Tag Archives: South America
We Had Our Heads in the Clouds in Lima, Peru
We had a BLAST in Lima!A whirlwind tour of downtown, an amazing cooking class, a visit to the most unusual gardens, a romantic stroll along the parks of the sea cliffs.
Oh, and we sailed high above the city in a paraglider… CONTINUE READING >>
Cooking Class in Peru – YUM!
Chef Ricardo makes Causa Limeña, delicious mashed potatoes prepared with lime, onion, chili and… CONTINUE READING >>
Guayaquil, The Pearl of the Pacific
Join your GypsyNesters in Guayaquil, Ecuador!Discover the steep Cerro Santa Ana, a colorful, dynamic neighborhood of 444 steps with amazing sunset visits from the top.
Delight in the Parque de las Iguana where the reptiles were so thick that we had to be careful not to step on them.
And stroll the beautiful, romantic riverwalk – the Malecón… CONTINUE READING >>
How The Galápagos Made Birders Out of Us
A trip to The Galápagos Islands is guaranteed to make a birder out of anyone. The sheer numbers, and just plain strange features that isolation has brought upon these fabulous creatures would have been enough for us.
Couple this with fact that we spent more effort backing away from them than trying to spot them – these birds have absolutely zero fear of humans – and we were… CONTINUE READING >>
Video – The “Bird Island” of The Galápagos
Genovesa Island has been nicknamed “The Bird Island” and that moniker is certainly fitting. Considering the proliferation of the red-footed and Nazca varieties of boobies… CONTINUE READING >>
A Quick Trip to (and Overeating in) Colonia, Uruguay
Like most travelers, we enjoy putting another notch on our suitcase handle by adding to our list of visited countries.We found this remarkably easy to do while in Buenos Aires, just hop on a ferry across the river to Uruguay. The delightful town of Colonia del Sacramento lies on the other side of the Río de la Plata, so after a forty-five minute ride on the Buquebus, we were adding a stamp to our… CONTINUE READING >>
Dynamic Districts of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, like most large urban areas, is actually a collection of varied communities, and as we explored many of them we found each offered unique backgrounds and qualities.Perhaps no two barrios of the city capture quintessential Buenos Aires better than… CONTINUE READING >>
A Bloodcurdling Buffet – 12 Frightful Foods of the World
How about a terrifying tour of the globe just in time for Halloween?
We’ve consumed these dozen frightening foods from around the world… so you don’t have to… CONTINUE READING >>
Cowboyin’ Up in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a city fueled by meat, and Mataderos is the barrio, or neighborhood, that traditionally supplied that fuel.To celebrate that tradition and preserve many of the customs of the gauchos, who we would call cowboys, a huge event known as the Feria de Mataderos is held.
Thousands of people come from miles around to enjoy the food, music, crafts, and particularly the feats of skill demonstrated by the gauchos… CONTINUE READING >>
Fun at the Feria de Mataderos
Veronica joins in the traditional dances! See some awesome “Race for the Ring” action… CONTINUE READING >>
A Tale of Two Parrillas
Acquainted with the concept of parrillas via internet – Buenos Aires is famous for these establishments – we had heard of the legendary meat consumption, but were completely unprepared for the unbelievable quantities.Parrilla simply means grill, and a huge grate of roasting meat is the centerpiece of any good one, but even after eyeballing the amazing array of flame kissed cuts brazing in the… CONTINUE READING >>
Let the Meat Sweats Begin!
At the Parrilla La Estancia in Buenos Aires, Argentina is the big Kahuna, an enormous platter sizzling on its very own bed of coals, lovingly… CONTINUE READING >>
I See Dead People in Buenos Aires
I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do. Cemeteries spark my imagination — the lives lived, the history interred.That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.
Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the… CONTINUE READING >>
The Galápagos on Your Bucket List? What You Need to Know to Go
The Galápagos Islands have long been on our bucket list. Finally tuition-free when our youngest graduated from college, we treated ourselves to the adventure of a lifetime.
