South America
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An Outdoor Vintage Car Museum | Colonia, Uruguay
More Details: An Outdoor Vintage Car Museum | Colonia, UruguayColonia del Sacramento, as I wrote earlier, is a very historic town that belies the complexity of the colonial times in this part of South America, when Portugal and Spain fought for control of the massive land expanses. Charming architecture and the old ruins of forts and walls take you back to olden times. However,…
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What You Will See in La Boca, Buenos Aires
More Details: What You Will See in La Boca, Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, is composed of many “barrios“, or neighborhoods, from humble to wealthy; from drab to colorful. Few are as colorful or as well-known as La Boca, on the southeast corner of the city, close to the Riachuelo which feeds the Rio de la Plata. La Boca started very much as…
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Colonia del Sacramento: Uruguay’s Historical Gem
More Details: Colonia del Sacramento: Uruguay’s Historical GemWhen I started to plan my trip to Argentina for my trek, I thought maybe I’d arrive a couple of days early and do something other than eat and walk in Buenos Aires. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with those things! Those are indeed very noble activities in my book in that great city. …
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Fitz Roy and Glacier National Park: Nature at Its Best
More Details: Fitz Roy and Glacier National Park: Nature at Its BestMy recent trek with Trekking for Kids in Patagonia, the southern part of the continental Americas, had two components: A day hike and a glacier visit in the Argentinian side of Patagonia, and A 5-day hike in the Chilean side of Patagonia, including a glacier hike. Here, I will cover the day hike in Argentina. A later…
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Buenos Aires Re-Visited (Again)
More Details: Buenos Aires Re-Visited (Again)When I sat down to write this post, my first thought was: “What can I possibly write about Buenos Aires that has not been written before?” Good question. My visit there was triggered by its being the location of two children’s homes we were going to help via a trek to Patagonia with Trekking for…
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Photo Essay: Skiing in July
More Details: Photo Essay: Skiing in JulyNo, no, I am not referring to water skiing but to snow skiing! Snow skiing in July, you may say? Yes, in the southern hemisphere, in wonderful Chile! A few years ago I was fortunate to work in Chile for a whole year and one of the many things I enjoyed was the closeness of…
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The Livable Capitals: Santiago, Bern and Berlin
More Details: The Livable Capitals: Santiago, Bern and BerlinAs I listed the capital cities I have visited, I kept thinking which would could be the “most livable.” Livable, for me, means not an intense place, not one with millions of tourists ruining summer months, with character, and some great redeeming feature (the ocean, the mountains, a great river running through it, an amazing…
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Sights of Pucón, Chile
More Details: Sights of Pucón, ChileMany moons ago, I spent a few days in a beautiful corner of Chile: Pucón. Pucón, about 480 mi (775 km) south of Santiago, sits on the eastern shorelines of Lake Villarica in the region called Araucanía, looked over by the Villarica volcano. The town by now has gained reknown for its beautiful setting and…
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Photo of the Week – A Cross in the Desert
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Cross in the DesertAs I visited the desert of Atacama in Chile‘s north, it was neat to visit small towns and villages in the area. On the way back from the Geysers del Tatio, we stopped at a village called Machuca. Atop some of the houses were small crosses. Weather-worn crosses that reflected the faith of the locals.
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Out, Up, and Down in Chile’s Valparaíso
More Details: Out, Up, and Down in Chile’s ValparaísoChile is truly an amazing country. Nature, in and of itself, offers a myriad different possibilities from the Atacama Desert and the salt lakes in the north to the fjords and glaciers down in Patagonia. But Chile’s urban areas offer some incredible sights and experiences. And Valparaíso may take the cake as its character is…
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Buenos Aires: A Monument-al City
More Details: Buenos Aires: A Monument-al CityWhile on a three-month assignment in Chile many years ago, I visited Buenos Aires, Argentina for the first time to spend the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday there. In Santiago, besides Chilean locals, my co-workers included a fellow American and folks from Buenos Aires (abbreviated in Spanish “B.B.A.A.”; leave me a comment if anyone is curious why…
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Four Decades of the Panama Canal
More Details: Four Decades of the Panama CanalI have been to Panama a few times in my life as I have relatives who live there. During those visits I have enjoyed Panama City itself, traveled to see El Valle, been to the beaches near Coronado, visited isolated populations on ecotourism visits, spent time on the beautiful island of Contadora (in the Pearl…