South America

Travel through South America by country:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Travel through South America by popular city:

Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro

Travel through South America by popular things to do:

Adventures in the Amazon, Falkland Islands, Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego

Cultural Delicacies: Tarantula

by Brenda Yun on

When opportunity knocks, you have to take it. That’s what happened when I was standing in the shade of a bus stop on my way from Laos to Cambodia two years ago. Stretching my limbs, I looked over my shoulder, and a Khmer lady with a sun hat had a huge plate of what appeared to be big, black, fried spiders for sale to eat.

“What is that?” I asked the lady.

“Tarantula,” she said in nearly perfect English.

I had heard of Cambodian people eating insects like grasshoppers and ants before, but never had I encountered a delicacy like this one. Nor do I understand how the lady came across so many tarantulas (at least 100! do they raise them in cages?) and thought to kill and fry each and every one of them. Regardless, my “Survivor: Gross Foods” mode kicked into high gear, I purchased a fried spider and crunched it down.

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Fried tarantula tastes just like a crispy potato chip. There’s nothing spidery about it. In fact, it’s not just a delicacy in Cambodia. According to Wikipedia, tribes deep in the Amazons of South America eat them too. I have seen a BBC program on the preparation of fried tarantula, and it appears they can be undercooked and you have to removed their teeth sometimes. Aside from this, though, eating fried tarantula is a harmless and unique cultural experience! I hope you have a chance in your lifetime to try it!

Deforestation in Brazil: Cutting down on cutting down

by Brenda Yun on

Hooray! Brazil has supposedly implemented a plan that will cut down on deforestation of the Amazons. This plan will purportedly reduce deforestation by 70 percent over the course of 10 years. With just one look at the rate of deforestation in this country, we can see how this plan is about five years too late, but it’s better late than never.

The world as we know it is rapidly changing and the things we see in ten years will no longer be as we see them today. That is certain, but what isn’t is what will become of those precious natural gems such as South America’s Amazon region — a majority of which is located in Brazil.According to most environmentally conscious individuals, the rate of deforestation in Brazil appears to correlate directly with the economic health of the country. In times of rapid growth, Brazil’s Amazon region suffers; and when its economy is struggling, the region thrives.

That is only part of the picture, however. The rest of the puzzle has to do with what Time Magazine calls “The Clean Energy Scam.” Farmers interested in entering the clean energy market are turning the Amazon rainforest into soybean fields. These fields will later be converted into biofuel — a “green” product, yes, but one that is not “green” for the environment. In fact, the “savannization” of the Amazons is downright destructive and anti-environment.

While I really hope Brazil gets its act together to correct its anti-environment policies, I am doubtful that they can follow through with this deforestation plan. Of course, I do hope I’m proven wrong. In ten years, I would still like to see the Brazilian Amazon — not a Brazilian soybean field in its place.

What can we do to see that this new plan remains in tact? Brazil’s Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, says the Amazon Fund, an initiative implemented earlier this year to gather funds for the preservation of the country’s Amazon region, must be a top priority. Brazil hopes to begin using the Fund’s money next year.

Sean Penn on Hugo Chavez: “He is clearly not a dictator by any international standard”

by Brenda Yun on

Say the name “Hugo Chavez” and a creepy tingle crawls up my back and, if I could, I would scream at the top of my lungs in frustration and anger. Hugo Chavez, Venezuela‘s long-standing President, is what many Americans believe to be an evil, socialist dictator. While I certainly don’t agree with ultra-Conservatives like Pat Roberts that someone should kill the guy, I do believe Chavez needs to be stopped in seeking re-election until 2021 and beyond.

On the other side of the spectrum is Sean Penn’s humane approach to and interview with Chavez. In an interview that was recently posted on The Nation, Penn describes his time with Chavez since their first meeting in 2006.

I am a huge fan of Sean Penn as an actor, but his humanitarian resumé is rather brief. Penn seems to paint an awfully positive picture of the Venezuelan President in some ways because he is trying to disapprove of the Conservatives’ (on Fox News, for instance) extreme dislike of Chavez.

While my own opinion of Chavez is rather biased because of my time in Colombia and approval of Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s President, whom Chavez once called “Bush’s poodle,” I still cannot see how anyone — particularly an outspoken actor turned interviewer — can be even the slightest bit approving of a man who supports terrorists and does not honor the democratic process. Chavez sought an end to presidential term limits last year, but his referendum was narrowly yet democratically rejected. Now he seeks the same thing — except this time, he has numbers on his side. In addition to this, he is slowly winning approval from such powerful nations as Russia and China. His wielding of power is frightening to say the least.

