It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way. Antigua, Guatemala was for 200 years Spain’s Middle American capital, leaving behind elegant pastel-colored mansions, lovely churches, and baroque civic buildings which date back to the 1500’s.  Again, the tours to Antigua were too far away, […]

Nautical Term – of the day – Even Keel A “keel” is like the backbone of the vessel – the lowest and principal centerline structural member running fore and aft.  A vessel that floats upright without listing is said to be on an “even keel,” and this term has come to mean “calm and steady.” […]

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I’ve seen.”  ~  Benjamin Disraeli Approaching Panama with all kinds of ships around the harbor. The Canal, one of the world’s greatest engineering feats has been ranked one of the seven wonders of the modern world by the American Society […]

“There’s a good reason why nobody studies history, it just teaches you too much.”  ~  Noam Chomsky Manta is the “Tuna Capital of the World” and we didn’t have time to stop at the fish market 🙁   (BTW the little blue on the belly of the fish is a window reflection, not part of the […]

Our first stop in Peru was El Chaco, a small port town serving the city of Pisco since the 1600’s.  However, the shore excursions in Pisco, Peru were too long or energetic for us, so we simply went into the port town of El Chaco, a charming village on Paracas Bay.  The Malecon has been […]

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”  ~  Ibn Battuta Built with Oregon pine shipped as ballast during the copper boom.  This town was once part of Peru and grew prosperous in the 19th century from saltpetre mining, a form of potassium nitrate.  It was ceded to Chile in 1883 […]

“The most energetic workers I have encountered in my world travels are the vegetarian miners of Chile.”  ~  Charles Darwin An important 19th-century port in the copper and gold industry Coquimbo and its riches lured many Europeans.  Today Comquimbo is a thriving gateway to Chile’s scenic central valleys.  Nearby, coastal La Serena, founded in 1544, […]

Nautical Term ~ of the day ~ Rummage Sale “Rummage” comes from the French arrimage, the word for a ship’s cargo. Damaged cargo was sold at a “rummage sale.” Easter Island is a Chilean territory/state. A number of sailing vessels, including whalers, visited the island from 1792 onward. By 1860 the population was about 3,000. […]

“The mountains are calling and I must go”. ~ John Muir Rio Simpson National Reserve, with a beautiful rugged landscape.  We love our rhubarb from WI and John is standing next to it’s South American cousin, while not actually related to European rhubarb, it looks similar (though even larger) and tastes very much the same.  […]