“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
~Jawaharial Nehru
Los Llanos are vast plains of grasslands and savanna and had traversed them in Colombia.
Now we would explore them in Venezuela.
Even after more than ten years on the road I can still be surprised how one meeting can lead to all sorts of events, adventures and other meetings. Maybe because I never take them for granted. It is not something you can plan, or find in a guidebook. You can plan a meeting, but you can’t plan the results of such a meeting.
And that’s where the charm lies: the unexpected.
In Ecuador, Colombia, and in Venezuela we have been amazed by the amount as well as the quality of graffiti, murals, and other street art in and around towns.
In Peru this was no different and I fell for the street art in Huanchaco.
“You’re lucky. Normally I don’t answer the phone if I don’t recognize the phone number,” Luis Jaime said.
We were lucky indeed.
One moment we were driving through green, lush vegetation; the next we were on the moon. Kind of. We were entering a miniature version of the Bryce Canyon (US): a red-brown, eroded landscape sculptured into gullies.
We had entered the Tatacoa Desert.
When we returned from the Galápagos Islands and I looked back on a trip full of magic and wonder, my eye was drawn to a sticker above my seat in the Land Cruiser.
“The Journey is the Destination“
And I realized, once more, how true that is.
What is the link between slow travel and waterfalls, you may ask?
Good question!
Let’s take a look.
It’s weird, it’s funny, it’s incredible. We’ve been camping here for close to four weeks and I’m still somewhat in awe of us being here. In a workshop…
Slow Travel has gotten a whole new meaning
Expedition Portal assigned us their annual Overlanders of the Year Award 2013.
For those who are unfamiliar with Expedition Portal:
For weeks we had been traveling through the Amazon Forest in Brazil. Some areas consist of virgin forest, but large parts have made way for cattle ranching. The region is known as the Arc of Deforestation.
We were ready to see some wildlife again.
Then we met Paulo…
In 2013, the Cristalino Jungle Lodge was selected as one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s 25 Best Ecolodges.
Time to check it out!
When running, one of my pitfalls is focusing on how much farther I have to go.
This can be so discouraging that I give up.
Sightseeing in Buenos Aires, let me think for a sec. Okay: taking tango lessons, eating slabs of beef, visiting the Recoleta Cemetery, strolling around Palermo, checking out the football stadium in La Boca…
But, surprise surprise, there is more to Buenos Aires!
In South America we often feel overwhelmed by our surroundings, marvel at views, camp in grandiose terrains, and feel dwarfed by canyons and mountains. Among the well-known spectacular sceneries on the continent are the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, the Lake District in Patagonia, the colored lakes of Sud Lipez in Bolivia, and Valle de la Luna in Chile.
Let’s explore some of the lesser-known forces of nature.
I lean backward, balancing my body on my tailbone, holding my hands under my 45-degree-bent knees. With my feet just reaching the surface I can perfectly balance myself in the river, sitting on the laterite road.
According to our GPS the river should run 1.8 kilometers from here!