South America Travel Blog

Bogotá, Colombia – The last days are here. The last bus rides. Last taxi’s (thank God!). Last hostel. Last weekend. Last museum. The last city – Bogotá. My final days of Latin America, for the near future, have arrived and I can’t say I’m sad to see them come. Things I normally wouldn’t think twice [...]

These are all workers in the independent economy of Colombia. Otherwise known as hawkers, street vendors, shoeshine boys, and money changers these unregulated laborers sell their wares and offer their services to all who pass through the urban streets of this country.

Upon arrival, most tourists receive 60 day visas to Colombia. If you sweet talk the immigration official, you can sometimes get 90 days; if they don’t like your face it is not unheard of to receive 30 days. Luckily, these tourist visas are not difficult to extend, and can be done so over and over [...]

“With the creation of the universe, the dance too came into being, which signifies the union of the elements. The round dance of the stars, the constellation of planets in relation to the fixed stars, the beautiful order and harmony in all its movements, is a mirror of the original dance at the time of [...]

Guyana’s reputation as an expensive has kept budget travelers out for a long time. The cost of living here is relatively high due in part to the fact that most items are imported and the lack of transportation infrastructure. How much is accommodation in Guyana? The cheapest budget hotels tend to charge at least $25/night [...]

CARTAGENA, Colombia- They call themselves the Asociacion de Artista Escemico de Cartagena, but visitors to this city best know them by their trademark black painted faces, black clothes, and black props. They are a troupe of performance artists that mime out caricatures from Cartagena’s history in the streets for pocket change. Doing their act solo [...]

If many of the police officers in Colombia appear to be disproportionately young, fresh faced, and non-threatening, it is because they are: many of the youthful looking men patrolling the streets of this country are not full fledged police officers but conscripts doing their term of national service. Each male in Colombia needs to register [...]

As I travel I pay special attention to the fishing methods of people living along coastal regions and inland lakes. Humans have been fishing since our species first wandered down to the oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers of out planet: we have been fishermen from day one. What is interesting to me is how little [...]

CARTAGENA, Colombia- “Is yellow fever common in Colombia?” I asked the vaccination specialist who was logging the pertinent details of my bio into a little yellow booklet that was sitting before her on a large desk. “No,” she replied sternly, “because we vaccinate.” “Is there malaria in Colombia?” I then asked. “No.” “Is there dengue fever?” [...]