Latin-America

Two musings of my Spanish learning

Granada Granada is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas. While it has nice Spanish-era architecture, there isn’t a lot to do in Granada. I would recommend starting your day with a walking tour. Afterward, consider visiting the Chocolate Museum of Granada to learn about the chocolate history of the region. In the evening, do the tour of an active volcano, Volcan Masaya for USD 22 per person. The volcano is good and one can see a fair bit of magma. If, however, you have seen active volcanoes before , then it can be a bit boring. ...

Day 1 - Guadalajara city Start with a walking tour to see the center of the city. Compared to Mexico City, Guadalajara appears safer, cleaner, and more well-maintained. Do check out the largest gold market and the largest covered market in Latin America (“Mercado San Juan de Dios”). ...

El Calafate is the gateway to Argentina’s Patagonia region. However, there isn’t much to do in this city as such beyond the Perito Moreno Glacier. If you are flying into El Calafate, then I would recommend first going to El Chaltén. And then spend your last day in El Calafate before flying out from the airport that’s less than 20 minutes away by taxi. I took an 11500 AEP guided bus tour to Perito Moreno Glacier that included a pick-up and drop-off back to my hotel. Alternatively, one can take a bus from the bus terminal for 8500 AEP. Apart from that one has to pay 5500 AEP for glacier entry. There is an option to do a 1-hour boat tour of the glacier for 8000 AEP. And for 70,000 AEP, one can hike on the glacier. However, I had done that earlier in Alaska , so, I decided to skip that. ...

El Chaltén, a small town in Patagonia, Argentina is a hiking heaven. There are three major hiking paths in El Chaltén, and all of them are easily accessible from the town. One is located in the south, the other two are in the north-west and north-east side of the town, respectively. Here’s my recommendation on how to do all those hikes in three days. Day 1 - Tower Lake (Laguna Torre) Start the day with a 20-km round-trip hike to Laguna Torre. If you plan it well, you can even take a walk on the Glacier at the end. The hike is pretty well-marked, and it is hard to miss the trail. It took me about 2-1/2 hours to reach the lake. And a further 30 more mins to reach the final viewpoint, Mirador Maestri. It takes about 6 hours to finish the hike. ...

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, is located in the remote Tierra Del Fuego region of Argentina. Despite its remoteness, unlike Alaska , the city is gorgeous and prosperous. The whole city is mostly oriented around one single street (Ave. San Martín). And I would recommend staying close to it. Day 1 - Penguins Ushuaia is a natural home to Penguins. What else could be a better way to start this trip? There are three varieties of penguins - Gentoo, King, and Magellanic. There are only a few King penguins in Ushuaia. Magellanic penguins migrate to Brazil during winter (April onwards). While Gentoo stays in Isla Martillo in Ushuaia year-round. ...

There isn’t a single city in Latin America that’s as gorgeous as Buenos Aires. The city is aptly termed Paris of Latin America. The city has relatively good public transport. There is a single SUBE card that one needs to use in the expansive bus and metro system of the city. There are two major airports EZE and AEP. EZE is used primarily for flights in the South American region and AEP for international flights outside this region. ...

Panamá is one of the wealthiest countries in Central America. The gorgeous skyline of its capital, Panama City, reminded me of Singapore . Beyond that, there isn’t much to do in the city. The Panama Canal, in my opinion, is a bit overhyped for tourism. I had a much better experience seeing the locks in Seattle and going through locks in Stockholm . Major areas to visit in Panamá San Blas Islands - gorgeous islands that are equivalent to mini-French Polynesia Boquete - Gorgeous small town in the highlands Bocas Del Toro - Caribbean vibe, I decided to skip this Darien National Park - It is filled with Narcos and human traffickers. I skipped it this time. Day 1 - Panamá City Start the day with a walking tour of the city’s Old Quarter, “Casco Viejo”. It is gorgeous, similar to Antigua . ...

Chile is one most remote countries in the world to visit. It is far from Europe. It is far from Asia. It is far from North America as well. And the country is deceivingly large. Unlike the USA, Canada, or Brazil, Chile looks small because of its appearance as a narrow strip on the map. Except it is long. The length of Chile is the same as the distance from San Francisco to New York. So, it is hard to visit all of Chile in a few days. ...

Guatemala is a hidden gem in Central America. Just like its English-speaking neighbor Belize , it is a picturesque country worth visiting. Day 1 - Ride to Antigua After landing at the Guatemala International Airport, I took a taxi to Antigua. It’s only an hour away and is much safer than the capital city, Guatemala City. Antigua is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has cobblestone roads and is surrounded by volcanoes. It is a backpacker’s paradise. ...