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

Denmark first in yet another survey of the world’s happiest countries

by Jeffrey White on

Back in April, Catherine posted about Denmark being ranked the world’s happiest country by the University of Leicester in England, which published its so-called Map of World Happiness.

Well, just in case you doubted that institution’s findings, another study, this one released last week by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, has also ranked Danes No. 1 in terms of happiness and life satisfaction.

The Michigan study’s overall conclusion: Happiness is on the rise worldwide.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Denmark tops the list, since it is a perennial favorite in any survey of this ilk. There is just something about life in that Scandinavian country that is apparently better than anywhere else. But a few other countries in the top 10 do surprise…at least me: Puerto Rico. Colombia. Northern Ireland.

The 10 happiest countries in the world:

  1. Denmark
  2. Puerto Rico
  3. Colombia
  4. Iceland
  5. N. Ireland
  6. Ireland
  7. Switzerland
  8. Netherlands
  9. Canada
  10. Austria

The U.S. comes in 16th on the list, not too shabby given the sad recent years we’ve lived through.

This is the 26th edition of the U of M study, which annually surveys around 350,000 people worldwide, asking them, well, just how happy they feel.

The 10 unhappiest countries in the world:

  1. Zimbabwe
  2. Armenia
  3. Moldova
  4. Belarus
  5. Ukraine
  6. Albania
  7. Iraq
  8. Bulgaria
  9. Georgia
  10. Russia

Not many surprises there.

Check out the complete U of M rankings here.

Ciudad del Este – South America’s black market hotspot

by Jeremy Kressmann on

The tiny country of Paraguay doesn’t often pop up on the “must-see” list for those traveling to South America. Sitting landlocked between Argentina to the south, Bolivia to the west and Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay has been described as “the forgotten country of Latin America.” But Paraguay has nevertheless attracted quite a bit of attention lately, less for tourism than because it is an important hub in the global smuggling trade.

A vast bazaar of illegal weapons, counterfeit goods and illicit substances is spread out for sale in the markets of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s smuggling capital. The city is conveniently located at the convergence of the borders of three countries (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay), making it the ideal transit point for tax free and often illegal goods headed to all points beyond. GOOD magazine has an interesting profile on Ciudad del Este in its most recent issue. Author Sacha Feinman dives into the city’s back alleys and sidestreets, where he discovers everything from AK-47’s to Montblanc pens to bricks of marijuana can be easily obtained for purchase. Feinman also befriends some of Ciudad del Este’s many porters-for-hire, who package illicit goods and carry them over the city’s 1,600-foot “Friendship Bridge” to neighboring Brazil. Instead of crossing through customs, the men drop their packages off the side to the riverbank below, where waiting teenagers sort through the packages for distribution. So much for filling out that customs form…

As long as the Paraguayan and Brazilian authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the thriving smuggling practice, Paraguay’s black markets will continue to thrive. For a country that doesn’t see much tourism (or other industry for that matter) it seems to be as much an economic necessity as it is a fact of life. Do exercise caution if you’re even considering a visit. Aside from all the petty lawlessness, Wikitravel warns that Paraguay is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of Yellow Fever in over 60 years. Yikes.

Photo of the Day (10.06.2008)

by Martha Edwards on


Where I live, it’s been raining for days. So I might be a bit biased but I love this photo taken in the Sacred Valley in Peru. I love the bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds, offset by the dry landscape. And I especially love the implication that Maras is up in the clouds, surrounded by angels and halos no doubt. Thanks to Dirty Dawg for submitting such a great photo.

Have a divine photo to share? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr Pool.

No Wrong Turns: The Pros and Cons of Taking your Work Traveling

by Kelsey Mulyk on

Three weeks before Tom and I left on this trip, a work opportunity came up allowing us to work remotely from Mexico. At first we weren’t too sure whether it was the best idea and initially we declined the offer, but after a little convincing and our joint realization that earning while traveling could keep us on the road longer we decided to go ahead and agreed to take the contract. It seemed too good to pass up.

