JohnsJournal

Columbia is a country that facinates right up to the present day. Considered an no-go zone up until this decade, the current climate is vastly different. But for the visible presence of large numbers of army personnel along the main roads in the country, you wouldn't think the coutry was fighting a guerilla army called the FARC, much less that this FARC controlled large regions of the country. According to whom you listen, the FARC is either a torrorist group, or a Marxist-Lennonist revolutionary force. They were the military wing of the Communist party in the 1960's, but by the 1980's they had become involved in the drug trade, causing official seperation from the communist party. Nowadays it seems their goal is merely to preserve the status quo - to keep control of enough land and ... read more

After snow stopped us leaving Santiago for a few days, Dan and I made it back across the Chile-Argentina border (again!) for a spot of wine tasting in Mendoza. Mendoza is Argentina's largest wine producing region, bottling a staggering 720 million litres per year. We were sold the hostel on the basis that we would get free wine all day. Probably not the finest grape (nor in the safest area - my roommate was robbed on the street outside), but free wine is free wine. We took a trip around some of Mendoza's wineries on bicycle the following day. The bikes had seen better days - days in which the brakes actually worked! We got to see the wine production process, which with the noise and my not-so-perfect spanish translated as "it starts here, goes there, ... read more

Iguazu Falls marked our departure from Brazil, for the time being at least. And it´s not a bad final memory to be left with. The falls (all 275 of them) are split between the Brazilianian and Argentinian teritory, and merit a visit from both sides. The Brazilian side gives you spectacular views of the entire waterfall system, whereas the Argentinian side lets you get up close and personal. We took a boat trip on the Argentinian side into the Devil´s throat - the largest of the system. The water pounds you that hard that its impossible to open your eyes at times. Needless to say, we got absolutely drenched, but that´s just part of the fun! We stayed for a few days on the Argentinian side of the falls in a town called Peurto Iguacu, in ... read more

As the world's largest street party, Carnival was never likely to disappoint anyone willing to make the trip to Brazil. Rio hosts the biggest, but Salvador is where alot of the young folk in Brazil head for, and where I landed on the Thursday before the biggest week in the town's calendar. I had read lots about Carnival, and watched some videos online in an effort to get an idea for what I was about to witness, but despite all that I wasn't prepared for the madness. From the moment I set foot in the Pelourinho, the town's historical centre, it was clear that Brazilians take partying very seriously indeed. There is a very strong african influence in Salvador's Carnival, taking its beginnings from the slave trade in the post-Columban times. This african influence is clear ... read more