towers rise into the sky. This may be the most impressive mountain skyline on earth.…
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Torres del Paine, Chile – O Circuit Trek
The 120 kilometer (75 mile) trail around Torres del Paine in southern Patagonia is one of the world’s best treks. It attracts all types. For those seeking comfort there are lodges, guides, restaurants, and even horses. That’s not really our style though and, as usual, we skipped having a guide and carried all of the…
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Puerto Natales, Chile
Once again we were back in Chile. This time near the famous Torres del Paine National Park. It was the final stop for my parents. We drank great wine, ate succulent seafood, and enjoyed friendly Chilean hospitality. We rented a car and drove through the park. Valerie and I were preparing to trek the 9-day…
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Perito Moreno Glacier, El Calafate, Argentina
Most glaciers in the world are getting smaller. The Perito Moreno Glacier is a rare exception and continues to grow each year. It is an inspiring site and the scale of it is difficult to comprehend. A comfortable bus brought us from town to the glacier. A bottle of rum kept us warm and happy.…
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El Chalten, Argentina
I have been dreaming about Patagonia since I was a boy. It has always held a mythical power in my imagination. It is a place of scoured earth, wind, and stone. My parents never thought they would go there. Even for me it took nearly thirty years of whispers before I put foot to ground.…
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
Steak, wine, cinema, tango, history, and sausage. Buenos Aires is a sprawling metropolis of over 10 million people, we only saw a fraction but is was mesmerizing.
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Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is all about one thing: Wine. We toured through many vineyards and wineries. We drank a lot of wine. We paired it with delicious food.
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Valparaiso, Chile
Valparaiso is Santiago’s bohemian cousin on the coast. It is a beautiful, crumbling bastion of contrasts. Rickety funiculars rise up steep hills and ancient busses ply down clogged arterials. The architecture is beautiful, but the true star of the city is street art.
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Santiago, Chile
Santiago is an eminently livable city. It’s full of great food, the public tansportation is fast and efficient, and the people love to have a good time. It was a short stopover for us, but we reveled in the view from our high-rise apartment. My mother, father, Val, and I did our best to immitate…
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San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Our romp around South America with my parents continued as we crossed the border into Chile. We had been spoiled by Peru. It may have jaded my father a bit, his response when we told him we were going to the driest place on earth was a curt, “I hope it is only for one…
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Arequipa, Peru
We came to Arequipa, Peru’s white city, to eat. We wanted find out what Peruvian food was all about. We ate ceviche, grilled lamb, soups of all kind, and roasted chicken accompanied. We particularly loved a restaurant called Tupac – a seafood focuses Peruvian-Thai fusion restaurants. The epicurean delights didn’t stop with the food. We…
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Lake Titicaca, Peru
Homestays are always an interesting experience. It can be awkward, it can be transcendent, and it sometimes dizzily sways between the two. My parents, Dan and Terri, had recently joined us in Peru. We spent a comfortable week in and around Cusco, Peru’s frenetic and beautiful tourist city. We had eaten international food, shopped, had…
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The Sacred Valley, Peru
After Machu Picchu we began making our way back to Cusco. Along the way we visited Ollantaytambo, a weaving center, and stopped at miradors (viewpoints) in our private taxi – oh what luxury!
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Machu Picchu, Peru
It’s not easy to find a traveler, or anyone really, that hasn’t dreamed of visiting Machu Picchu. I had the pleasure of sharing my visit with my parents and Valerie. My father was not blessed with a strong ability to pronounce unfamiliar words, (in fact listening to his attempts is one of the greatest sources of…
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Parque Nacional Podocarpus, Ecuador
Our final stop in Ecuador brought us to Loja. A modern city surrounded by beautiful nature and a massive national park. Try as we might we never fell in love with Loja. Food was our biggest problem, fast food seems to have taken hold here so strongly that finding a healthy and home cooked meal…
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Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is an exceedingly comfortable city in southern Ecuador. After spending a few weeks with the predominantly indigenous populations of the central part of the country we immediately notices a difference when we arrived. People were taller, had lighter skin, and dressed in western clothing. We met up with our friend Elliot and Stephanie who…
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Guamote Market, Ecuador
As the weather in Ecuador continued to spoil our trekking and climbing plans we shifted course and focused on humans. There is a small town about an hour away from Riobamba, it is called Guamote. It is not a puebla that is commonly found on the itinerary of travelers. That is exactly why we wanted…
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Baños and Quilatoa, Ecuador
From the jungles of Cuyabeno we were ready for the cool weather of the mountains. We took an overnight bus to Banos. It’s a relaxed town with a ton of adventure sports on offer and a smattering of good restaurants. The setting is beautiful and we happily lazed a few days away before we started…
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Riobamba, Ecuador
We had come to see mountains and trek through hillsides. Clouds, rain, and stomach problems kept our wanderings contained to the urban aspect of the Riobamba. We saw few other visitors and instead spent our time with the locals, it turned out to be a fascinating and nuanced few days.
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The Amazon, Ecuador
The Amazon touches 11 countries and is the defining feature of South America. By its very nature jungle is difficult to access. Rivers are the highways of the amazon and usually the only means of reliable transportation. We knew that we would visit the Amazon at some point on our trip through South America. The…
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Quito, Ecuador
After a wonderful time in the Galapagos we headed for Quito. As the oldest city in the Americas Quito is full of colonial charm. It sits some 10,000ft above sea level, quite a change from our lazy beach days. We arrived at the airport without any semblance of a plan. It was raining and the…
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Galapagos: Above Water
The Galapagos Islands are an almost mythical travel destination. When the naturalist Charles Darwin visited the flora and fauna prompted him to develop the theory of evolution. The landscape varies from barren wastelands to lush highlands, and all manner of steps in between. To say that islands are “otherworldly” is an understatement. Valerie and I…
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On the Road Again
Our lives are a repeating cycle of feverish work and long-term travel. Since returning to the USA in 2013 it has taken us three years of double shifts, penny-pinching, and austerity to be ready to travel again – but that time has finally come. I’m writing this from a guesthouse in Quito, Ecuador. Last week…