Today the Naso people number about 3,800 and live on the forested banks of the Teribe River, subsisting on agriculture and hunting. Another few hundred live across the border in Costa Rica. Much of the Naso region is protected by La Amistad International Park and the Palo Seco National Forest. The tribe is best known as Latin America's remaining monarchy with a ruling king and for its impressive eco-tourist project in the village of Wesko for international visitors on Panama tours.

Terrain and Weather
Patagonia's northern region contains mountains, valleys, steppe, fertile farm land, forests, rivers and many lakes to see on Patagonia tours. Summers are hot but breezy, and winters range from cold to colder. Some areas are arid; others have considerable winter precipitation. Patagonia tours occur mostly during the summer months.

Was the Earth oblate, as English physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton, had theorized in 1687, based on his understanding of gravity? If so, it would mean that the Earth’s circumference at the poles was shorter than at its middle, a sphere flattened at both ends.

With the arrival of the Spanish, sheep and the treadle loom were introduced to Taquile, still the mainstay of the island’s textiles industry today. Weaving responsibilities are divided by gender. Men weave many of the garments and knit the chullo caps. Women have carved out certain niches of their own. The traditional belt, called a chumpi, with an intricate row of designs, often flora, fauna or geometric, is crafted by female weavers. One version is a calendar belt that contains twelve images depicting the months of the year.

Just the travel to Ecuador alone was a major undertaking. The men set out by ship from the west coast of France in May of 1735, landing in November in the port city of Cartagena, Colombia, where two Spanish scientists joined them. They continued up the coast, traveling west to the hot and humid port of Puerto Bello, an important city for transferring loot from the Inca Empire to ships headed back to Spain. The place had been named by Columbus himself who arrived there in 1502.