South America Travel
Colombia Trip: Day Three (Part One)
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 bars, cafes and restaurants. Here´s […]
Colombia Trip: Day Two
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 of Reggaeton, 80s rap, and […]
Colombia Trip: Day One (Part Two)
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 you´re not likely to hit […]
Colombia Trip: Day 1
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 from your pilot pre-takeoff. That´s […]
How About A Volcano Vacation?
Did you know that Nicaragua is called “the country of Lakes and Volcanoes” (at least by good friends)? Take a look at what it’s like to visit a few of these spectacular sights. My highlight is at 1:10. Come on, a volcano lake has got to be better than your standard lake, right?
Cartagena Is For Food Lovers
Cartagena, Colombia, has been experiencing a dramatic upsurge in the number of visitors over the last few years, with over a million in 2006 coming to see this colonial city on the Caribbean coast. Besides being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as being one of the region’s top beach getaways, Cartagena has […]
The Lost City Of Colombia?
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 great account of one such […]
Argentine Peso Plummets: What Does This Mean?
It’s being reported this morning that Argentina, already in the midst of a severe economic turndown as a result of weakening commodity prices and international market conditions, is seizing $29 billion in pension assets, this after the country announced a few days ago that it would be devaluing its currency from its current rate of […]
Colombia’s Secret Pacific Paradise
Colombia is roughly twice the size of France, so it comes as no surprise that you can still find a tropical paradise almost nearly untouched by development. The Chocó Department, bordering Panama to the south and stretching from the Caribbean Sea down to the Pacific coastline, is one of Colombia’s most remote but perhaps one […]
The World Is Discovering Bogotá
Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler just got back from Bogotá, Colombia, and he wants to show you his slides from the trip! (Come on Tony, you own 25% of one of the world’s largest travel guidebook publications in the world and you can’t secure a video camera for your trips?) Check out the view of […]