Valparaiso graffiti

The city of Valparaiso in Chile is filled with amazing graffiti. You can't walk a block without stumbling on an image, a dream spilled across a wall. They even have an open air gallery where you meander between buildings following the paintings on the side walls. Here are just a few of the pictures I saw.

A new year!

So I basically stopped blogging. I'm not traveling as I was, I guess!

I finished my South American tour. It was fantastic! Ended in Chile and headed back to Canada. This last year has been a tour from coast to coast! Finally visited all the provinces. At long last. Isn't it funny how you can travel all over the world, and not explore your own backyard? I guess you always figure it'll always be there for you to discover whenever. But I do live in a beautiful country, filled with beautiful people and beautiful landscapes.

Perhaps I'll make a collage of my travels here. But first I'll post another South American memory...

I am alive!

I haven't written in a while. Just a "hello, I am alive". More soon.

Highest peak in the Americas

"He said it was the second highest peak in the world," someone explained. I thought, "No way, what about the Himalayas?" Well, he was partially right. Acancagua, in Argentina near the border with Chile, is the highest peak in the Americas, and the highest peak outside of Asia. It's 6,962m, slightly shorter than Everest's 8,848m. Not sure how many mountains in the Himalayas are taller than Acancagua, but Acancagua is the second highest peak of the seven summits (highest mountains on each of the continents).

We drove through the mountains on our way to Chile. It was beautiful. I kept waiting for the glimpse of Acancagua - I'm pretty sure I saw it and we passed it, but can say for sure which peak it was. The snow-capped peaks were lovely though.

Wine country

Mendoza = wine country of Argentina. Italian (and Spanish) immigrants brought wine making with them to the region, and now wine is exported from here all over the world. Two of the most common grapes are malbec and cabernet sauvignon. In fact, Mendoza is known for its malbec. Apparently, malbec means "bad beak" in French, as the grape didn't really take there. But it flourishes here with the altitude and the climate. You can do wine tours here; by bus, by car, by bike or any other way you can get to the vineyards. I went by bike. Not as crazy as you might think!

Tango

Buenos Aires is the home of the tango. The dance/musical genre originated here (and Montevideo, Uruguay) over a century ago. I don't think a lot of Argentines dance tango, but it's survived and thrived, with lessons and shows throughout the city. We tried it; learned a couple of steps, patted ourselves on the back for remembering the short routine. And then we saw a show. Touristy for sure, but impressive nonetheless. All the kicks and spins and turns! And so fast. Our little steps didn't even begin to compare. It was beautiful.

Poor Niagara

Apparently, when Eleanor Roosevelt saw Iguazu, she said, "Poor Niagara". Indeed. Not the highest falls (that's Victoria) but higher and wider than Niagara, split into over 200 different falls. Iguazu falls lies at the border between Argentina and Brazil, with Paraguay just a little ways away. I could see Brazil across The Devil's Throat. So close.