Blogs from South America - page 10

Have you ever fallen in love with a country so much that you wished you could live there forever? Believe me or not, that’s what I felt about Chile after an amazing 10 days journey in this beautiful country. We travelled from top to bottom in Chile, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I know this sounds a bit impractical, but I felt that I blended so well with the lifestyle as if I had been living there so many years. Despite my language barrier, I enjoyed company of the common people, places like Punta Arenas and San Pedro made me feel home, I could watch the beauty of Torres del Paine for eternity. Somehow, I found a mental bond with the country. Spending noontime in a food court in Santiago Mall or asking subway ... read more

Have you ever pondered the issue surrounding the wonders of the world...? I have, and I usually always conclude that I wonder why there aren't more of them, at least in terms of how I value individual places of great beauty. Those issues aside though, among the officially-dubbed wonders of the modern world which I have set about ticking off a bucket list as I have journeyed my way through life, the latest to appear on the radar was Machu Picchu in Peru, and just about the first node on the Peruvian itinerary. Getting there was a case of ditching the rental car option at the last minute in favour of a rail journey to Machu Picchu Pueblo from the town of Ollantaytambo, which appeared to be the last stop-off point before road access to the ... read more

The driest desert at the highest altitude in Chile where some places have not seen rain in hundreds of years! Yes, that’s Atacama our next destination! Our flight from Punta Arenas to San Pedro, Atacama was scheduled to depart in the wee hours – close to 3 am. We didn’t have much choice. Punta Arenas is in the deep south of Chile – it is the gateway to Patagonia. And Atacama Desert is in the north of Chile. One needs to cross over 3000 km in the middle. One of my friends who has spent considerable time in Chile told me, “Are you crazy that you wanted to cover everything in Chile in one go – Patagonia to Atacama? Just in 10 days?” I just smiled...”Yup, ‘Crazy’ is my middle name”. So, there we were, sitting ... read more

Being a travel completist became the nature of the whole exercise in the wake of a truly comprehensive travel history, and a recent world tour, and the lure of South America proved to be too strong to be able to resist, so resist I didn't, and was heading for Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia, the first point on the 2-nation South American itinerary. Santa Cruz came across as a substantial urban zone with a scattering of features which would really make it seem like an unacknowledged place on an offbeat traveller's world itinerary. The hub of all activity is more than likely 24th of September square, where the cathedral is located, along with a few urban features of note, from which you may gain your bearings, and head off further into the urban zone ... read more

“If there is a heaven on Earth, this is it”, those were actually the words came out of my mouth when I stood in front of Torres del Paine! I was awed! Speechless! Three jagged edges crowned the snow covered mountain peaks and silently displayed their brilliant beauty under a blue canopy of sky. Waterfalls flowing from the mountain snow emptied into a small river. The light emerald colour water of the river is flowing like a dancing little girl. Not a soul was near by except us. The Nature has given it’s all and the beauty of the Nature is silently observed by Mother Nature herself! I am from Alberta, and I grew up with the beauty of the Rockies in my later part of life. Indeed, Rockies has opened up to me in hundred ... read more