Verano Negro

We arrived in Chincha just in time for Verano Negro (Black Summer), an annual eventsort of like carnaval, celebrating Afro Peruvian culture, history and traditions.  Here and nearby Carmen are the cradle of Afro Peruvian culture, evident in the music, dance and in the people themselves.  There isn´t much tourism here otherwise, and the region is clearly [...]

Mérida In-Town

Mérida is the principal city of the Venezuelan Andes.  It was founded in 1558, and is known today for its high population of university and other students as well as a wide variety of attractions for tourists.  The temperature is generally mild, and at higher altitudes downright cool.   The highest peak in the country, Pico Bolivar [...]

Colonia Tovar

In  1843, a group of mostly German colonists (240 men and 151 women), arrived to establish a colony.  After spending some time in quarantine due to a disease that had broken out on board, the group made the long walk up into the mountains outside Caracas.  Most of them were from the Kaiserstuhl region, and the [...]

Last Hurrah 2008

Between Christmas and New Year´s there was time to squeeze in a whirlwind trip to the Colombian border town of Cúcuta.  We were able to catch a ride each way with two different friends.  A couple of nights in Cúcuta allowed us to get a glimpse at the town, take out some pesos free from [...]

Hallacas and Cuba Libres!

Caracas doesn´t seem to have changed too much since last time we were here.  We´ve been laying kind of low, recuperating and relaxing at home.  The family I have stayed with since my first visit to Venezuela in 2001 has welcomed us with open arms (including airport pickup by my lovely pesudo-cousin), and we´ve been [...]

To Market To Market

The market(feria fluvial) in Valdivia was small but hectic.  We wandered around watching the fishmongers and vegetable/fruit vendors selling their piles and piles for fresh stuff.  The fish and shellfish were all lined up on the side of the market that faces the river, and the enormous sea lions that inhabit the river lounged around in [...]

Viva Valdivia

Our first real stop in Chile was the town of Valdivia.  It´s unfortunate distinction in recent years was an industrial accident that killed 5000 black-necked swans, but these days it seems to have cleaned up that act, and it turned out to be a great place to spend a few days.
Valdivia is an old city, [...]

Goodby Tango City

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, we wandered around the neighborhood of San Telmo.  The street market was interesting, with people playing all kinds of music and selling crafts, art, clothes, antiques…pretty much anything you can imagine.  It was HOT, and we ended up trying to escape the heat in a little 2nd floor spot called [...]

Diamond Lake, Beer and Puzzling

The Diamond Lake Track near Wanaka leads past it’s namesake body of water, then up to the summit of Rocky Hill.  The views from the top were fantastic and gave us a great idea of how the glaciers had carved out this amazing landscape.  We were a bit parched when we got back down the [...]

The End of the Earth

In the am we head poast the 90-mile dunes to the place where, according to Maori legend, the spirits of the dead head to begin their journey to the afterlife. They slip down the Pohutukawa tree that is apparently still visible nearby. At Cape Reinga, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. [...]