South America Travel
Time Lapse Video Of Traveling Through The Panama Canal [Video]
On one recent trip through the Panama Canal, an intrepid cruisegoer (an oxymoron, right?) perched out on top of his ship for the 10-hour trip through the 51 miles it takes to travel from one ocean to the other. If you’re wondering why it takes so long, keep in mind that Gatun Lake, near the […]
Pan-American Transmissions Part One: Northern Nicaragua
Pan-American Transmissions Part One “Pan-American Transmissions” is a travel series from Special Contributor Diego Cupolo as he travels south from Nicaragua to Argentina. He has few plans, a $10-a-day budget and one flute-playing gypsy companion. Check back as new dispatches are posted from the road. The Land Belongs to Those Who Work it It begins. […]
Climbing Rio’s Sugar Loaf James Bond Style
I had been enchanted with Sugar Loaf Mountain ever since I saw it in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, in which Bond battles with Jaws on a cable car traveling up Rio de Janerio’s most famous landmark (along with the Christ the Redeemer statue that sits at its top). The grey granite massif that rises […]
My Salsa Lessons From A Prostitute In Colombia
“Dude, if you wanna meet local girls you gotta be able to dance.” I avoided the tango in Buenos Aires, but it’s going to be hard to avoid salsa in the Caribbean. “I hate dancing.” “You’ve just gotta move your hips.” “I’ll need a few more of these first.” I take another sip of watery […]
Ideas For Travel To South America This Fall
Is there nothing better than shipping off on a red-eye flight in the depth of a cold winter night and arrive, half-a-day later far on the other side of the Equator (assuming you’re coming from the north) in warm South America? Plants are budding, locals are excited about the onset of summer, and you’re just […]
The 7 Commandments Of A South American Roadtrip
Take one old and, as it turns out, less than reliable Volkwagen Combi. Paint it purple, and make it convertible. Fill it with a motley and changeable crew of South American musos, European backpackers and one dog. Hit the Panamericana, and drive north. That, baby, is where the sun is. Before you do, though, you’ll want […]
Passing Up Paradise In Colombia
When they felt there was enough fish to justify pulling the nets in, someone would ring a bell hanging from a palm and close to 50 men, woman and children would rush to the ropes to pull the nets in as quickly as our strained arms could muster. Teeth clenched, veins popped, and grunts narrated […]
100 Years Of Machu Picchu, But For How Much Longer?
Travelers have been visiting Machu Picchu for 100 years now, ever since Yale University professor Hiram Bingham III rediscovered the site on July 24, 1911. But with increased traffic, site degradation, and bureaucratic wrangling, many are left wondering: How much longer will visitors be able to visit Machu Picchu? Much has changed since that fateful […]
My 10 Ways To Revamp Argentina’s Top 10 Foods
Every food needs a little evolutionary jump-start once in a while. As a fan of mash-ups (some of my favorite foods include shepherd’s pie and bubble & squeak — a post-Thanksgiving swirling concoction of leftovers), I think that combining one’s culinary cultural upbringing with that of another can only bring about good things. Which made me wonder […]
What To Expect In The Galapagos
Let’s be honest, 90% of going to the Galapagos is to say, “Yes, that’s right, I’m traveling to the Galapagos.” It’s the travel equivalent of being a fan of Mad Men: It’s basically code telling the world that you’re “in the know,” that you have discernible tastes, and that you consider yourself outside of the […]