The next day wasn’t much easier – a ten mile round trip hike to the rim of Sierra Negra, the second largest active caldera in the world, five miles across at its widest point.
Category Archives: South America
Breathless in Quito
On our way to the Galapagos, we stopped in Quito, Ecuador, for a day. At over 9000 feet Quito is the highest capital city in the world ……
In and Around Cusco, Peru
The last time I was in Cusco, in 1997, restaurant options included pizza, burgers, guinea pig and not much else. This time the meals rivaled the best I’ve had in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Paris.
Monkeys and More in the Peruvian Amazon
On The River To Angel Falls
The old man’s eerie monotone chant rose into the star-speckled sky, along with the embers from the large bonfire. He beat on the drum under his arm as the crackle of the fire provided counterpoint. The shadow of the flames flickered against the wall of the jungle surrounding us. Continue reading
The Lost World of Venezuela: Climbing Auyantepui
The wet, slanted face of the boulder looks treacherous. To make matters worse, the bottom edge hangs over a precipitous drop-off with nothing below but air. I’m not sure how I am going to work my way up its slippery surface. As Alejandro reaches his hand out to help me, my boots slip and I slide out of sight. For what seems like an eternity, I am in free fall, not sure how far I will fall or what I will land on when I hit bottom. Continue reading