Here’s what we learned about how to get there, what to pack, what to expect and how to prepare for one of the most fascinating… CONTINUE READING >>
Navel Gazing in Cusco, Peru
Dubbed the Navel of the World, Cusco is an amazing blend of the very-old and the not-as-old.Join your GypsyNesters as we see the sights (and sights) – see ancient ruins, a street festival with an ornery llama, crossing guards that threaten you with whips and the weirdest rendition of The Last Supper you’ll ever experience.
At over 11,000 feet above sea level, flying in takes steely reserve and handling the altitude takes native remedies… CONTINUE READING >>
Religious Procession in Cusco Peru – complete with fiesty llama!
The procession included bands, dancers…and very feisty llama, culminating with a huge likeness of… CONTINUE READING >>
Discovering The Lost City of The Inca, Machu Picchu
When we stepped off The Expedition Train at Aguas Calientes we wasted no time, proceeding directly to the busses for the ride up to Machu Picchu.We did not stop to eat, did not check into our hotel, did not pass go, and did not collect two hundred dollars. We just climbed aboard our carriage for the harrowing trip up the side of a crazy-sheer… CONTINUE READING >>
Expedition Train to Machu Picchu
It’s an adventure unto itself! The breathtaking scenery through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu on The Expedition Train, the second highest railroad in the world, after… CONTINUE READING >>
Secrets of the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Anyone making their way to Machu Picchu must first traverse The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Valle Sagrado de los Incas), and we were no exception. But this was no tedious trek, it was a fascinating adventure in its own right.Join us as we visit the people, the food, the culture and the spectacular natural and ancient beauty of… CONTINUE READING >>
The Scariest Flight We’ve Ever Taken!
Over 11,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by giant mountains, into a narrow valley, a hairpin turn and wild crosswinds! That’s the flight into… CONTINUE READING >>
Dreaming in a Tango Hotel in Buenos Aires
Late at night, when I’m in a particularly active R.E.M. cycle you can almost guarantee that you will find me dancing the tango in my soul, behind my eyelids. I must have a connection to the sultry dance from a past life. In these dreams I am as fluid as hot coffee and as alluring as the sweetest chocolate. Tango speaks to me.I’d also never attempted it in real life. David, who calls himself a “circus bear attempting to balance on a ball” when it comes to dancing, was surely not going to indulge me in my fantasy of learning to tango during our stay in Buenos Aires. At least not as my partner.
But my circus bear can be full of surprises. He not only… CONTINUE READING >>
How to (and how NOT to) Deal with the Altitude in Peru
I’m a sea-level gal. I don’t do well with high altitude.
At about 5,000 feet above sea level I get sleepy, at 6,000 loopy and at 7,000 I’m out cold – like I’m in a coma.
So when I found out that our trip to Peru would mean being above 11,000 feet, I panicked. We were going to some real bucket list-worthy places and I didn’t want to miss a… CONTINUE READING >>
A Visit to a Weaving Cooperative in Peru
In the small town of Chincheros, Peru we got a first hand look at every step in the weaving process of the people of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.Join us as we learn about what goes into the dyes that create the brilliant colors (absolutely amazing and a wee bit off-putting!), the ingenious way the yarn is spun, and how the… CONTINUE READING >>
How Peruvian Rugs Are Made
We were invited to a weaving cooperative in the highlands of Peru in the village of Chincheros. You’ll never believe what is used… CONTINUE READING >>
Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of the Galápagos
In this strange land of strange animals, none is more iconic than the Galápagos Giant Tortoise.Growing to over six feet long and eight hundred pounds, these are the biggest tortoises on the planet and one of the largest reptiles.
No Galápagos visit would be complete without seeing some of these mammoth reptiles. We weren’t willing… CONTINUE READING >>
Giant Tortoises at the Breeding Center
It is a breeding center, guess we shouldn’t be surprised to see some breeding going on… CONTINUE READING >>
