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Colombian Spices: Spice Up Your Trip to Colombia

Colombian cuisine is reflective of regional influences, with a blend of Colombian spices and seasonings that elevate the simple to impressive.

Cheers for Pisco Sour: Traditional Peruvian Cocktail (with recipe)

While cruising in South America last year – Peru and Chile – I was reintroduced not only to the Pisco Sour cocktail, but also to the history and debate between the two countries as to which gets to claim authenticity. I love recreating food and beverages from my travel when I get home, and South America is rich in choices (check out my ajiaco from Colombia). Why not review the debate and make up your own mind while enjoying this classic sipper. So, What Exactly is a Pisco Sour? The pisco sour is a traditional alcoholic cocktail that originates from the Peruvian capital of Lima. The name of this earthy and refreshing drink is comes from the liquor from which it is made – pisco. Pisco is, in a technical sense, a form of brandy as it is made from distilling […]

How to Make Ajiaco: Bogota’s Most Popular Dish (with recipe)

Learn how to make ajiaco, a a traditional Colombian soup made with chicken, potatoes, and corn, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices.

Onboard Seabourn Venture: Luxury Expedition Cruising in South America

When choosing how to vacation, it can often be a tough decision about whether to choose something adventurous and exciting, or luxurious and relaxing. Why compromise? A luxury expedition cruise allows you to do both. One of the biggest draws to a Seabourn expedition cruise is the thrill of adventure you get with their itineraries combined with the world-class service and luxury that they are known for. With a Seabourn expedition cruise, you can travel to remote destinations – what expedition cruising is known for – without skimping on the luxuries. Sounds good, right? But what does Seabourn offer and what are the ships like? I sailed with Seabourn on their newest ship, the Venture, from Lima, Peru, to Santiago, Chile. Here’s everything you need to know about the ship and the experience it offers. What is Seabourn known for? […]

17 Fascinating Museums in Bogota, Colombia

Bogota, the capital of Colombia, has a long and rich history dating back to the pre-Columbian era. Founded by the Muisca people in the late 15th century, the Spanish conquered the city in the 16th century. Over the decades (and centuries), Bogota became a center of trade and culture under Spanish rule and eventually became the capital of Colombia in 1777. Bogota’s history is as varied as it is long, and one of the best places to learn about the country’s history, culture, and people, is in the city’s many museums. Visiting these Bogota museums is an opportunity to view art and ancient artifacts from one of the most important cities in Latin America. If you’re uncertain where to start, here’s a round-up of Bogota’s best museums. It’s a representative group in size, diversity, and niches. Well-known museums made the […]

Celebrate World Wildlife Day

Today, March 3rd, is UN World Wildlife Day. The UN General Assembly made this proclamation in 2013 as a way to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. I’m not an eco-blogger or traveler, but I do make every effort to respect the world around me, making sure that I don’t engage in any behavior that harms the earth and its creatures. Or, if I’m to be more honest with myself and you, I try to minimize the damage my behavior causes to the earth and its creatures (because, yeah, air travel is not eco-friendly). Although I don’t write much on the topic, either, I’m pretty pleased with this podcast I did with Bret Love about Rwanda’s ecotourism attractions, and how tourism is bouncing back after the terrible atrocities of the Civil War and genocide. I […]

Visiting the Caribbean Coast of Colombia

This week’s episode of the Where Else to Go podcast features Gemma from Two Scots Abroad. Gemma talks about their adventures on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. After a couple of months in Peru and Bolivia. she kept getting recommendations to go to Colombia. After time spent in the bigger cities, Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena, she ventured out to the coast and found her heart stolen by both the beaches and the towns of Santa Marta, Costeño, Tayrona National Park and also Minca, a tiny town tucked away in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Take a listen (and you can get the full show notes here). Remember, you can also find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast on Google Play.

Where Else to Go Podcast: Galapagos (Episode #8)

This week on the Where Else to Go podcast we’re off to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with Cheryl and Lisa of What Boundaries Travel Media. The Galapagos Islands recently made the top of their favorite travel destination list after a recent trip to the islands. You might think that getting to the Galapagos Islands is too great of a challenge to get to and to see the islands because of the restrictions. However, it’s an amazing experience to see the animals up close since they have no fear of humans. You will see some amazing land animals like the land iguana or Galapagos Tortoise, land birds like the Blue Footed Booby, and in the water you will swim with seals and an occasional penguin at the Equator! There are many options on how to experience the Galapagos. You can fly into one […]

Pre-Columbian Archaeology in Chan Chan, Peru

When it comes to Pre-Columbian artifacts, Peru is awash in them, and probably nowhere more so than Chan Chan, the largest Pre-Columbian city in South America. The archaeological site, locate near Trujillo, dates back to the 9th century when it was built by the Chimu as the imperial capital. At one time over 30,000 people lived in the adobe city of Chan Chan, before being conquered by the Incas. Later, Spanish conquistadors, including Francisco Pizarro, took over. Today the adobe city of Chan Chan is a UNESCO world heritage site, added to the list in 1986. Although much is being done to preserve the area, it is still threatened by the occasional tornadoes, earthquakes, rain and erosion, as well as the odd looter that thinks stealing precious artifacts is a good idea. There are also several other ruin […]

Flavors of Peru

Food, glorious food — It’s one of the many things that I enjoy about traveling! Visiting a new country or region often means discovering a new food, spice, or other dishes. Sometimes those discoveries are not something I’d want to try again, but fortunately, more often it’s a tasty delight that I long for once I’ve returned home. If you’ve discovered food that you love while on your Peru holidays, take some time to look around your neighborhood – you may be surprised to find a Peruvian restaurant or store located nearby. While you may not be able to re-create the [amazon_textlink asin=’1555663273′ text=’Machu Picchu’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’travelingwithmj-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’23c447e1-3838-11e8-8745-db452247356f’] experience at home, you can rekindle your love affair with the cuisine of this South American country. Fair warning – If you fell in love with the food while visiting Peru, […]