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

No Wrong Turns: RV Adventures

by Kelsey Mulyk on

The USA is all about RVs. And not small camper vans, I’m talking about massive, gleaming houses on wheels. I know Canadians RV as well, but it seems to me that the US has a definite love affair with recreational vehicles. I’ve never seen this many in my life!

The other night, after about 7 hours of driving the California coast, we pulled into the Westport Beach RV and Campground. The guy was friendly enough even though he grumbled at us that he was closed. I pondered letting him know that he had his ‘open’ sign on but, decided that being smart might not win him over. Instead I made friends with his cat, aptly named “Miss Kitty,” and he let us camp on the beach. On the short drive down to the beach we passed about 25 RVs (according to the locals this is the low season) and set up our tiny two-person tent.

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I woke up around 9am the next morning and was interested to see that most of the RV owners were already up preparing their mammoth vehicles for the road. After a rather chilly evening in the tent and a sore back, I was beginning to understand why people love their motorhomes.

So, what if you wanted more of an RV adventure rather than the typical North American road trip?

I did a bit of research before we left on our trip, and located a company called Adventuretours that specializes in RV tours to Latin America. They take no more than 15 vehicles into Central and South America from the US. Pretty cool if you like to travel with all the comforts of home. I know that many people like to travel with others to enhance their time away and meet new people. The neatest thing about this company is that they encourage travelers to break off from the group and explore on their own instead of as tour group where everyone wears the same color shirt, takes the same picture and remains in a group at all times. I contacted them a few months ago when I was trying to figure out how to get around Colombia thinking they might have some inside information. They were more than helpful and even offered to meet up with us on the way.

Hmm…maybe I should have convinced Tom to buy an RV…

“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.

Bike blog: Two Portlanders cycle South America

by Anna Brones on

Kelsey’s post about traveling through Portland got me thinking of all the great stuff that comes out of this west coast city. First of all it was just rated the greenest American city, and of course it has the infamous bookstore Powell’s. But even better, the city also manages to produce a lot of inspirational travelers.

One of Portland’s current traveling teams is Elicia Càrdenas and Andy McKerrow who are making their way by bike through South America. Starting in Northern Patagonia in early January and working their way down to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, Elicia and Andy are taking part in another great adventure to add to the list of global cycling pursuits. Back in Portland they work for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, so you know they are pretty cycle friendly.

You can follow their trip, with lots of pictures to spice up your gray winter days, on their blog sponsored by Wend Magazine.

Adios, Fidel! Cuba won’t be the same without you (hopefully)

by Iva Skoch on

I cannot believe Fidel Castro actually resigned as the president of Cuba. I mean he is only 81 years old and still has plenty of energy to keep him going for at least 35 more years! Was I the only one who thought that Fidel was actually immortal? Well, we’ll still have to see about that.

In his written speech to the nation, Fidel said that he is not “fading into the sunset.” It’s just that his health is not allowing him to dedicate the energy necessary to run a country. I am sure running a totalitarian state takes a lot out of you. You know, it’s lonely at the top.

According to the NY Times, Fidel’s statement raised the possibility that little would change after Sunday, when the National Assembly meets to select a new head of state. Cuba will probably continue to be ruled in essence by two presidents, “with Raúl Castro (Fidel’s brother) on stage while Fidel Castro lurked in the wings.”

Reuters reported that Fidel’s resignation was unlikely to make the United States lift its trade embargo on Cuba. See, just more of the same old.

Bananas, politics and the economy

by Jamie Rhein on

If you eat bananas in your cereal for breakfast and don’t refrigerate them because you were taught not to, there’s a reason. There’s a new book out called Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World that explains those habits, as well as how the Victorian era folks had a penchant for masking its shape lest it offend anyone. Most importantly, the book covers the politics of how the banana gained its fame, making fortunes for some and misery for others.

Terry Gross interviewed Dan Koeppel, the author of the book on Fresh Air yesterday. I caught part of the show and was fascinated. The story of the banana incorporates much of the world, offering insight into world economics and politics, particularly in Central America. The banana, for example, led to the overthrowing of the president of Guatemala in the 1950s and his exile.

During the conversation they also talked about the various types of bananas there are in the world and why they aren’t sold in the U.S. Buying various types of bananas overseas is a market going pleasure. I’ve found that the ones not much bigger than a finger are often the sweetest. There are these reddish colored ones, though, that are quite yummy. Reading this book, I think, would make a person eye those bananas in the grocery store in a different light. I do.

(Here’s the link to the broadcast page.)

No Wrong Turns: The Longest Road Trip Ever

by Kelsey Mulyk on

My husband and I have decided that we are going to drive from Calgary, Canada, my hometown, with hopes of getting to Tierra del Fuego, the tip of South America. Our trusty steed, a red 1991 VW Golf named Marlin, will be ferrying us on our Latin American journey.

About a year and a half ago my husband, Tom, and I started talking about taking off on a trip to Central and South America. We both want to speak Spanish fluently and I have always been fascinated by Latin culture. So we started brainstorming, discussing where we’d like to go, what we’d like to see and how long we would go for. Somehow during these early conversations it was suggested that we drive. I am pretty sure Tom is the one who brought up driving but before long the trip morphed from a backpacking adventure to one seriously long road trip. I guess we unconsciously made the decision to drive as we never ever questioned whether it was a good plan or not, we just went with it. The past year has been spent preparing for this journey. We have quit our jobs, packed up our apartment, stored all our possessions, researched as best we could and said our farewells.

We don’t have concrete travel plans but hope to see as much as we can. We both have certain places that are ‘for sures’ but as for the rest well…we are going to leave it open so that we can stay longer in places we like and leave those we don’t like as much whenever we choose. I could list all the countries in Latin America but viewing a map is probably the easiest. Initially we are planning to set up a little apartment in Mexico as we have a design job for a museum in Calgary. So, in the first few months we will work, learn Spanish (we hope), experience living in Mexico and then move on with our adventure.

One place we will not be driving through is Colombia. Friends have told us it is beautiful but the reality is it is not safe for foreigners and, from my research, the last time anyone crossed from Panama to Colombia by land was 1998 in a souped up Land Rover. Marlin is tough but I am not sure if he is that tough!

So in No Wrong Turns, I will be sharing our adventures on this long trip. I’ll be uncovering unique stories about Latin America: the people we meet, best ‘secret’ places, interesting tidbits about the cultures we come across, as well as the practical elements of such a trip. So off we go into the sunset, sunrise, bad roads, toll highways, potholes and colorful cultures.