Browsing: South America

This one looks delicious, I thought as I swirled the wine around in my glass and took an indelicately large slurp.

“Ah yes, a definite aroma of diesel and a lingering taste of salami. Is that normal for a Malbec?” I wondered as I eyed its odd neon hues.

“No,” my partner said, “but the sommelier did advise us not to try wine tasting on the pavement.”

We couldn’t resist, though. The tables outside …

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The next move is the most important of them all, our tango teacher said as I wobbled precariously on one leg.

My other leg was provocatively hooked behind my partner’s thigh, and I couldn’t imagine executing any other move except falling on the floor. “The final move is a sexy face,” she said. You can’t get away with a “trying not to fall over” face in the tango, so we aimed for sexy or sophisticated …

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Located about 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela Bonaire is the “B” of the Dutch Caribbean “ABC Islands” (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and has long been known among scuba enthusiasts as a diver’s paradise. (In fact, that slogan is emblazoned on their licence plates!) Due to the island’s forward thinking preservationists, all of its surrounding waters have been strictly environmentally protected which makes for resplendently healthy reefs and thriving marine life. Bonaire’s diving is …

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“What do you think of Colombia?” my husband asked. Colombia? We were searching for a way to get to South America from the States, and round-trip flights to the most popular destinations — Argentina, Peru, Chile — were surprisingly expensive. Colombia, on the other hand, was half the cost of those routes, and schedules typically involve a stop in Miami before heading to Bogota, an easy three-and-a-half-hour flight. “Sure!” I quickly agreed.

We spent one …

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Argentina is a county of unparalleled beauty, from lush pampas, filled with grazing beef (or cows, depending on your view), to the crisp beauty of the lakes, mountains and glaciers of Patagonia, to the arid and largely indigenous desert of the north. Its tourism has long been that of exploring the country of the gauchos, the vibrant city life and the scenic landscapes, but I put to you that there is, for the sophisticated traveler …

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Tourists tend to choose Colombia or Brazil over Peru as their preferred jungle getaway, but Iquitos is definitely worth a visit. And since the Amazon has recently made the provincial list of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, now is the perfect time to plan a trip.

Top Iquitos Attractions

Most Amazon tourists are primarily interested in seeing exotic wildlife, as the Amazon is home to one in every five living animal species. …

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–Five Destinations from the Author–

1. Mayan World:

This year it’s all about the “Mundo Maya” or “Mayan World,” which is mostly centered in Guatemala, Belize, southern Mexico’s Yucatan region and Honduras. As the Maya calendar comes to a close at the end of 2012, the Mundo Maya gears up with spiritual celebrations and specialized tours focusing on Mayan culture. Trek through the emerald Petén jungle to …

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Valparaiso, for want of a better word, is a shanty town on the coast of Chile. Starting from its docks, sitting in that all too commonly found water, colored grayish brown by the offal of container ships, it extends up scattered hills away from the sea. The city grows up with them; it’s a bit all over the place – disjointed and beautiful. It makes up a sort of patchwork cloth of a city, with …

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We’ve all had it happen to us — you think you’ve packed everything you need for your vacation, only to discover at some point along the way that something, or several things, have been left behind. Or worse, your luggage gets lost altogether in the endless abyss of airline travel only to appear again (if you’re lucky) two weeks later, looking like it’s been to the moon and back, which it very well may have. …

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By night, the Barranco district of Lima, Peru is teeming with 20-something-year-old hipsters clad in ripped jeans and miniskirts, chain smoking outside the city´s hottest clubs. They pose in front of portraits of rock legends while the music thumps inside. The district has been romanticized as the poetic inspiration of many Peruvian singers and artists, making it a must-see stop for all things bohemia in Lima. But club-goers are advised to get some zzz’s before …

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I’m not a man designed for transport really, be that public or otherwise. My limbs are longer than they should be, my posture is terrible, and I have trouble sleeping in anything other than a bed. So it’s no surprise that my least favorite bit of traveling is that spent in actual transit. And as most know, an unhealthy amount of most traveling is exactly that: mastering the art of sitting still for hours at …

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