Hola from Bolivia, Sometimes, it’s very reassuring to know that the driver, in whom you have just placed all of your faith and confidence, is familiar with the road. Bolivia’s famous Death Road will feature in another post, but the road between Villazon and Tarija deserves its own, too. It was a bit of a …Read More
Hola from Bolivia, Surely, the best place to see an artifact is in situ. Museums and zoos are good for allowing us to see a natural or cultural wonder without having to travel to the site. But, seeing a dinosaur footprint in the creek bed right in front of you on a walk in the …Read More
Hola from Bolivia, What country would rejoice in having one of its roads known as “Death Road” (El Camino de Muerte)? You’d think none, wouldn’t you? Nobody wants to be known around the world as having roads that are more well-known for the deaths they cause than the connections they make. Wrong! Bolivia is home …Read More
Hola from Peru and Bolivia, Is Lake Titicaca worth adding to a tour itinerary? So came the query from a filial correspondent. So goes a common question for tourists in South America. Here, I’ll have a go at answering the question. Titicaca is large enough to have its own small tides. It is by far …Read More
Hola from Yungay in the Cordillera Blanca, Imagine raising a family, honestly toiling away, contributing selflessly to your community, complying uncomplainingly with all laws and regulations of your society. Imagine looking up every morning, in any season, seeing two magnificent snow-capped peaks of the Andes, and knowing that you were living a comparatively lucky existence. …Read More
Hola from Huaraz in northern Peru, “I didn’t know there were so many beautiful places in Peru.” “These places are improbably beautiful.” and “Wow” These are three typical responses to the string of photos from five days in Huaraz in northern Peru. There were more, but if I wanted to paraphrase them, these three do …Read More
Hola from Guatemala, A walk up an active volcano in Guatemala set a cat among the worried pigeons of my family. “For goodness sake. Haven’t you heard of White Island?” came one reply. After the uneventful excursion and after reassurances had reached their destinations (“Greg, answer us!”), one sedentary sister asked a desultory question: “Was …Read More
Hola from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, The premature announcement of triumph, only to find the fortunes are reversed, are among the great embarrassments. The Americas have produced their fair share of such embarrassing claims of victory. The 1948 election pitted Harry S. Truman against the heavily backed Thomas Dewey. The Chicago Tribune ran with the …Read More
Hola from the Amazon jungle in Peru, Picture the scene, a very long way from the Amazon: a classroom in Dubai. All of the students are Arabs from the arid Middle East. They’re used to desert landscapes and they’re used to coping with the vicissitudes of such places. They’re not only used to deserts, they’re …Read More
Hola from the Amazon jungle in Peru, What a shame that it seems we have to perceive something as an economic asset before we value it. It all presupposes human primacy on a planet that we share with other life. The jungle in the Amazon is worth keeping, and not just for its economic value. …Read More