La Paris del Sur, its denizens call it. The Paris of the South. And for a few brief moments, you might actually be taken in. Those wide central boulevards, for example: they certainly feel European, with their Art Deco apartment buildings and dusky ground-floor shops. Likewise those cafes, with their old men waving their endless […]
Of the 17 species of penguin that occur worldwide, seven can be seen in South America. Their breeding grounds range from the Galapagos Islands along the equator to the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile and further on down to the continent’s frigid southernmost tip… Galápagos Islands, Ecuador When people think of wildlife in South […]
If you conjure up a mental image of Rio de Janeiro, even if you’ve never been there before, it’s almost certain that a beach will appear in that image. Brazil’s most iconic city is home to two of the most famous beaches in the world: Ipanema and Copacabana, both of which have inspired internationally-acclaimed hit […]
Sapphire lakes that are absolutely still, mirroring the silent peaks around them. Cascades, like liquid smoke, plunging into icy rivers. A branching network of sandy trails, leading ever deeper into towering forests of thousand-year-old alerce trees… This is Argentina’s Lake District, a vast, primeval wilderness huddled at the foot of the Andes in northwestern Patagonia, […]
So you’ve finally done it. You’ve bought your PeruRail tickets, your entrance pass, and your chuyo, and you’re on your way to Machu Picchu. Mission accomplished—at least the first stage. By now your envious friends are blowing up your Facebook page with “OMG! How exciting!” posts and asking you to fill up your memory card […]
Santa Cruz, the most populated and commercially developed island in the Galapagos, is also the most visited. Near the international airport some 650 miles west of mainland Ecuador, Santa Cruz is the site of the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galapagos National Park, which lead conservation programs in the islands. While you might spot other […]
“¡Oye, maestro, más chancho rapidito!” The cook’s face gleams with sweat as he barks the order to the runner hauling slabs of raw pork to the grill. Spicy smoke rises from the coals, blackening the awning. The line cooks scramble to dish up plates of salad to await the chancho al palo (pork on a […]
Juana Mendívil has a story she likes to tell about her father, Hilario. As a young boy growing up in Cuzco’s arty San Blas district, Hilario early on was infected by his barrio’s mania for sculpture. Every day after school he’d stop to peer in the neighborhood studios, to watch the masters work. It was […]
A line of weaver women works steadily, tugging with their beaters at multicolored tapestries that slowly blossom from their backstrap looms. Hatmakers iron the brims of their creations with hot stones, leaving a silky-smooth nap. In the streets, hawkers cry out alongside rows of umbrella-covered stalls, advertising their wares. All is a vibrant jumble of […]
Three high double-stops from the guitar announce the song’s opening. Two trills and a rapid slide down the neck, and the crowd explodes into whoops and cheers. A series of meditative, arpeggiated chords. A pause. Then the guitarist launches into a fast waltz rhythm, percussive and full of manly swagger, in which he’s joined by […]
A chef for president? Don’t laugh: in Peru, it could really happen. Citizens of the Andean nation take food—and those who prepare it—very seriously. Last year, when rumors began circulating that Gastón Acurio, the country’s superstar cuisinier, might run for the country’s top political office, there was a media explosion. Frenetic foodies began calling Acurio’s […]
Her story was known everywhere even before it was finished, and no wonder—since it sprang not from mere life, but from the timelessness of Latin American myth. The humble, illegitimate birth near Los Toldos, on a dusty ranch on the Argentine pampas. The scandal at her father’s funeral, when her mother was briefly allowed to […]
There are many things to love about Brazilian cuisine. The mix of African, Indigenous, and Portuguese cultures is reflected in the wide variety of flavors in Brazilian food. Though it is said there is no one cuisine of Brazil, there are several dishes that travelers should be able to find wherever they are in Brazil. […]
A lone rider, silhouetted against the bleak expanse of the endless pampas. Night is falling; he works quickly to corral the last cattle inside the estancia’s huge pastures. No division exists between himself and the horse he sits. His only possessions he carries with him: mate gourd, saddle, poncho, ornate silver knife. In the failing […]
Lima, with its 10 million inhabitants, 49 sprawling districts, and world-class cuisine, may just be Peru’s least-known destination. True, all visitors to the Andean nation “know” Lima in that they’re required to pass through its bustling airport, and some even manage to set aside a day or two to blow through a few attractions. But […]
Panama City’s skyscrapers tower over the highways, shopping malls and subdivisions. Tucked into a corner of the harbor is the historic district called Casco Viejo (aka Casco Antiguo or San Felipe). Panama City was founded in 1519 by Pedro Arisa De Avila. For a hundred and fifty years, boatloads of gold from Peru were carried […]
Walking the tree-lined streets of Buenos Aires, you may notice a certain unmistakable smoky scent. A scent that barely registers in your conscious brain but immediately sets your stomach on high alert. You may notice your belly suddenly growling for meat, as though you hadn’t fed it for days. Your mouth goes a little dry […]
With its varied regional cuisines and incredibly diverse array of platos típicos, Peru is a foodie’s paradise. El Comercio, the country’s chief newspaper, reports that nearly 40 percent of visitors to the South American nation come for the food alone, so that there’s no shortage of gastronomic festivals or tours for those hoping to sample […]
Part weather-beaten seaport, part artists’ bohemia, part living watercolor, Valparaiso, Chile is a Latin American city like no other. It’s a hillside city, with a mazelike warren of ramshackle houses crowding its slopes. It’s also a city of nostalgia, drowning in memories of its former maritime glory. But most of all, it’s a city by […]
Equal in size to Colorado, Ecuador is a country that packs a punch. Comprised of four regions, Ecuador offers everything from high rise hotels to remote jungle cabanas. Originally, I had planned on a mere three weeks in this beautiful country; however, I found myself crossing the border to Peru with just 48 hours to […]
