Category: South America
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Cusco, Peru // Why so elusive?
Here for the travel advice and not to read my life story? Jump to Dos & Don’ts for the tl;dr [too long; didn’t read] to plan your trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu now! Hiking the Inca Trail has been a bucket list item for me for decades. Imagine my chagrin at having traveled all…
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Bogotá, Colombia // Why burn the old year?
Making the cover of Cutting It Close magazine yet again, my husband and I touched down in Bogotá slightly before 10 pm on December 31st. I had splurged on a room at the Four Seasons for the night, and I probably never will again. They money was wasted as we sprinted out of the taxi…
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Medellín, Colombia // Why a history of Comuna 13?
This post is for my fellow future tourists who could also benefit from learning how Comuna 13 was actually created and transformed. This is a starting point. It is not a replacement for understanding Comuna 13 from the people who live there. This is meant to function as some background reading to get you up…
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Medellín, Colombia // Why everybody’s favorite?
I have been to Colombia many times, but there is still so much left for me to experience in this huge and varied country. That being said, my favorite place that I have visited so far is easily Medellin. I am not alone in this attraction. Bogota is the capital of Colombia and has the…
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Leticia, Colombia // Why did I ever think I could survive in the Amazon? (Part Three)
What am I talking about here? Catch up on part one and part two. We embarked on several tours while we were in the Amazon, but the most interesting was our journey into the rainforest itself by foot to meet the abuelo (grandpa), who was the patriarch of a local tribe. We were led by…
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Leticia, Colombia // Why did I ever think I could survive in the Amazon? (Part Two)
What am I talking about here? Catch up on part one. I started drinking coffee at a relatively early age. I moved out and started going to community college full time while working 20-30 hours per week when I was 17. When I had early morning classes, I motivated myself to attend by rewarding myself…
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Leticia, Colombia // Why did I ever think I could survive in the Amazon? (Part One)
When I first moved to Mexico, I was constantly sick for the first six months. There is a lot to learn about how to live in Mexico. It was my first or second week in the country, and I made myself a big salad to take to work for lunch throughout the week. By Monday…
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Santiago, Chile // Why is Pablo Neruda a national treasure?
Así como me aflige pensar en el claro día de tus piernasrecostadas como detenidas y duras aguas solares,y la golondrina que durmiendo y volando vive en tus ojos,y el perro de furia que asilas en el corazón,así también veo las muertes que están entre nosotros desde ahora,y respiro en el aire la ceniza y lo…
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Florianópolis, Brazil // Why so magical?
Some places just require more time to get to know than others. I spent 10 days exploring Florianóplis, referred to as “the magical island.” It is the capital of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil and often shorten to “Floripa.” When I picture a magical island with a lot of witch lore surrounding it, I do…
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São Paulo, Brazil // Why is it so dangerous?
I am not afraid of traveling to new places. Unless there is an extreme circumstance such as an active war zone, I don’t think there is anywhere in the world I wouldn’t go at least once. However, I also I do not want to put myself or others in a dangerous situation by being ignorant…