Russia’s ties with Cuba

by Brenda Yun on

Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, completed a four-nation tour of Latin America late last week with a final stop in Cuba. The relations between the two countries appear to be strained and, at present, intense; however, Russia, like China, has an interest in drilling for oil off Cuba’s shores and is seeking further military cooperation from the advantageously positioned Castro-ruled nation.

Medvedev’s visit comes just over two weeks after Russia and Cuba signed important trade and economic agreements that signaled a strengthening of ties between the two nations. Russia was also the first nation to send aid for Cuba’s hurricane relief efforts.I find the recent talks between Venezuela, China, and Russia somewhat — if not outright — suspicious, and wouldn’t be surprised if the three socialist nations expressed a serious interest in bringing Cuba into the mix. Ever since Fidel Castro’s brother, Raúl, officially took the reigns in February, and Hurricanes Gustav and Paloma hit Cuba’s shores in August and November, the spotlight has slowly settled upon this world-famous cigar country. Cuba’s precarious relations with the United States and its recent strengthening of ties with China, Venezuela, and Russia signal a real and tenable threat to its democratic neighbors. Despite this, Raúl Castro remarked in an interview with actor/interviewer Sean Penn this fall that he would be open to reconsidering his nation’s relationship with the U.S. with President-elect Barack Obama come the new Year. What this means for American-Cuban relations following Obama’s inauguration is speculative at best.

To be certain, all eyes are on Cuba — yet most uncertain is what Cuba will do and how it will handle the outpouring of interest, diplomatic or otherwise, that it has received these recent months.

Five things you didn’t know about Chile

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Having recently returned from a fantastic trip to Chile, I feel compelled to spread the good news about this long, thin pencil of a country. I’ve already sung the praises of its Torres del Paine National Park– now here are five more reasons to make Chile your next travel destination.

1. The Atacama Desert, the driest spot in the world. There are some spots in this desert where precipitation has literally never been recorded. But despite its stark, lunar landscapes (see photo), northern Chile’s Atacama Desert is actually one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the country.

San Pedro de Atacama, its largest and most popular city, is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, active volcanoes, and a massive salt flat. Also within a short drive are crystal-clear lakes, ancient fortresses, a geyser, and the archaelogical site of Tulor. Many restaurants have only outdoor seating– no need to worry about the rain– and your meals will often be eaten near a campfire– hey, the desert can get chilly at nights.

2. Penguins! Who said penguins only live in Antarctica or at the zoo? These well-dressed birds can be found in southern Chile’s Seno Otway Penguin Colony, where visitors will see them lounging on the beach and commuting to and from their nearby nests. The surrounding view would make it worth the price of admission by itself.

3. Punta Arenas. As traveler (and former Gadling interview) Tyler Cowen notes, “Chile is one of the world’s best countries for lovely small towns.” And Punta Arenas is without a doubt one of the nicest.

Located in the heart of Patagonia, Punta Arenas features hundreds of brightly colored homes and shops (including a North Face), as well as fantastic restaurants and a cool cemetery. (Can cemeteries be cool? If they can, this one is.) And hold on to your hat– literally– if you visit Punta Arenas. This is one of the windiest places on earth, with windspeeds regularly hitting 50 to 75 miles per hour. An experience unlike any other.

4. Easter Island. If you’ve got an extra US$800 laying around for a flight from Santiago to Easter Island, by all means check it out. (And if you’ve got US$800 more, I’d even go with you.) Famous for its moai statutes which were created by the Rapanui, this remote Polynesian island also offers a nice museum and adventure activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, and surfing. (Seriously, take me with you.)

5. Outstanding food and drink. Chile’s seafood is fresh, affordable, and top-notch, including its famous sea bass, abalone, salmon, crab, and lobster. You haven’t been to Patagonia until you’ve tried the lamb, or cordero, which is so good that several friends and I actually chanted COR!-DER!-O! on the way to a lamb fest at one of Punta Arenas’ finest restaurants, Puerto Viejo. Our driver thought we were insane, but that was how we felt.

And if you haven’t jumped on the Chilean wine bandwagon yet, I’m telling you, get on the wagon (or off it, as the case may be.) Chile’s vineyards produce a first-class sauvignon blanc and the Carmenère will make you want to be a better person.

For more on Chile, see my post on Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park.