Adventure is our state of mind
Around 1700 gold was discovered in the state of Minas Gerais. In 1711 Vila Rica de Ouro Prêto (Rich City of Black Gold) was founded, which soon became the capital of the state and epicenter of Brazil's biggest gold rush. Thousands of slaves dug out … [Read more...]
"You can't leave Rio de Janeiro without having seen the Maracanã Stadium!" "The what?” I couldn't even pronounce the word. "The Maracanã Stadium! You don't know what it is?" "Sorry, never heard of it." "No, that's impossible. Everybody knows … [Read more...]
Thus far thick traffic and having to watch my back had made me wary of the city but after a leisurely walk up the Sugar Loaf, I took in the view and suddenly understood the spell that visitors as well as Cariocas – Rio de Janeiro's residents – … [Read more...]
City of Angels, City of the Dead, or City of Cats: These names all refer to the Recoleta necropolis in Buenos Aires. With 5000 sepulchers this eternal resting place is a rich synthesis of history, art, religion and death, and serves as a tribute to … [Read more...]
When in the 16th century the Jesuits came to Argentina, they founded schools and universities in Córdoba, an area today referred to as the Jesuit Block. In order to finance these institutions estancias were set up in the surrounding areas, where … [Read more...]
In 1873 Colonel Simião Jurumenha bought a sugarcane farm and built the cachaça factory of Douradinho, some 80 kilometers south of Fortaleza in northeast Brazil. Ten years later slavery was abolished here, five years before the rest of Brazil. 130 … [Read more...]
"Another Inca ruin?" "Again so many hours in a bus?" "Can't we go swimming somewhere?" "More markets? I want to go swimming! Please!" I don't have kids but I can imagine this being a frequent scene between kids and parents on vacation (or … [Read more...]
"Look at that! Am I seeing what I am seeing? A white baby whale?!" It was swimming right along its dark-grayish mother in the Golfo Nuevo, a protected bay along the Atlantic Ocean of the Argentinean coast. "It's an albino whale. Quite … [Read more...]
The 275 waterfalls that make up Iguazu Falls lie on the Argentinean-Brazilian border and I already saw them in Brazil. Yet, I wanted to see this UNESCO World Heritage Site from the Argentinean side as well, even though I wasn't sure this side would … [Read more...]
150 kilometers of unpaved road meander through thick forest and cattle ranches in eastern Bolivia. The road takes me to my third Jesuit Mission: Santa Ana. It's the smallest of the six missions that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Gran … [Read more...]