Working while traveling is much more feasible now than it has ever been before. Laptops, teeny tiny portable hard-drives, the expansion of wireless internet, email, online storage facilities and companies like Skype have made connecting around the world easy. Some people (like Gadling blogger Tynan) have chosen to forgo the office and squeeze all they need, their life and office, into their backpacks. To most people this sounds like “living the dream” and although it is hard to complain when you live 10 minutes from the beach, working while traveling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Here are some positives and negatives of traveling with your work:
Positives

  • Living Abroad: It’s amazing to be able to work in a foreign country. Days off are suddenly filled with amazing adventures, meeting new people and experiencing a new culture. You can set your own hours and determine when you take breaks and what you do on that break. (We surf on our time off.)
  • Live Where You Want: You get to choose what type of new environment to work and live in. Living in an area for an extended amount of time allows you to meet new people and build closer relationships whereas when you are just passing through you can easily miss out on these types of opportunities.
  • Cheaper Living: Some countries have lower living costs which means you can save money while continuing to earn. This way you get to pocket more of your earnings for more traveling.
  • Great After Work Adventures: When you are done work you can head straight to the beach or to whatever activity you feel like.
  • Taking Care of Yourself: A sore back caused by work means you should treat yourself to a massage and write it off as a business expense.
  • Technology Saves the Day: Portable technology is a good thing! There are amazing gizmos out there to help you save all your important info just in case your computer conks out. BUY A BACK UP HARD DRIVE and save all your important info…often.
  • Delays Aren’t an Issue: Being delayed can mean more time to explore the place you are working in. I try and look at it as more time for me to continue learning to surf. And when it all said and done you are getting paid to live, work and explore another country. Things could be much, much worse.

But there can be a negative side too:

Negatives

  • No Face Time: Lack of face to face time with clients / employers can make it difficult to quickly solve work issues. Instead of being able to go in for a quick meeting you need to organize phone calls based on time differences while taking into account everyone’s already busy schedules.
  • Distractions: You will have to suffer through some unique distractions. Dogs barking, roosters crowing, goats baying and loud reggaeton music at all hours are some of the noises that we have experienced while living in the Baja. These disturbances can cause a bit of stress when deadlines are closing in and you can’t focus on the task at hand because the neighborhood dogs have chosen to perform a six part harmony of howls right beside your window.
  • You Really DO Have to Work: Set deadlines means that you have to stop and actually do the work. Some days it is the last thing you feel like doing especially when the sun is shining or when you are recovering from a party the night before.
  • Poor Office Set-up: Prepare for a sore back. Ergonomic chairs are nowhere to be seen unless you somehow find an actual office space to work in. Hunching over your computer in your palapa is going to do a number on your back. (The photo is where Tom and I are working, note the blanket on the chair in attempts to soften the rather hard seat)
  • Lack of Computer Help: Depending on where you choose to work finding a computer tech could be pretty difficult. Computer issues and malfunctions can happen anywhere and they can be a huge mission to deal with if you are far from the Apple genius bar.
  • Delays Can Make You Wait…Even When You are Ready to Go: Sometimes projects get delayed which can be a huge bummer when your planning your next move and all of a sudden you can’t leave. Try to have clear end dates to ensure that you stay on schedule, both work-wise and travel-wise.

Really we can’t complain — we are living in Mexico, surfing and earning while we are at it. We’ve already made some great friends and spent time exploring the interesting town we are staying in. If you are going to try to work while you are traveling it is important to be aware that although rewarding it can create some unusual challenges that you wouldn’t encounter at home. But with the right attitude and decent problem solving skills working while traveling can be a great way to see the world.

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Blogging fearlessly from Havana. How?!

by Abha Malpani on

One of my favorite country blogs of all time is that of Yoani Sanchez, the 32 year old blogging secretly from Havana. To write on her blog, she has to pretend to be a tourist and go to a hotel to access the Internet.

Of the 11 million people who live on the island, only about 200,000 have open access to the web — they are mainly government employees, researchers and academics, to whom the government has given permission. The rest of the Cubans can access email and a few Cuban sites from certain public spots (for example the post office), but everything else is blocked.

I first found out about Yoani on the IHT last year, and have been reading her ever since. She reports beautifully (both in Spanish and English) on happenings in Cuba — she is probably one of the only authentic sources of information coming out of the island without censorship, and she always sounds fearless.

A couple of weeks ago she was chosen by Madrid’s El Pais newspaper to get the Ortega y Gasset Journalism Prize, but she was not allowed to leave Cuba to receive her award in Spain. To add to this, I read that she made the Time Top 100 list of influential people, which is phenomenal and much deserved.

But, what I fail to understand is that, with all the international exposure she has been getting — certainly magnified by being featured in Time Magazine alongside the likes of Obama, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey — how on earth is she still getting away with her secret blogging? Does the Cuban government have any idea? She must really disguise herself well, and her German must be flawless to be able to get away with this for almost a year. Surely authorities must know — why aren’t they stopping her?

I don’t wish they catch her, I just don’t see how in such a tight regime she has been getting away with this for so long. It almost makes it questionable, no?