One decade ago — late December 1999. As people counted down and stockpiled their cans of beans in anticipation of a Y2K-related world meltdown, I visited Dan in San Francisco while on extended leave from my Peace Corps assignment in Estonia. The word from Peace Corps management: get out because there are two Soviet-built power plants nearby – one in Russia, the other in Lithuania — that just might blow.
Although there would be other catastrophes — numerous ones in fact — that would visit the world during the ensuing decade, the Y2K bug never really bit.
But for us, the travel bug did.
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Filed Under: Travel by: Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 31 December 2009
Things move more slowly in Latin America.
We tended to believe this. That is, until we were urged to inhale a three-course meal in ten minutes, courtesy of our first long-distance bus trip in Argentina. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Food, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 28 December 2009
While the people of Tarija, Bolivia will keep you hanging around, it’s the wine – surprisingly drinkable and made with grapes grown at an elevation of 6,000 feet — that Tarija is best known for.
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- Tarija, Bolivia: It’s About the People
- Tarija, Bolivia: The Lowdown on Bolivian Wine
Filed Under: Bolivia, Food, South America, Travel, Wine by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 15 December 2009
Oh, Tarija. The women there are beautiful. It’s their smiles. They are the dream of every Bolivian man.
– David, our Bolivian guide for the Salar de Uyuni tour, delivers an animated testimonial for one of Bolivia’s lesser-known cities.
Cafés with outdoor seating line palm tree-dotted squares; cars broadcast opera from open windows as they cruise the plaza; wine lists measure longer than food menus; tablitas (ham, cheese and olive tapas plates) are standard fare; and smiles are in ample supply.
A Mediterranean-style culture smack in the middle of South America? Tarija is not your typical Bolivian town. Continue Reading »
- Tarija, Bolivia: It’s About the People
- Tarija, Bolivia: The Lowdown on Bolivian Wine
Filed Under: Bolivia, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
11 Comments | 13 December 2009
Our mosaic images are from: China, Czech Republic, Germany, Thailand and the U.S. (and Kyrgyzstan, sort of — thanks Zoë and Zach!)
A few days ago, we were enjoying the Paraguayan tradition of drinking tereré (a cold version of yerba maté) to cool off from the tropical heat. As we sipped, we chuckled at how the food stalls at the Encarnación bus station broadcast dueling Christmas songs — a Jingle Bells here, a Frosty the Snowman there. Yet, there we sat sweating away.
Hot or cold, the holidays are upon us. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Paraguay, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 11 December 2009
Three years. Yes, we are aware that this is an insanely long time to be on the road and living out of backpacks. So before we attempt to enlighten you with our travel secrets, we reflect.
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Filed Under: Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
21 Comments | 9 December 2009
I need to fill up the tank completely. Finding gasoline in Chapare can be unreliable. It’s one of the ingredients in cocaine production – and that gets first priority.
– Alvarro, our client and guide in Cochabamba, Bolivia explains why it’s necessary to gas up in the city before heading into the jungle.
Paraguay customs. We had just crossed the 200 mile desert frontier with Bolivia. Border agents dressed in knit shirts, their shoulders adorned in crossed Paraguayan and U.S. flags, scanned our bus’s contents –- all of it piled before us. As we waited for a drug-sniffing Labrador retriever to finish pacing and pawing suspect bags, we figured it was time to bring the cocaine story to its finish.
And just as we thought this, the guard approached, “Miss, place your bags up here. We’d like to take a look.” Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Bolivia, Paraguay, Perspectives, South America by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 2 December 2009
