One of the most popular day trips from Bogotá is to head about an hour north to Zipaquirá, home to the famous Salt Cathedral. To get there you have to head to the end of the line of the Tranmileno (see above), Bogotá´s above-ground subway system. Zipaquirá, like most towns [...]

Plaza de Bolivar is the historic center of Bogotá and is just south of La Candeleria, the neighborhood where I´m staying that´s full of old single-story stucco houses in Spanish colonial style. It´s also where most of the city´s universities are located so, not surprisingly, it´s also full of small [...]

Wednesday nights in Bogotá means Quiebra Canto, the two-story club/bar. Converted from an old house, this club really seemed like the only thing going on Bogotá and by 11:30 it seemed like half the population of the city was there. Good D.J. — he somehow managed to mix a collection [...]

I had the row to myself on the flight out of Houston to Bogotá which was great because I was able to stretch out across all three seats and catch a few hours of sleep. The bad thing about arriving at your destination at 5 in the morning is that [...]

The trip really got off to an interesting start as our plane was waiting on the tarmac at Newark International Airport. The pilot came on the radio and said, ¨Folks, believe it or not, this is not the first time this has ever happened.¨ (Words you don´t want to hear [...]

Discovered only a few decades ago, La Ciudad Perdida, Colombia’s Lost City is accessible to those willing to endure a days-long trek, a couple of treacherous river crossings, and oh yeah, the possibility of contracting one of several tropical mosquito-borne diseases. But that’s half the fun isn’t it? Here’s a [...]

Machu Pichu probably can’t be beat for shear views alone but don’t forget that Peru is also home to Chan Chan, the largest and one of the oldest ruins in all of South America. Just east of Peru’s third-largest city, Trujillo, Chan Chan is easy to get to — no [...]

Last night the New York Times travel writer, Matt Gross (a/k/a The Frugal Traveler), stopped by Idlewild Bookstore, the new travel bookstore here in New York, for a talk about his recently wrapped up “Grand Tour” of Europe, his thoughts on the idea of travel writing, and his plans (or [...]

Enjoying the high life in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, without breaking the bank takes a little discipline and a lot of imagination. By Matt Stabile There’s no doubt about it: I had traveled to Gothenburg in first class; once I got there it was back to reality. I’d just [...]