When I was a child, I was mad at my parents for buying a family van instead of a horse. I refused to understand why using a horse to get around the suburbs of Toronto was not a practical choice and that a van would be much more suitable for our family. As you can […]
You are called papa not ‘patata’, you were not born Castillian: you are dark like our skin, we are Americans, potato, we are Indians. – Pablo Neruda, Ode to the Potato Similar to other fuels on a grand scale, the quest to harness sources of consumable energy has been the cause of migrations, the root of […]
In good news, the world of travel is moving towards a greener, cleaner way of sashaying across the globe. Trufflepig is right in the scrum on these efforts. We are tickled pink that whatever momentum Al Gore attempted, Greta Thurnberg is striking into a butterfly effect. But this is not an article about environmentalism or […]
If ever there were a time to revel in plans of future road trips, the moment is now. To imagine remote exploration, untethered from the nucleus of a country, an impeccably well planned but impossible to script journey. Driving along the Carretera Austral or Chile’s ‘Southern Route’, has long been a soul dwelling desire of […]
Let this be an ode to the non-tactile senses. To the joy of looking and seeing, the richness of listening and hearing. To being still long enough and staying put long enough to enjoy some of the world’s subtleties. About 15 years ago, I had burrowed my way into the professional world of travel. In […]
We’ve been out on the road this year…. a lot. At half-time on 2019, our trotters are worn smooth, and it’s time to take stock. The pictures above flooded my inbox when I naively wrote to our planning team to ask for a few shots from recent research trips. I was struck by the awesome […]
Deserts are defined as environments receiving less than 250mm of average rainfall per year. Lush! There are parts of Atacama that have never received rain, making it not only the driest place on earth, but one of the strangest, weirdest, most Martian places on earth. A place of wind-sculpted canyons, sandy desert, rocky peaks, active volcanoes, salt […]
There’s lots that’s unique about Santiago’s Museo al Cielo Abierto San Miguel, a place where art, history and everyday life come together in the heart of a community, make a living museum in the open air. Beyond the city’s two best known and more classic museums (the Museo de la Memoria and the recently reopened PreColombian Museum), it’s part […]
In a world of blue, green and turquoise, just inside Chile from the Argentine border near Puerto Montt, Barraco Lodge is one of our secret Patagonian trip-planning weapons. The lodge sits in a valley above lake Tagua Tagua (sister valley of Cochamo which is considered as the ‘Chilean Yosemite’) which gives its name to Tagua Tagua […]
Though not everyone will agree with me, there is an argument that those of you in North America are officially too hot. Clothing sticks to your back, getting around feels like a chore, and the air conditioner is both overworked and overpaid. Summer in the northern hemisphere means winter in the southern one, however—so if you’re […]
There is a unique magic that surrounds the mysterious Chiloe Island. Full of myths and legends, this special spot of land in Chile has an energy you can feel in every green meadow. I have my own theory about the source of these magical powers: it’s Tierra Chiloe. This majestic hotel is an experience in […]
If you’ve ever been so lucky to see a glacier, it was likely from a boat or a path… far in the distance, looking a little small as it carved into a lake or formed an avalanche. If you are ever so lucky as to have another opportunity, we recommend walking or wandering right on […]
There are some destinations in which a hotel is something of an afterthought. That doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful, comfortable, or even memorable, but if you visit the Galapagos Islands, the Taj Mahal, or the archaeological city of Petra, the place where you rested your head that night will likely not be the focus […]
Working in travel, we are frequently asked what our favourite destination is. This is an incredibly difficult question to answer, but I have finally discovered a clear winner. My new home away from home (or so I wish) is Awasi Patagonia. If there’s one place that really nails it in terms of service, food, and […]
Santiago is no longer the ugly stepsister of Buenos Aires, lacking in artful charm. It’s taken a while, but we can now safely say that it’s revealing startling depths and becoming one of the coolest capitals, full of activities and culinary experiences worth the trip. Santiago is filled with landscaped gardens, new art galleries and […]
Brazil seems to be hogging the limelight lately, with the FIFA World Cup this summer and the Olympics in 2016. While we love it as a destination, there is plenty more in this area of the world to be excited about. Our Latin American enthusiasts here at Trufflepig feel we shouldn’t neglect the rest of […]