Just to clarify - that is the Chilean flag, not Texan! February is high summer in Chile. Our planet’s longest, thinnest country is incredible. The entire west is defined by the Pacific Ocean and its chilly Humbolt current. Almost the entire east (often barely 200 km’s away) is framed by the Andes. Indeed it would seem Chile’s sole purpose is to prevent Argentina from … [Read more...]
Venezuela and False Political Narratives – Updated
Yesterday I sat on a street corner in Cuenca, Ecuador and talked with Cesar from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He was sitting with his 5 year old daughter. His wife had gone to the hospital with their son as he had developed a fever. They had walked 18 days across Colombia and halfway through Ecuador. They left their home, car (no fuel or money) and the friends who had not yet fled. … [Read more...]
I was Robbed (me robaron) – hence no photo :( – Travel and Theft
Yep, I’m here in beautiful Cuenca, Ecuador. I'm using my son’s computer, as it appears I no longer have my beloved laptop. There is a fair amount to unpack here; everything from embarrassment, to shock to cost, to the many documents I am not aware as yet that I am missing. The theft happened on a bus. Similar to many parts of Central America but quite different from other … [Read more...]
Donald Trump’s Hate Crime
It may seem odd for a travel blog to wander into the realm of populist right-wing American politics, but in this instance I would like to celebrate the role of Spanish-speakers within our industry. For years I have travelled and lead tours through the Americas and around the world. At almost every hotel in which I stay in the United States there is at least one Spanish speaker … [Read more...]
Don’t Say Ruin – Inca Culture is Alive (Cusco, Peru & Machu Picchu)
The so-called Lost City of the Inca’s, Machu Picchu (MP) is so indisputably Peru’s most iconic attraction that suggesting anything to the contrary is simply argumentative. I have actually sat in meetings discussing tourism legislation (which remarkably, does not really exist in Cusco) where ‘de-Machu Picchuisation’ was actually discussed as a way of furthering tourism in the … [Read more...]
