Crossing the border into Chile from Bolivia is to go from one extreme to another, from possibly the continent’s poorest country to its richest. It won’t hit you for the first half hour if you’re coming across at the Uyuni/San Pedro border, as you’re still in “wilderness” for the first…
I’ve always appreciated beautiful photography and down deep I’ve always wished I had some talent for it. I can’t say that I do, but I can say that over the past year I’ve been making more of an effort and made some investments in order to have better tools with…
If you’ve ever wanted to see the old South America, the South America in 80s hollywood movies, the South America from the classic photos we’ve all seen, the chicken bus South America, then Bolivia is your best bet. For the record, chicken buses even here are on their way out,…
There are few places in the world I believe, that can offer the vast variety of landscapes and activities as Peru. It’s a special country, made all the more special by the intrigue and mystery of the Inca and their incredible accomplishments and productions. The remains of their culture as…
Not long ago, if you had asked me whether I’d ever want to go to the Galapagos, I would have emphatically said yes, but I likely would have said, “it’s a nice dream but impossible. Only researchers can go the Galapagos. It’s a protected area and not open to tourists.”…
Almost everyone I met said I would love Colombia. They said they loved it. So, I figured it couldn’t be too bad if there was so much consensus. Even from my first country, Mexico, I had been hearing praises, and down through 5 other countries I kept hearing it, but…
Let me start off with what sucks about Bogota. First, it’s massive. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, when you consider it has no metro system, it means that it’s hard to get around. Essentially, all movements require taxis. Sure it has a bus system, and it’s decent but…
It’s true, when I was younger, I was fearless. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t courageous or brave, just fearless. There’s a difference. When it came to the physical world, I respected very little in terms of limits. I once dropped 25 feet, barefoot onto a concrete tennis court. I…
True confessions of a beginner surfer I’ve always prided myself on learning physical activities quickly. I’m pretty agile, strong enough for most activities, light on my feet, and pretty in touch with my body. Ya sure, I’ve just officially become middle-aged (I can’t believe I’m middle-aged) but what difference does…
First, let me start off by saying that I got here in the beginning of October, which is clearly low season. However, that didn’t help at all when trying to book a room or dorm upon arrival. I got here around 11pm and began my search for a place to…
Mexico City, districto federal, or DF for short. What an incredible city! It really has everything you could want and a bit more. Of all the cities I’ve visited, and granted it’s not yet a huge number, DF is among the top 3 with NYC and Montreal. This city really…
Puerto Escondido – A surf haven Puerto Escondido is a pretty special place, and it turns out for many; an addiction. It’s not immediately obvious why. Sure when you first get into the city, you have that long tan sand beach, with huge white water waves crashing against it, and…
Guatemala’s Ecology Guatemala is a much richer country than I expected, both in terms of levels of poverty and ecology. Maybe our expectations were much lower after having passed through Belize which was in fact poorer than expected. Belize which was more expensive and seemed to have less to offer,…
Placencia, Belize – rest, swim, eat, snorkel, dive. Not much else. We arrived in Placencia, Belize, pretty late at night after our chicken bus broke down. We quickly found a place to stay (Lydia’s Guesthouse) but didn’t have time to see much. Went to the grocery store, had a beer,…
Caye Caulker, Belize – no beach but god the snorkeling.. All we knew is we wanted more sun, more sea, snorkeling and hopefully a thriving social scene. And V, well she was hoping for some great food too, but she’s always hoping for great food. As a consummate foodie, cuisine is…
Merida, Mexico So far, of all the towns/cities I’ve visited in Mexico up to now, Merida has been the coolest. Situated on the Yucatan, somewhere round the top, not on the coast, but relatively close to the sea, it’s a city rich with culture, surrounded by Mayan history, and full…
Yucatan Impressions At first glance, the Yucatan isn’t particularly beautiful. You might even say it’s generally pretty bland. You don’t find the natural color that you would in Caribbean countries, no real color side from the green of foliage or the desert inspired yellow gray sands. Yucatan’s beauty lies elsewhere. You’ll find…
Ah, hostels. Shared rooms, bunk beds, and massive compromises. Always an interesting time and great opportunities to meet new people. They are full of advantages, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty more experiences like tonight’s and that’s alright by me. On a day to day basis though, this certainly isn’t…
Cancun is really 2 cities Cancun is really 2 cities as far as I’m concerned. There’s Cancun which is a pretty regular Mexican city, lacking in character but bustling and vibrant. And then there’s the Zona Hotelera which is what foreigners call Cancun. The 2 places couldn’t be any more…
Cancún nightlife There is something completely absurd about the main strip of the Cancún nightlife. It’s ridiculous. Open air clubs all competing to be loudest, music blaring, MCs yelling over the music, people on the sidewalks enthralled and disgusted at the same time. It’s intriguing. But once you get over the…
Time with Pops It’s only been a bit over a month since I left my old life behind to roam the earth with all my possessions on my back. Truth is, I’m not used to the idea yet, though I’ve somehow adapted to being homeless incredibly quickly. I think it’s…
NYC, I kinda love you. My first memory of NYC was coming out of the airport, into a cab and having the cabbie get his wallet stolen from off of the passenger seat a few minutes later. Not a great first impression New York. Especially not for a young kid.…
Toronto First stop… T-dot.Toronto’s always gotten a bad wrap. Let’s face it, few outside of Ontario like Toronto, and even a good number of Ontarians aren’t big fans. And when you ask Montrealers what they think, well, it’s pretty unanimous. T.O. is a lifelesss, soulless, cold, conservative, concrete desert where…