Snow-capped volcanoes, lots of alpacas and vicunas and the bluest of skies – all things you can expect to see if you make the journey up to Parque Nacional Lauca from Arica in Chile. Read on for more about this intriguing but little visited corner of Chile. There’s a place on the Arica-La Paz highway…
Tag: Travel
Four places to relax in Rio de Janeiro
Rio is a vibrant city that wears its heart on its sleeve and lives its life on the street. Thousands of people will surround you everywhere you go, but what happens if you want to escape the crowds for a while? Luckily Rio has plenty of options when you want to relax for a moment,…
Some end-of-year reflections
Street art in Santa Teresa, Rio I have a 101 (well, at least a few) useful posts I should write following my South American trip; you know, the kind that’ll maybe show up higher in search engine rankings, if I optimise them for SEO and there aren’t that many relevant answers online. But is that…
Brazil and Chile trip plans!
I’m just a little bit excited that in just over two weeks from now I’ll be back in South America, a fantastic end to a packed year of travel. Our original idea was to split our two-week stay between Brazil and Argentina, but fate (and outrageously high costs in Argentina) had other plans. So now we’re…
See London from the river with City Cruises
Just leaving Westminster Pier, this is the northern side of the Thames I love being on the water and always try to take a boat trip when I’m in a new city, either along the river or around the bay, if it’s on the coast. I like the different perspectives a river view offers you,…
A South American love story: 10 years of travelling in South America
Ten years, almost. Ten years since I first got on that plane, stepping into the unknown, finally fulfilling my lifelong dream of travelling to South America. All those years of looking up flights, poring over maps, dreaming of places I’d maybe never see. Until there was someone who shared my dream, encouraged it, searched…
Don’t let the crowds put you off Amalfi
The Amalfi coast is gorgeous and a drive/bus ride along its full length an excellent way to spend a day. But man, is it crowded. We visited back in April, just after Easter and the tourist season was already in full swing. Amalfi is blessed with a balmy climate from March right through to the…
A day and night in Stone Town
Stone Town was my favourite place in Zanzibar. A heady mix of Swahili and Arab influences, it’s a fascinating place to spend some time. We stayed three nights, although one of those days was spent on Chumbe island. But if you only have a day in Stone Town before heading to the beaches to relax,…
Out of my depth
This post is a little departure from my usual style…if you read on I promise I’ll explain all at the end! “In Zanzibar, pole pole. Take it easy.” I try to cling on to those words, reaching for their meaning as my chest tightens with every breath. I look round as I surface, the…
Visiting Tana Toraja – an unforgettable stop on your Sulawesi trip
“Do you know the story of why the Torajan people have houses with roofs shaped like boats? It’s said that our ancestors arrived from the north in a fierce storm and their boats were badly damaged, so much so that they couldn’t take to sea again. So instead they used the boats as shelter.” Tana…