180 South and the quest for adventure

JOKTON6CY9“The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong, that’s when adventure starts.” -Yvon Chouinard

Quick, think of your most memorable travel experience.

Judging by the stories I hear from other travelers and the ones I tell, what sticks out for most are the moments when things went wrong, when for a little … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | January 15, 2016
Category: Adventure Travel, South America, Travel Video

Book Review: Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails by James Dorsey

VANISHING TALES FROM ANCIENT TRAILS by James Dorsey, 2014, Vagabundo Magazine Publishing. Buy on Amazon.

DorseyVanishingTrailsWhen I first found his writing on celebrated travel webzine Perceptive Travel, there was one thing that made me an instant James Dorsey’s fan. It was the amount of literary adrenaline he was able to … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Book Review: Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails by James Dorsey  | September 28, 2014
Category: Africa, Asia, South America, Travel Writing

Road tripping Brazil: Traveling down the Transamazônica

roadtrip Brazil

I had looked out over Rio de Janeiro standing next to the statue of Cristo Redentor, I had snorkeled, kitesurfed and strolled the palm-lined beaches of northeast Brazil, ambled through colonial towns like Salvador da Bahia and admired modern architecture in Brasília. These places and activities were all highlights of Brazil and I felt I had … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Road tripping Brazil: Traveling down the Transamazônica  | April 30, 2014
Category: South America

Post Salkantay trek, Peru

Well, I did it! Just barely, but I managed to “conquer” around 60 kilometers (37 miles) on one of the most challenging treks I’ve ever done. Four days and three nights of difficult uphill, painful downhill, sunburns, rain, aching muscles, and freezing nights in a tent was rewarded with some of the most beautiful scenery that ends … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | April 20, 2014
Category: Backpacking, Destinations, South America

Preparing to hike the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

I am writing from my sleeping bag in the Lima airport, getting ready to go to “bed” for the night on the food court floor. Today starts my two week trip to Peru, and I have an early flight to Cusco in the morning. In some ways I feel prepared (for instance right now I have a sleeping bag, ear plugs, and eye mask, while I see other struggling to sleep/fight sleep at food court … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (5)  | March 23, 2014
Category: Adventure Travel, Backpacking, South America

Want some free travel wickedness?

I admit it, I have been lacking a few posts and overall been bogged down with work (yes, work, because even to sustain a life abroad we need some, in a form or the other), and I beg your pardon. To start off the New Year right, I believe you might love reading some quirky, wicked travel narratives from around the world.

Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Want some free travel wickedness?  | January 2, 2014
Category: Adventure Travel, Africa, Asia, South America, Travel Writing

Vagabonding Field Report: Dengue Fever in the indigenous village, the jungles of Ecuador

 

the nomadic family in the jungles of ecuador

 

Cost/day (for a family of five):

Rent in the indigenous village- $3.50/day Food- $15/day (we bought and cooked our own food or picked whatever the land provided) School- kids attended for free, in exchange for us teaching English Hospitalization and medications- free

Strangest thing we’ve seen lately:

Before his wish to die, but well after 40 degree … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (8)  | April 24, 2013
Category: Family Travel, Languages and Culture, South America, Vagabonding Field Reports

Vagabonding Field Reports: Peru is much more than Inca ruins

Cost/day: $15

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

Visiting the Huaca del Sol ruins near Trujillo was fascinating and is a great reminder that there is a lot more to Peru than just Inca ruins. Indeed, the Huaca del Sol is around 1500 years old and well predates the Inca ruins which are, relatively, brand new. The Huaca del Sol has some incredible murals. This guy was probably the most fascinating image we captured … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (2)  | December 19, 2012
Category: South America, Vagabonding Field Reports

Vagabonding Field Report: disappointment on the path to Machu Picchu

 

Cost: $130/day!

 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

 

Diminutive, lean, weather-worn, mountain men carry immense packs stuffed with tents, cooking implements, sleeping bags and the like for tourists making the three and a half day trek along the official Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. These are the Chaski’s.  They charge up and down the mountains in ragged leather sandals, past lines of tourists with expensive hiking boots … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | December 6, 2012
Category: Adventure Travel, General, South America, Vagabonding Field Reports

Vagabonding Field Report: Getting chased by a pack of dogs in Banos

Cost/day: $15

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

If I could have seen myself, it would have been me as I climbed over a fense into a field with a bunch of cows to go around a pack of angry dogs that were on our hiking trail and scared the stuffing out of me when they started to chase me off their path.

I know the cows thought I looked funny trying to quietly … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (2)  | November 17, 2012
Category: South America, Vagabonding Field Reports