tales of wander
highlights
Uruguay and the trouble with Chile…
Though I like Buenos Aires a great deal as a digital nomad destination, a city of three million people begins to wear on a person after a fashion—particularly someone like me, who loves a certain amount of urban life, but who needs the great outdoors and easy access to peace, quiet, and nature. I prefer … Continue reading
Bienvenido a Buenos Aires…
Let’s see, where should I begin? I suppose I could do my normal “hello from so-and-so” entry, full of details about this trip, but maybe I will do something different this time. This time, I think I’ll start from the very beginning. This trip began like many others: with a Lyft ride to the airport. … Continue reading
Trekking the Torres del Paine… (subtitle: The Goldilocks Trek)
I’m not gonna lie: my last few treks have been hard. I’m not just talking about the physical part either, which was challenging enough on its own, but within my range of ability. What made the last two treks difficult was everything else that goes with any outdoor activity—the stuff that you can plan for, … Continue reading
Of hiccups and new routines…
As I’ve often said, travel—with all of its new discoveries and exciting adventures—is also a challenge. While we were in Valparaiso about to go on a day trip to explore Casablanca Valley wines, I discovered that I left my ATM card in San Esteban at the last ATM we used. I was distracted while using … Continue reading
Feeling the Dieciocho vibe…
After all the activity of the ski portion of our trip, I was ready to relax a bit, and Valparaiso is perfectly suited for slowing down and taking things in. Valparaiso, a port city, is considered the “cultural capitol” of Chile for good reason. It’s made up of a flat part along the port, then … Continue reading
Spring skiing, Chilean style…
I’ve learned that Chileans love a good switchback. As I already mentioned, the first part of this trip is all about skiing. We researched the Chilean ski season, their resorts, etc. and everything indicated that they’d be open and we’d have snow. However, the beautiful weather and (mostly) dry mountains left us skeptical. Nevertheless, on … Continue reading
Trekking the Cordillera Real (subtitle: “Cold Mountain”)
I hate camping. There, I said it, and now everyone knows the ugly truth. Just because I love the outdoors—just because I love hiking, trekking, and outdoor sports—it does not follow that I must also love camping. I’m not sure where this assumption comes from, but apparently it’s from those “true” outdoor gods and goddesses … Continue reading
The Salar de Uyuni
To take full advantage of my recent three-day weekend, I took a double-decker overnight bus to Uyuni, which is in the southwest corner of Bolivia. Uyuni itself is a small, sleepy sort of town, most known for being the gateway to the Salar de Uyuni (“salar” meaning “salt flat”), which is the world’s largest salt … Continue reading
Trekking to the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida)
The Lost City, or Ciudad Perdida, is an ancient city in the Sierra Nevadas that is believed to have been built 650 years before Machu Picchu (around 800 CE) by the Tairona, the ancient ancestors of the area’s current tribes: the Kogis, the Wiwa, and the Arhuacas. It was “found” again in 1972 when treasure … Continue reading
Cartagena, the jewel of the Caribbean…
After Villa de Leyva, we all flew to Cartagena, whose old town is a Unesco World Heritage site for its well-preserved Murallas, or stone walls that were originally built in the 16th century to protect the city against marauders. Within the walls is a charming mix of narrow roads, vibrantly painted stone buildings in shades … Continue reading
tales of wander 