Mention the words ‘South American’ and ‘border crossing’ in the same sentence and travelers will often take a sharp intake of breath. They can be places of frustration and nervousness, with ramshackle government buildings, long queues, stern faces, bag searches and occasionally demands for bribes. In contrast to this image, one of our most pleasurable border crossings in all of South America was from Tigre in Argentina to Carmelo in Uruguay by small passenger ferry through the beautiful Parana River Delta. This crossing is not only simple and straight forward but also offers gorgeous scenery, a chance to experience local life and a taste of adventure.
Tag Archives: Markets
Mochima National Park – Aquatic Adventures
31 Oct
Parque Nacional Mochina is Venezuela’s second oldest national park, created in 1973 to protect the beautiful coastline, offshore islands and marine life against the unregulated building of holiday homes. The pace of life is slow and laid back and many travellers make this a logical stop to or from an inland expedition to Angel Falls or Roraima and stay for longer than they planned. Scorched, rust coloured mountains dotted with cacti make for a beautiful backdrop and plunge into calm, shallow bays with golden beaches. The islands offer a chance to get away from it all and find tranquility in your own slice of tropical paradise. It’s a great spot to recharge your batteries, or, if adventure is your desire, diving, snorkelling and boat trips can easily be arranged.
Selling onions at market won’t make you cry
21 Feb
Life can seem hard when you’ve been selling onions every Tuesday for forty years at Silvia market. The old couple with weather-beaten faces sat silently together staring in different directions into the distance. They were traditional countryfolk whose survival hinged on the cultivation of fruit and vegetables on their small farm for personal consumption and to sell here at Silvia’s bustling weekly market. They were Guambiano people from one of the small mountain villages of Pueblito, Guambia, La Campana and Caciques and are considered to be one of the most traditional indigenous groups in all of Colombia.
Otavalo indigenous market
18 Feb
We were travelling from Quito, Ecuador’s capital, and heading across the border into Colombia. We decided to break the journey up with a stopover in Ecuador’s northern highlands and the small town of Otavalo was our choice. Otavalo is famous for its indigenous market, which dates back to pre-Inca times and is now the largest of its kind in the whole of South America. We were initially concerned that the whole town would be like one giant theatre production, where stone faced locals dress up for hordes of tourists to shamelessly flog them tacky reproduction handicrafts at rip off prices, but we were very wrong…so wrong in fact we ended up extending our stay in Ecuador by several days so we could discover more about the friendly and culturally rich Otavalenos (people from Otavalo) with their beautiful hand crafted products, and also to explore the rolling hills just a stones throw from the town.
Sucre – The White City
23 Aug
We decided to rest our weary traveller’s bones and spend a week in the wonderful Bolivian city of Sucre taking some Spanish lessons. Frequently described as Bolivia’s most beautiful city, Sucre couldn’t have been a nicer place to relax and unwind and after just a few days we really found ourselves falling under its spell.
48 hours in Santiago
22 Jun
Before we reached Santiago many other travellers and even some residents had warned us that Chile’s capital, can feel a little drab, unexciting and lacking of a cultural identity in comparison to its Latin American counterparts such as architecturally impressive Buenos Aires, height defying La Paz or naturally beautiful Rio De Janeiro. However, we thought we’d see the city for ourselves and we’re really pleased we did as we discovered a safe, clean, quirky and very friendly city. We had just over 2 days to immerse ourselves in Santiago life and this is how we did it.
Buenos Aires – city of seduction
18 Apr
Buenos Aires lived up to our every expectation. Fine European architecture gracing the city could almost persuade the untrained eye that this was Paris or Madrid but a closer look at the bustling streets, frenzied traffic and pride and passion of the residents, left us in no doubt that we had arrived in Latin America.
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Torres del Paine – the ‘W’ trek
Visitors from all walks of life converge on the small hamlet of Puerto Natales to visit Chile’s and perhaps the Continent’s number one national park – Torres del Paine. Located in the Southern Patagonian ice fields at the end of the Andes, the park offers diverse wildlife and incredible mountain scenery, glaciers, lakes, rivers and […]
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