54 articles tagged with south america
The first time I glimpsed the Nazca Lines from above, my astrophysicist brain nearly short-circuited. These ancient geoglyphs etched into Peru's arid plateau represent one of humanity's most compelling astronomical calendars and artistic achievements—yet experiencing them typically comes with a...
The sky above Maracaibo breaks into a supernatural light show almost every night – a meteorological miracle called Catatumbo Lightning that's visible from space. It's like Mother Nature's own music festival, with thunderbolts as the bass drops. When I ditched...
The speedboat cut through the muddy waters of the Essequibo River like a machete through jungle vines, spraying my weathered face with a fine mist that felt refreshing after three days of equatorial heat. At 62, I've learned that the...
When I told my retail buying colleagues I was taking my vacation time to hit up Bolivia's carnival capital solo, they thought I'd lost it. 'Jose, what about Milan Fashion Week?' they asked. But after five years of chasing runway...
When my boss asked me to scope out emerging designers in São Paulo last fall, I nearly dropped my coffee. Brazil had been on my bucket list forever, but the budget they offered was *laughably* tight. Challenge accepted! What followed...
The first time I visited Chile in my early fifties, I made the classic tourist mistake of never venturing beyond Santiago's polished streets. But last fall, while planning my third Chilean adventure, my Korean childhood friend Mi-ja (who relocated to...
When my buying trip to Montevideo wrapped up early last month, I made an impulsive decision that turned into one of my most authentic South American experiences yet. Instead of flying straight back to the States, I decided to venture...
Colombia has been my weather-chasing playground for years, but it wasn't until I spent a full two weeks dividing my time between the capital's high-altitude cool and Medellin's eternal spring that I truly understood how dramatically Colombia's microclimates shape its...
Standing at the edge of the launch viewing area, watching the final preparations for an Ariane 5 rocket, I couldn't help but feel the weight of contrasts in Kourou. Here I was, a school principal from Virginia Beach, witnessing cutting-edge...
The sun was setting over the hills of Lambaré as I sat sipping tereré with a group of local artists discussing the geometric patterns in traditional Paraguayan ñandutà lace. This moment—unplanned and authentic—perfectly encapsulates what makes this often-overlooked suburb of...
When most travelers think of Paraguay, the capital Asunción typically steals the spotlight. But just a short distance away lies Lambaré, a vibrant urban center with surprising outdoor opportunities that won't drain your student budget. I discovered this gem during...
The rhythmic pulse of samba music fades as you venture beyond Rio's postcard shores. While tourists flock to the crescent sweep of Copacabana and the fashion-forward Ipanema, the soul of Rio's coastal identity lies in its lesser-known stretches of sand—places...
There's something profoundly humbling about witnessing Earth's most extreme environments within a single journey. As a surgeon, I'm trained to identify contrasts—the subtle differences between healthy and compromised tissue that guide my hands in the operating room. Perhaps that's why...
When I tell colleagues at my Boston risk management firm that I spent a week in Bogota for less than what most people spend on coffee in a month, I'm met with raised eyebrows and skeptical glances. But as someone...
The first time I laid eyes on Huacachina, I couldn't help but laugh at the cosmic joke of it all – a lush, palm-fringed lagoon surrounded by towering sand dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see. This...
