Category: South America

Picture of the day: observing vicuñas at the Chimborazo reserve

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Observing vicuñas is one of the highlights of a visit at the Reserva de Produccion de Fauna Chimborazo.
Threatened of extinction a couple of decades ago in Ecuador, it’s now thousands of them that live around volcano Chimborazo, thanks to a ambitious program of reintroduction.
The vicuñas are camelids and belong to the family of lamas, but their wool is much thinner. Under the Inca empire, it was actually forbidden to anyone but royal family member to wear clothes made of vicuñas wool.
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The vicuñas are quite shy and will not let you approach them closely. At sunset, you will get the best shots opportunity.

 

Climbing Cotopaxi volcano under the moonlight (5000m)

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“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” W Clement Stone

You don´t have any alpinism experience nor did You ever walk on a glacier before. Still, many agencies in Quito and Latacunga offer to take you to climb Cotopaxi, the second highest peak of Ecuador (5897m/19347feet). Tempting…? Go ahead! Even if you don´t make it to the top, you will experience during a night what it is to be an alpinist, and embrace stunning views of the volcanoes.

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First timer: fishing piranhas in the Amazonas

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Known for their voracity and their sharp teeth, piranhas are among the most popular species of the Amazonas.

You need a fishing line, a hook and some meat (the bloodiest the best!), not much differs from traditional fishing. But you will be surprised by their ability to torn little pieces of meat without getting stuck on the hook!

Fishing piranhas is one of the highlights of many Amazonas trips, and most likely your guide will offer to cook your catch in big leafs, over the fire. Mmmmm.

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Piranha fishing by night in bio reserve Limoncocha, Amazonas

Well, you have to catch some first… Adnan:2, Amandine:0.

I never liked fishing.

 

7 steps to your perfect Colombian coffee

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One of the first thing that people think of when talking about Colombia is coffee. With more than 3500 coffee plantations, Colombia is the fourth exporter in the world, Brazil being number one. Colombian´s farms produce only the arabica bean, while other countries export a mix of both arabicas and robusta beans.
In this article you will learn how to prepare the perfect Colombian coffee.

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Bucket list – sitting at the back of a pick-up truck

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Our 5 days hike on the Quilotoa Loop has been rich of adventures, emotions and new discoveries (come on, I almost bought a pig!). As we wait for the bus on the side of the road in the small village of Tigua, our final stop before returning to civilization, a pick-up truck stops. Do we want a ride to Latacunga for $5? We don´t hesitate long, there is no better way to enjoy the landscape one more time, and to conclude such a unique experience!

To the top of Mount Fuya-Fuya, an accessible summit at 4263m

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The lagunas de Mojanda is one of the hidden gems of the countryside of Otavalo, in the north of Ecuador.  After 45min of slow drive on the old, bad, paved road (17km) that used to link Otavalo to Quito,  you discover the impressive laguna, sitting in the crater of a dead volcano. It´s in this majestic landscape that we climbed our first summit, Mount Fuya-Fuya, at 4263m.

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Romeo, Marco and Nicky, the familiar sound of South America

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Their tubes are playing everywhere: in the streets, on the buses, on the radio. In Colombia and Ecuador equally. Romeo, Marco and Nicky are travelling with us. So, put on your headphones and be ready for some sunny tunes.

First, comes Romeo Santos with current success “Propuesta Indecente”.
Listen carefully do you recognize the voice? Romeo Santos was the leading voice of Aventura, the American/Dominican group which topped hits in 2002 with the single Obsession. Single that made lots of us discover the bachata. (Obsession was actually 7 weeks number 1 in France, no surprise the voice sounded really familiar to me!).

 

Then Marco. This one, you know. Marc Anthony is going strong here, with “Vivir mi vida”, played over and over during the World Cup.

 

And finally, my favorite of the 3: Nicky Jam. Deep rap voice, bling bling clip and provocative girl, Nicky is like the Pitbull of South America. And “Travesuras” will be stuck in your mind for a while.

 

Any of these tubes that has made it to Europe yet?

Picture of the day: end of afternoon on Plaza San Francisco, Quito

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Built on ancient inca ruins, the Plaza San Francisco is one of the main public square of the equatorian capital. Sitting on a bench at the end of the afternoon, we watched  the comings and goings of quiteños (inhabitants of Quito). In the background, the statue of the winged Virgin overlooks the city from the hill “El Panecillo”.

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Comings and goings of quiteños at the end of the afternoon, Plaza San Francisco, Quito (Ecuador)