Blogs

The Otavalo Crafts Market

11/14/2014

The crafts market’s epicenter is the Plaza de los Ponchos in downtown Otavalo. Though the biggest market day is Saturday, any day in Otavalo is a treat for tourists seeking souvenirs of their travel to Ecuador. Sales get going between 8 AM and 9 AM, winding down about 3 PM. Crowds are smallest before mid-morning. Prices for most merchandise are not fixed, allowing shoppers to negotiate with the artisans. Should one tire of the market itself, Otavalo is filled with art galleries, and many private homes contain craft workshops.

Indigenous Panama

11/14/2014

The Kuna, Embera and Wounaan all arrived in what is now Panama from Colombia and live in Panama's far eastern regions though some Embera have moved to live along the Chagres River near Panama City. The Ngobe, Bugle, Naso (or Teribe), Bribri and Bokata were westerly tribes and today live in the provinces towards the western border with Costa Rica.

The Gateway to the Inca Trail and Ruins of Machu Picchu

11/14/2014

History

In Quechua, the language of the Incas, Qosqo means navel or vital center. Since no early maps of the area exist, archeologists aren't sure when or how the city was founded. According to legend, Qosqo was considered the promise land, settled by the first Inca king, Manco Capac, after he left his birthplace, Lake Titicaca.

The National Parks of Southern Patagonia

11/13/2014

Monte Leon National Park
There is much wildlife to encounter for those who travel to Argentina on Patagonia tours in Monte Leon National Park. The park provides habitat for guanacos, ostrich-like lesser rheas, wolves and pumas in addition to a wealth of marine life, including the world's fourth largest colony of Magellanic penguins and twenty species of coastal birds. The Tehuelche were the first people to inhabit the area 10,000 years ago.

The weather is cold and dry with less than fifteen inches of rain in winter. The closest town is Puerto Santa Cruz.

Flamingo Habitats in Chile

11/13/2014


Why would anyone head north to the desert during their travel to Chile instead of going south to go hiking in Patagonia? Flamingos would be one good reason. Of the world’s six species of flamingos, three prefer the stark conditions found in Chile’s Atacama Desert: the James, the Andean and the Chilean.

More Whales on Tour in Costa Rica

11/13/2014

Pilot whales are plentiful on both coasts and are usually seen at the beginning and end of the year. Visitors are most likely to see Bryde’s whales during travel to Costa Rica between January and April. Orcas, seis and sometimes blue whales from the north also pass through the waters of Costa Rica. To learn where humpback whales and dolphins are found in Costa Rica, see our articles on these species.

The Markets of Cuenca

11/13/2014

Geared more for a local clientele, Cuenca’s largest market is held in the Plaza Rotary a few blocks from the beautiful Parque Calderon in the city’s historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors who travel to Ecuador here will find the most vendors on Thursday, with fewer stalls on Saturday and fewer still the other days of the week. Featuring clothing and crafts, another market takes place at the nearby Plaza Civica.

The Kuna People of Panama

11/13/2014

Most of the Kuna's 62,000 people are dispersed among three "comarcas" or reservations located in northeastern Panama, where they enjoy substantial political autonomy. The Kuna Yala, where most live, has provincial government status. The Comarca de Madugandi is an inland territory adjoining the Kuna Yala that was established in 1996, and the adjacent Comarca de Wargandi, was established in 2000. Both have sub-provincial status. Efforts to unite the three comarcas under one government, have met with resistance from the Panamanian government.

Getting to Isla Negra

11/12/2014


Entering the Museo Neruda of Isla Negra, one of three homes the famed Chilean poet designed as a retreat, one follows not only his travels but the sources of his inspiration. The house’s proximity to the sea and the nautical theme of many of its contents give visitors on Chile tours the feeling that they are indeed on a boat or at least an island, not just the village of Isla Negra.

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