As you may notice the chronological order of our blogs are tough to follow and that is because while in brazil, rio was our safe haven to take week long road trips from. Again, the Geyer family took great care of us at their home on the very mountain corcovado stands. Surrounded by lush jungle on the hillside, we were spoiled with a wonderful breakfast every morning complete with the strong brazilian coffee i came to love...well, it was more of an addiction. We birdwatched and fed monkeys off the balcony with the help of our favorite super dog..miguelito!!..a brief rub on the bum earns you his companionship for the day. The surrounding beaches held the scenery everyone has associated with this city, the brown bodies, the barely visible bikinis and perfect waters. It's easy ... read more

ahhhh...brazil. for all of you that have never been to this unique country i suggest you rent the SIMPSONS IN BRAZIL episode or check it out here: (http://s25.quicksharing.com/v/8503513/The_Simpsons_Go_to_Brazil.mpg.html) thanks to Alberto...it gives you a glimpse of the stereotypical qualities that make this place so different from anywhere else in the world. After enjoying a short week in rio...which we will post soon...we headed north to the small beach lined peninsula of buzios. this weekend and summer hot-spot for the brazilians and argentines has changed greatly since i (shane) was here last in '03. the one street of vendors and restaurants has grown to 3 at least and high fashion stores with matching prices have replaced the beachwear only shops. what hasn~t changed is the amazing cobblestone streets that allow strolls along the town~s waterfront that ... read more

Recovering from the vineyards of Mendoza, we passed back over the andes and welcomed the relaxed beach town feel of Valparaiso and its neighboring town, Vina del Mar. atop the steep hillsides perched colorful houses and the winding sidewalks were fun to stroll around... we found ourselves laughing at the local traffic jams made up of horseback riders weaving their way through the cars and dogs (of which there are roughly 7000 strays in the city). valparaiso and it's neighboring coastal towns have a long and winding coastline that reminds one of cruising along the pacific coast highway in california....the cliffs dotted with amazing mansions and shacks alike. benefitting from a barista's public transit knowledge, we visited little Vina del Mar, a much newer city it appeared with it's condos rising up in every direction. ... read more

we have found that one of the most difficult things to accomplish and decide on is where exactly will be the next destination of our travels...i know, cry me a river. it´s true though, we find ourselves sitting in cafes pleading our cases to eachother why one attraction or city will be better than the next. this was however not the case with peru and machu picchu ..we knew we had to visit this country. we arrived in lima and found our way to the beach side of the city where tourism was in full swing... also, it gave us our first taste of good wine in a long time... just a hop, skip and jump from the vineyards of chile and argentina. a day here allowed us to get our ticket into the highlands city ... read more

The advice to visit Santa Marta was much appreciated! A small tourist town with nice beaches and friendly locals. We were happy to meet Jose, our waiter, our first night when we ate at Ricky´s where we got the local scoop on places to go and things to see. Our days at Santa Marta were busy exploring the beaches, restaurants and local festivies. Although we had to adjust to the sight of soldiers on every corner with machine guns day and night, we learned to appreciate the safety and serenity of a town that protected its tourists at all times. After a week in Santa Marta, we set out to explore Tyrona National Park with our new friend Jose, equipped with our backpacks, tent, plenty of snacks, and all other necessities to challenge the jungle for ... read more