Paraty was a very important port during the slave trade, where most of the gold was exported to Portugal. Because of this, pirates frequently attacked the area. The streets in Paraty were made to hide turns to allow local townspeople to escape the pirates. The cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings date back to the 17th … More Paraty, Brazil
Iguazu Falls is at the apex of three borders: Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Iguazu means “big water” and is the widest waterfall in the world at almost three kilometers long with 275 waterfalls. The highest point is at Devil’s Throat reaching 80 meters tall. Devil’s Throat flows at 1200 cubic meters per second or 19 … More Iguazu Falls, Brazil and Argentina
We spent three days on a cattle and sheep farm in the countryside of Uruguay where we learned about the gaucho way of life. Gauchos are cowboys living in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. The ranch we stayed at is called Panagea and is run by Juan and Suzanna. Because the ranch is quite a … More Panagea, Uruguay
Colonia is the oldest city in Uruguay and also the only UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic neighborhood is inside the old walled fort and is quaint, but adorable. It didn’t take us long to walk every cobblestone street. The most well preserved street in Colonia is the Street of Sighs, funnily named because the … More Colonia, Uruguay
Cafe Tortoni is a famous meeting place for presidents and politicians. We had to try the famous dessert of Argentina: alfajores. The July 9th Avenue is one of the widest avenues in South America, but the only building to have that address is the building for social welfare with Eva Peron’s face on it. On … More Buenos Aires, Argentina
Salta is considered the most beautiful city in Argentina. The name Salta in quechua actually means beautiful. It was established as a main trading hub as it is located halfway between Lima and Buenos Aires. We did a free walking tour around the old town in the morning. The main square in Salta is called … More Salta, Argentina
San Pedro de Atacama is aptly named as its located in the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert covers 1,000 kilometers west of the Andes and is the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts. It is a quirky, hippy town full of dust and all sorts of travelers. We witnessed one … More San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Salar de Uyuni, otherwise known as the Bolivian Salt Flats are vast, desolate, and starkly beautiful. It is the largest salt flat in the world, measuring nearly 11,000 square kilometers. Besides the classic perception photos popular all over Instagram, the salt flats are home to various islands dating from its time as an ocean and … More Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia [Part One]
During our three day 4WD expedition across Salar de Uyuni, we visited a variety of lakes. Most of the lakes we saw were home to flamingos. Because of their diet of algae, the flamingos get their classic pink and red shades. The first lake we stopped at was Laguna Canapa. The second lake we visited … More Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia [Part Two]
The Train Cemetery is full of rusted old trains dating back to the early 20th century, mostly imported from Britain. Uyuni, although now a dusty and somewhat empty town resembling the old wild west, was at one point destined to become a major train hub. When the plans fell through, the train corpses began to … More Uyuni, Bolivia