Colombia is a fun, festive country to visit during the holiday season of Christmas through the New Year. Throughout the towns, strings of Christmas lights hang from homes, restaurants, and along streets. Each park shines with colorful lights and decorations. And many Colombians have time off to celebrate the season. Medellin: I was in Medellin from Dec 8th until the 20th and back from the 26th until January 4th. The top attractions of the season …
South America
Stopover in Santiago de Chile
On a brief stop-over in Santiago de Chile we managed to see a few of the city’s highlights. A couple famous hills, the Plaza de Armas, and Palacio de La Moneda... as well as a cab ride we should have avoided. After checking in and dropping off our bags, we headed out to Cerro San Cristobal (San Cristobal Hill). You can drive, hike, or bike up this hill, but we chose to ride the funicular up. It’s famous for awesome views of the city with the mountains rising up behind it. We …
A Giant Hand in the Sand and the Old City of Montevideo: Visiting Uruguay
Uruguay, where a giant hand sticks out of the sand, every menu is meat and meat on meat, and you can run 12 miles along La Rambla. We visited the old city of Montevideo and the upscale city of Punta Del Este while in Uruguay. The country of Uruguay has 3 1/2 million people, 1 1/2 million of which live in the capital city of Montevideo. It is considered one of the safest countries in South America and with one of the best qualities of life. Its main exports are beef, wool, …
[Read more...] about A Giant Hand in the Sand and the Old City of Montevideo: Visiting Uruguay
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls is my favorite waterfall I’ve seen on this globe! It’s huge and powerful. Two countries share it: Brazil and Argentina. Some say the Argentina side is better.. others claim the reverse. I definitely recommend doing both sides! There are also boat excursions offered on both sides that carry you close to the falls, drenching the passengers. We didn’t do it this time, but I heard it is fantastic. Brazil We stayed at a hotel just 1 1/2 …
Sunny Rio de Janeiro… Minus the Sun
Sunny Rio de Janeiro... minus the sun. Clouds, fog, and rain filled most of our days. But we still saw Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Lapa, the beaches, and a samba show. We arrived and checked into our hotel in the late afternoon on the one hot sunny day we had here. Our hotel (Windsor Excelsior Copacabana) is situated just off Copacabana Beach with a rooftop pool and bar. We put on our swimwear, ordered a capheirina and margarita, and took in the awesome …
Si, se puede! Surviving the Inca Trail
I was sitting on the ledge, looking at the spectacular mountains encompassing us. Surrounded by my friends who I have hiked three full days with, I broke down in tears. All the worry, fear, and desire I had about this hike and the pain I struggled through to do it hit me. It finally felt safe to let it out. The day had been extremely painful, but it was much more than that. It had been a surreal, beautiful day hiking through a science - fiction like cloud forrest. Three full days on the Inca …