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Crystal blue water, white sand, and Caribbean sun – ours were 2 days of pure vacation on Isla de Baru, off the coast of Cartagena
Category Archives: South America
Cartegena, Colombia
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Filed under Colombia, South America
Bogota, Colombia
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Filed under Colombia
Arequipa, Peru
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The city of Arequipa itself, Peru’s second most populous city, is a UNESCO heritage site, due to the imposing white Spanish colonial buildings throughout the city. It is a fun city, with excellent restaurants, but the reason to go to Arequipa is for the landscape of the surrounding environs. At nearly 8,000 feet, wedged between the coast and the Andes Mountains, the region is one of the highest altitude deserts, dotted with a series of volcanoes. It is magnificent.
From Arequipa, we took an overnight trip to Chivay, notably in order to visit the Colca Canyon and watch the flight of the condors.
Filed under Peru, South America
Machu Picchu, Peru
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For the who/what/where/when/how, check out The NY Times Travel – June article on Machu Picchu.
Like the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu did not disappoint, despite grand expectations. In addition to the ruins itself, there are a few hiking trails, ranging from very easy to fairly difficult, each providing a different view of the ruins and the vast mountains range among which the ruins are nestled (these pictures are from the trail to the sun gate). We decided to forgo the first bus at 4 am, and “slept in” until 6:30 am. We had taken the train through the sacred valley the night before (as opposed to the multi day Inca trail trek), and weren’t all that keen for a dawn start, but boy was it worth it. For the first two-three hours of our morning, we had the place all to ourselves. By about 10 am, the other tourists crowded out the trails like ants at a picnic.
Add this one to the bucket list.
Filed under Peru, South America
Cusco, Peru
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Peru was a whirlwind. Our group spent no more than one night in each place for the week that we travelled. It was exhausting, but considering Peru’s natural beauty, I am glad we saw so much.
We started in Cusco, the former Inca Capital with a lot of energy and an incredible culinary scene. From there, we toured the Sacred Valley and the Inca ruins at Pisac and Ollantaytambo, stopping at an alpaca farm to play with the llamas and the Pisac market to buy more layers of wool (it was in the 30s at night!) along the way.
Filed under Peru, South America
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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In addition to tango, highlights include the River Plate soccer game (they lost and were demoted – it would be like the Red Sox being kicked out of the Major League), Argentine wine tasting, and spending a day at our classmate’s family’s ranch outside of the city.
Photos credits: CG, MC
Filed under Argentina, South America
Iguazu Falls, Brazilian and Argentine sides
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“Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States’ First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed ‘Poor Niagra!'” Wider than Victoria Falls, and with 275 distinct falls and islands, Iguazu is one of those places where descriptions and photos don’t hold a candle to the experience of being there. The power and volume, particularly at the Devil’s Throat cataract, is almost overwhelming.
That said, here are the photos:
Filed under Argentina, Brazil, South America
Salvador, Brazil
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Filed under Brazil, South America
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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My three weeks in South America with Columbia Business School classmates kicked off with a few days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hosted by 3 incredible Brazilian classmates, we saw the best of what Rio has to offer: Ipanema/Copacabana/Leblon beaches, Sugarloaf Mountain, Corcovado, nightlife in Lapa, samba, and a lot of Havaiana flip-flops.
Filed under Brazil, South America