I stepped from the zodiac raft to the cement jetty on the small Island of Plaza Sur; I had finally made it to the Galapagos Islands. I stood there for a moment soaking it in, looking around at the sea lions and iguanas unphased by my presence. Birds circled us overhead. The sun was low […]
Sometimes I think I’ve seen it all when it comes to travel…and then I go to a destination that blows my mind and makes me realize that I have a lot yet to see! My Galapagos Islands holiday was full of learning opportunities, but most of all it was full of awe and joy. How […]
Trees towered above our vehicle in layers upon layers of green, birds swooped around us, and big drops of water fell down on our windshield with a heavy splash. As if someone snapped their fingers…just like that…I was in the middle of a rainforest. Just moments before we were driving through wide-open farm land; it’s […]
Art comes in many forms, but I hadn’t considered one of those forms in a cocktail. And I certainly hadn’t expected to find an accomplished mixology artist in Quito Ecuador. But sometimes the best experiences are when you least expect it. After a long day of touring around Quito, I sat down for a cocktail […]
I get tired of travel planning, searching through endless websites for the best things to do in Quito, and feeling overwhelmed since they are all sort of the same. Then I start questioning whether any of these writers have even set foot in Quito or if they are just lifting all of their knowledge from […]
In an effort to bring you some new voices on Ottsworld, here is a guest post from blogger Mark Whitman. Mark has hiked all over the world and I asked him to write someone up on one of the harder hikes he’s done. He chose the Vilcabamba Trail to Machu Picchu – an alternative to […]
I always wondered how Patagonia became Patagonia. The historical answer is that Magellan in 1520 used the word patagón to describe the Indians of the region. But more than just the history, I wondered how this region became so popular among travelers. It’s a unique region that spans two countries and seems to maintain an […]
I walked down the long stone walkway, full of anticipation. The landscape was barren and dry, and the building in front of me was simple and brown blending in like camouflage. I felt like a giddy child overflowing with excitement about what was to come. I opened the heavy wooden door and my whole world […]
As we drove into the city of Santiago from the airport my mouth was agape. Santiago wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I was expecting Buenos Aires or Lima, but what I saw in front of me was a modern, clean city surrounded by nearby mountain peaks. The Andes mountains were so close around […]
Surprisingly this was my first trip to Colombia. I was eager to leave the cold December in NYC behind to land in hot, steamy Cartagena. The best part – it was so simple – no super long flight, and no jetlag. Poof! A quick flight from Miami and I was transported to a new culture. […]
