Paragliding over Iquique, September 2009
We took off with a run, my pilot behind me and me with a seat strapped to my arse, ran, ran ran until the cliff gave way to nothing…and then we floated, twirled and gently sunk down to land on the beach just below. Altazor de Volar takes you there.
Talking the Afternoon Away, With Google Translate
We’re sitting in an airport cafe in Santiago with a long layover in front of us. Sony went to the bathroom and ran into Catalina, a journalist from Bogota Colombia who spoke not a word of English. Sony is the same about Spanish, and so it was a bit awkward. […]
Iquique Faces the Roaring Sea, with a Giant Dune Behind
Waking up underneath a thick comforter was heaven….at last a long and luxurious night’s sleep, one of the things that you take for granted but crave after a succession of tough nights. I’m feeling great up here on the 15th floor of the Terrado Hotel, anticipating a morning of tandem […]
Wide Eyed and Awake in a Bunk at 12,000 Feet
The pantomimed characiture of a man holding his eyes open proved to be an omen. Our bus driver was showing me what would happen tonight as I lay in a bunk bed with two snoring roommates after chewing on three coca leaves earlier in the evening. It was a sleepless, […]
Water is Everything in Arid Iquique, Chile
“What time is it?” Sony asked with a yawn, as we sat finishing dinner last night beneath a thatched partial roof at the El Tercer Ojito, or “The Third Eye,” in Iquique. Twelve-thirty, I answered, and to that Cristina Burchard, proprietor, told us that here, parties begin about now. She […]
Snowy Volcano in Northern Patagonia
This plane ride ranked up there with my all time amazing flights. Being able to swoop down and see all of this beautiful countryside from the air in this small 22 seater with huge windows was amazing.
Jimmy Langman Won’t Douse His Magazine Dream
At the big closing party, I ran into an earnest young man named Jimmy Langman who lives in Puerto Varas and makes his living as a writer. He’s got a dream, and he won’t let go of it. I am guilty of pouring lots of cold water on his idea, […]
Guyana? Yeah, We´d Love to Go There
My head is exploding with fascinating stories and data about so many places in South America. There is nothing I like better than to visit with people and in a short span, have them share with you what they love about the places they live. My last appointment was with […]
The Ups and Downs of the Travel Business
I’m exhausted from a day of chatting, listening, learning, agreeing, and schmoozing…all with a head cold caught from days in a van where people were sneezing. I felt so bad that I had shaken hands with people that later I switched to a Michelle-Barack fist bump, or an elbow touch, […]
The Falkland Islands Want You To Come Visit
On the bus over to Travel Mart, I met a woman from the Falkland Islands. She told me that she has lived there for more than 20 years, and despite spending time in the UK, she wouldn´t trade living down there for anything. I asked her about the legacy of […]
What Would It Take to Pave that Highway?
At the big cocktail party opening for Travel Mart Latin America here in Frutillar, Chile, I met a man named Jose Koechlin Von Stein. We recognized him from when we saw him last night at the Cliffs Preserve, they were the only guests besides our large contingent of grumpy journalists. […]
Biting the Hand that Sumptously Feeds Us
We were dropped off at our luxury villa tonight, and taken for a quick tour of the sumptous property at the 8000-acre Cliffs Preserve. We saw the outdoor wood-fired hot tub, were amazed by the luxurious huge bedrooms, and dazzled by the ocean views, which in the morning would lie […]
The Cliffs Preserve: Spectacular View at a Price
I’m digesting a fancy dinner at a fantastic place. It’s called The Cliffs Preserve, and it’s on Chile’s Pacific coast, an 8000-acre property that caters to the ultra rich. The rate for the villas here is $1200 per person per night, with a three-night minimum. The jaded travel trade writers […]
Touring the Comau Fjord by Boat
We spent most of today aboard a 35′ yacht, cruising among the towering wooded cliffs of th Comau fjord. Nobody goes in these mountains that are so inaccessible due to the high cliffs. We came upon a massive colony of sea lions who bellowed and barked, snapping at each other […]
If You’re Rich, You Must Have Stolen or Cheated
We drove out of the small lakeside town of Puerto Varas to an elegant boutique hotel called Casa Molino. We were greeted warmly by Angela, who owns the property with her husband Albert. We walked through the glass fronted back wall which looks over the lake, and in the distance […]
Claustrophobia in a Dark Cabin with 6 Hours to Go
Last night I breathed a sigh of relief after an uncomfortable and unfamiliar situation. I was seated way, way back in row 37 of the Boeing 737, tucked into a window seat. The flight was about two hours old, and the movies were long over. Beside me a Chilean woman […]
Across a Frozen River, And Across a Border
I’m crouching down and looking out the window at a plane that’s pushing back from the jetway at Bradley Airport. I’m off on another adventure, leaving behind the hussle and bustle of the businesses for a faraway place in South America. This will be a long day of flying, and […]
That Damn Bottle Cap Emailed My Doctor!
Here’s something interesting….more than half of all prescriptions that are handed out to patients are never filled. I read a story in the WSJ this week that contained several ideas about how to remedy this problem, that makes drug companies and doctors unhappy. It’s behavioral economics. The story by Michael […]