According to this article in TIME, Peruvian plantations are “…working to identify Peru with chocolate, the way Colombia is identified with coffee”, to the extent that many of the coca plantations, for so long associated with the production of …
Impressions of the South Pacific: A First time Journey
Fiji is high up on my list of ‘must-visit’ destinations. In this guest post Matthew Nunn explains why the South Pacific should be on every traveller’s itinerary.
Conjuring up images of the South Pacific, people often picture perfect white sandy …
Relocating to Tenerife: How to Rent an Apartment
Much of Tenerife’s accommodation market is aimed towards holiday-makers or Timeshare apartments and is very expensive if you intend to stay for longer than the standard two week vacation, but it is possible to take out a long-term lease if …
Five Things I Did RIGHT In South America
As my journey around South America is now over I can reflect on some of the good choices that I made in order to ensure that my trip was successful and enjoyable. There is much debate amongst the travel community …
Relocating to Tenerife
It is always sad when travels come to an end but I knew that my trip around South America would be relatively short so I have been considering various plans for my next step. The options have included: making a …
#FriFotos – SAND
Every Friday on Twitter various bloggers celebrate beautiful photography following a common theme, using the hashtag #FriFotos to share their pictures. It’s a great opportunity to see pictures from both amateurs and talented photographers, as well as being the …
Travel or Family, Do You Always Have to Choose?
Today is my birthday.
It is not a significant birthday, the last one of those was three years ago, and the next one is still way off in the future—although we all know that the next significant birthday is …
Why Tipping Infuriates Me
Does anybody else find the concept of tipping completely infuriating? I find it annoying that in many situations I pay for a service and then am expected to pay extra, sometimes quite a lot extra, afterwards.
I understand why it …
A Tale of Two Skylines: New York and Panama City
After a blissful few days in the stunning San Blas it was time to get back to some city living in Panama City, our last stop before flying to New York. I must admit that when we booked our flight …
Three Days in Paradise: Sailing the San Blas
You have been travelling around South America and you want to get to Central or North America but the Darien Gap makes land travel impossible. You could fly: the quick and efficient method.
Or you can cruise the warm waters …
Stahlratte: The Pearl of the Caribbean
With no road passing through the Darien Gap, land travel between Central and South America is impossible and the only way to pass is to fly or to go by sea. As the route from Colombia to Panama takes …
The Beautiful Beaches of Parque Tayrona, Colombia
“I’m not going to Parque Tayrona because I’ve been to the San Blas islands and I’ve heard that the beaches are not as beautiful” said the tanned Australian girl to her friend as they stood chatting on the …
Santa Marta. The Beach: So Near, Yet So Far!
After nearly five months of chasing the end of winter around South America I was beginning to dream of spending some time lazing on the warm sand of a tropical beach, so it was with great excitement that I …
Meet the Escobars – Medellin’s Most Unique Tour
It’s a rainy Tuesday afternoon: thunder is raging overhead and I am sitting in the lounge of a 64 year old man. He sits opposite me, looking older than his years. He is dressed casually and wears a US Polo …
Medellin: From Murderous to Marvellous
Let’s get the grisly facts out of the way. Medellin is Colombia’s second largest city and—thanks to the thriving cocaine trade in Colombia—was once famously known as the ‘murder capital of the world’. During the 80s and 90s, Medellin was …
The Life of an International School Teacher
7 months ago I wrote the post ‘Goodbye Classroom, Hello World!’ because I was taking a break from teaching in order to travel. Now I reflect on the profession that I have temporarily left behind.
I became an International School …
Open Wide! – Visiting the Dentist in Colombia
After having Lasik surgery in Vietnam, I am very happy to have cosmetic procedures during my travels. Perhaps this is incredibly vain of me, I don’t know. But with prices in the UK and Sweden being so high, …
What a Year! 2011 in Pictures
It’s the end of another year and with New Year’s Eve just around the corner it’s the time to reflect on the year that has gone before. 2011 was a good year. Living in Sweden rather than Vietnam meant …
Be Prepared for Bogota—what the travel guides don’t tell you!
Bogota is the sixth capital city that we have visited on our trip around South America, and so far it has proven to be the most difficult to enter, get around in, and to leave. One of the reasons for …