Tag Archive - South America

Explore Seven Continents & Beyond – Best of August 2010

September 13, 2010 in Inspiration, Travel with 1 Comment

August has unfortunately been a bit busy for me, moving house and spending what seems like most of the last month with the flu/bronchitis hasn’t helped but in between unpacking boxes and recovering here is my wrap up of the most interesting, topical and/or useful travel stories I’ve spotted in August to help inspire you to explore seven continents and beyond.

Europe

The Lake District is one of the most beautiful areas in England so head north and explore it.  Tony Greenbank of Guardian Travel provides a short diary of his exploration of the area by bike.

North America

This post on the Frugal Traveler’s parents joining him in Nicaragua caught me eye, a great read and a travel trend for the future I think.

And just in case Nicaragua isn’t considered part of North America (where is the accepted line between the continents of North and South America) I loved this visual diary of a flight from New York City to Berlinfrom Christopher Niemann in the New York Times blogs.  The armrest battle starts on boarding!

South America

The Amazon evokes thoughts of adventure and this story from Keith Bellows of the National Geographic Traveler magazine explores the lost world of the Amazon highlighting where travellers rarely go on board the Aqua, one of only a handful of boats running regular trips down the Peruvian Amazon.

Asia

I’m heading to Hong Kong in a couple of days so when I saw this article from CNNGo last month on deserts in Hong Kong I had to make note so I could seek out some mango or thousand layered pudding – Yum

Africa

My first safari experience in Africa was in Botswana, an experience I’ll never forget and these memories were stirred for me by Inside the Travel Lab with The Safari Symphony- The Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Australia & Pacific

Its Australian football league (AFL) finals in September so an apt explanation of Aussie Rulesfrom the @traveldudes for anyone who flicks on late night TV somewhere in the rest of the world and happens upon a telecast of a game will know whats going on.  I also wrote in July about A Day at the Footy: Sport the local way to highlight when travelling that attending a local sports event is a great way to experience a city like a local.

Antarctica

The ice that covers the continent tells a story about what Earth’s climate used to be like.  This post from the Antarctica blog provides a TED Talk on the fascinating process.

Beyond

There is an entire (mostly) undiscovered world under the water to explore so this post from the prolific Patricia Vance on the World’s Most Incredible Underwater Adventures is great to wet your appetite!

From Above – The Nazca Lines

August 3, 2010 in Above or Below with 1 Comment

The Nazca Lines are one of the most unique sites you’ll ever see. On an arid plateau between the towns of Nazca and Palpa in Peru are hundreds of figures carved into the ground that are only clearly visible only from above.  The figures range from simple lines through to shapes and pictures of animals and birds such as spiders, monkeys or hummingbirds.

Whatever your reason for visiting Peru, whether it be to see Machu Pichu or any number of other sites make sure you make the trip to the Nazca Lines.  There are multiple companies that operate small planes to fly you over the site each and every day. A longer flight will give you more time to take in the wondorous figures but even a short flight will give you an ever lasting memory. 

Even more mysterious is how they got there, no one knows for sure but most scholars ascribe religious significance to them. Recent archaeological research in the area proports that a long since vanished people lived in the area and carved the lines while some like to think they were made by aliens.  Whatever the truth it is amazing to think as you fly over them how these precise works could have been completed hundreds of years before the invention of human flight and for what purpose they served.

Explore Seven Continents & Beyond – Best of July 2010

July 20, 2010 in Inspiration, Travel with 2 Comments

A quick wrap up of some of the most interesting, topical and useful travel stories I’ve spotted recently highlighting great travel writing and information from around the world to help inspire you to explore seven continents and beyond.

Europe

Rambling (long walks or hikes) is pretty popular in the UK.  Particularly when there is a reward at the end – this could be great view, natural beauty or a good drink.  Angus Watson in the FT recounts his walk in search of Britain’s most remote pub. A worthy journey indeed to the The Old Forge in the seaside hamlet of Inverie, western Scotland.

North America

I love a good road trip – this post from Got Saga highlights Route 66 the historic highway in the United States extending from Chicago to Los Angeles.  If you’re looking for some other road options in the USA also look at this list of 23

 South America

Some may call Columbia dangerous but as this guest post from Julie Schwietert Collazo on Nomadic Matt’s travel site highlights there are some tips to follow to ensure any holiday is a safe one.  And after all Columbians love travelers and the country is beautiful

Asia

On the roof of the world: solo adventures in Nepal was a guest post on 501 Places written by Kathryn Bullock highlighting the beauty of Nepal, travelling solo and a great Nepali Blues Band – you can’t beat that combination!  Written back in March but retweeted this week so my first read!

Africa

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Africa either – it is just so Alive!  This great post recounts The Adventures of D’s first glimpse of Africa – in Rawanda

 Australia (& Pacific)

When there are so many beautiful, sun drenched tropical paradises in the Pacific to choose from sometimes it’s the people that make all the difference!  This post from AsWeTravel reminds us of 5 Things (Life Lessons) Learned While Visiting Vanuatu From Hanging Out With Some Of The Happiest People In The World

 Antarctica

Fantastic photos of the beauty of Antarctica from George Steinmetz and from the National Geographic Society.

Beyond

Saw a retweet of this from the mail online on a photographer, Clark Little, who risks life and limb to catch the perfect wave – check out the photos!

And I read this post from Traveling Savage on Reading Zorba the Greek and had to agree   …there is only one life for all men…there is no other…all that can be enjoyed must be enjoyed here.

Easter Island – Eclipse & Explore

July 11, 2010 in Extreme, Travel with 0 Comments

Ahu Tahiri, Rapa Nui(Easter Island)
Image via Wikipedia

You can’t get much more remote than Easter Island, an island in the South Pacific some 3,510 km (2,180 mi) west of Chile. The name Easter Island was given by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, the island’s first recorded European visitor who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722.  Also known as Rapa Nui (Polynesian) or by its official Spanish name, Isla de Pascua (Which also means “Easter Island”) the island has had a controversial past with famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids, colonialism and near deforestation alongside accelerated population declines more than once.

However the island is most famous for the tight-lipped statues that stand across the island, which were erected by the Rapa Nui people sometime between the 10th and 16th centuries AD.  Although exactly when and how people and these statues arrived on the island is still much debated the mysteries surrounding the island, its remoteness and stark beauty make it an island well worth exploring.

This weekend though has brought visitors to the island ahead of a solar eclipse with the island’s population doubling with tourists, scientists, photographers there to witness Sunday’s alignment of sun, moon and Earth for four minutes and 41 seconds expected to start at 1815GMT. Unless it’s cloudy expect to see some beautiful pictures of this rare event in papers and online around the world Monday, although it won’t likely knock the winner of the World Cup (due to start at 1830GMT) off front pages.

For more information on the island refer to the following guide.

Happy exploring!

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