Gathering together a large enough work force to carry out these ambitious plans proved a daunting challenge. The colonists encountered resistance among the indigenous population from the start. As development plans expanded along the coast, more workers were needed than could be supplied from the region. For the buyers, indigenous slaves were a bargain, usually selling for less than half the cost of imported slaves from abroad.

By the time scientists began counting, the number of green turtles arriving on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast had dwindled to just 3,000, and there were more here than anywhere else. Efforts to re-populate the coasts have been very successful. Today, many more visitors who travel to Costa Rica will see the species, when about 20,000 of the species come to shore to nest. Thanks to the efforts of Carr and others, a whole national park, Tortuguero, has been established to protect the green turtles as well as the leatherbacks and hawksbills that use the critical nesting sites here.

Of all the beach destinations that stretch along the coastline between Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, and the eastern border with Brazil, Punta del Este is the most famous, dubbed the Uruguayan Riviera.

When your Peru tours take you to Arequipa, you will have arrived at the center of the world’s alpaca industry. Much of the fleece sheared raised on the alpacas of Peru’s altiplano is shipped to the major processing mills in and around Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city. Many who travel to Peru never make it as far as this attractive, colonial city in the south. That is changing now that eco-travelers wishing to fit some Peru hiking into their itinerary have discovered nearby Colca Canyon and are making an international name for this inland destination.

Sauvignon Blanc prefers the same cooler growing conditions conducive to the Pinot Noir. Of the 30,000 acres planted in Chile, most is grown in the Central Valley. The best Sauvignon Blancs come from Casablanca Valley though it also grows well in the Aconcagua sub-region as well as in the western, cooler areas of San Antonio and as far north as the Limari sub-region.