INSPIRATION & EXPERT ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS
There was only one place during our 3 week trip to South America that I was nervous about visiting- La Paz, Bolivia. A lot of what I’d heard about the city was not positive. On blogs I read stories about encounters with fake police, and heeded my guidebook’s warnings about taxicab “express kidnappings”. Then toss...
One of the joys of travelling is learning about different cultures, especially ancient ones that no longer exist. I knew nothing of Tiwanaku culture, or the city that was the centre of their empire, until I visited the Tiwanaku archaeological site on a day trip from La Paz, Bolivia. Exploring the ruins with our guide,...
We found ourselves in Santiago, Chile more out of necessity than any real desire. We were going to Easter Island for a few days and Santiago is one of only two places you can fly there from. Since we were passing through, we decided we should spend at least one day in Santiago exploring the...
“I’m sandboarding in Peru!” I yell at my GoPro as I proudly surf down the wind-sculpted dunes of Huacachina. This is my first time sandboarding and I’ve got to admit- I’m better than I thought I would be. Maybe it’s because I have a good teacher, Victor “Dito” Chavez, a professional sandboarder and snowboarder who...
“Coming up on the right, whale,” one of the pilots announces over the speaker as we approach the first geoglyph on our Nazca Lines flight. Palms sweating with excitement, I stare intently out the window, camera in hand and ready to shoot as soon as I spot the whale. The pilot banks the plane, angling...
Of the three countries we visited during our 3 week trip to South America, I was most nervous about visiting Bolivia. People either seemed to love it or hate it, so we had no idea what to expect on our first trip to Bolivia. We spent 5 days travelling in Bolivia visiting La Paz, Sucre...
Bolivia was never on our radar as a place to visit until I started seeing photos of the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni). I was drawn to its simplistic beauty- crusty white salt covering miles and miles of land so flat there was no end in sight. Then of course there were those funny,...
Of all the things we did and places we saw during our 3 weeks in South America, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru is our favourite memory. It even climbed the ranks as one of our all-time cherished travel experiences. And to think, I was a little hesitant to do it. I’d heard so much...
Machu Picchu- just hearing the name conjures up classic images of this hilltop Inca city, high in a tropical forest of the Peruvian Andes. These ruins, once concealed by the jungle, have gone on to become an icon of the Inca civilization and Peru’s most visited tourist attraction. So when it came to planning our...
Set between the sprawling crater of Rano Kau and the plunging cliffs of Easter Island’s southwest coast, is the small ceremonial village of Orongo. Orongo is a much different site than any other place on Easter Island. There are no famous moai statues and no huge ceremonial platforms. It’s the only place on the island...
Scattered across the slope of a volcano are hundreds of stone heads, their serious facial expressions gazing out over Easter Island’s barren landscape. These are moai- idolized by the original Rapa Nui culture and obsessively built here at Rano Raraku, one of Easter Island’s most fascinating sites. About Rano Raraku Rano Raraku is the quarry...
“We’re most looking forward to spending 4 days in Easter Island,” I’d say when friends asked about our upcoming trip to South America. “What’s Easter Island?” some would ask, a quizzical look on their face. “You know, the place with all the stone heads,” I replied, trying to hide my shock that they didn’t know...
South America has been a place I’ve wanted to visit for 10 years, but for some reason it has always taken a back seat to other destinations. I am happy to say, that is no longer the case! We finally made it to the southern hemisphere, spending 3 weeks in South America (well, 24 days...
We are Rhonda and Mike, a Canadian couple who make it a priority to travel every chance we get!
We describe our travel style as "laid back luxe" and enjoy a mix of outdoor adventures and historic sites.
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