Women are shaping the future of the Ecuadorian Amazon with great resolve. The particular kind of power evolving in this region does not shout, it does not posture. It endures. It is perhaps no coincidence that this movement is unfolding in Ecuador – the first country in the world to have granted constitutional rights to […]
In the Peruvian Amazon, the first thing you’ll notice is the soundscape. Cicadas pulse in steady waves, frogs call from hidden pools, and howler monkeys rumble in the distance like far-off thunder. As you glide along the waterway, you’ll see that the forest itself seems to breathe; leaves caught by wind, branches creaking, rain still […]
Nowhere on Earth makes it easier to reconnect with the natural world than the Amazon rainforest. I caught my first glimpse of that truth 27 years ago, the moment I set foot beneath its canopy. Like so many places, our idea of the Amazon is shaped by headlines and documentaries—and almost always for the worse. […]
We fear what we don’t know. In travel, as we grow our curiosity for the world, overcoming fear, misconception and unawareness are often part of the process. Few places embody this tension more powerfully than the Amazon. A vast, unknowable river world. A land of abundance and promise. A hostile and dangerous wilderness. Constant risk of […]
The G_ family has been traveling with us for over 20 years. They have been nearly everywhere, so picking their next destination wasn’t an easy task. In fact, they had no intention of visiting Brazil until we planted the idea in their minds of boat trip on the Tapajós River in the Brazilian Amazon. I […]
The first time I attended a piracaia was during my honeymoon. What my spouse and I expected to be a festive dinner with local food and local music felt much like remarrying just a few days after our wedding. The word piracaia is formed by the junction of two tupi words: “pira” = fish and […]
It’s been a bit over a year now but a picture of a loving couple of hyacinth macaws still displays as my phone’s background, just as the powerful roar of a male jaguar protecting his territory reverberates through my diaphragm like a carnival-inspired beat. It’s not that I want any of these memories to fade, […]
2012 to 2024 RIP My Hiking Boots. “Strong, durable, and comfortable on any trail,” declared MEC. And for once, the marketing department didn’t lie. After a 12-year career of loyal service, These Boots took their final step in the cobbled streets of Casco Viejo, Panama City. Succumbing not to time, but to the cruel inevitability […]
I’ve never really thought of myself as a city person, yet here I am, living in Toronto and daydreaming about my favourite cities in Latin America. There’s just something about certain cities that gets under your skin. I love the hum, the energy, the people, the way you can wander into a side street and […]
Cariocas like the Carioca way of living. So the last thing you want to do in Rio is look like a gringo, or seem lost in the multitude of social interactions and signs so particular to this city. You’ll want to mingle and feel part of it, sure that Cariocas will be very welcoming and […]
The clock strikes 9:15 AM in Rio de Janeiro. It’s April, and the heat is not excessive, so the weather allows for a lazy Saturday morning. Yet, there is an urge to explore the vibrant streets of the city and pay homage to the ever-present sun. I get up and take a quick shower, while […]
I hate soup. As a child (and even now, if I’m being honest), I always used a fork when eating thin, brothy soups. It was rebellion in cutlery form. When I became a vegetarian as a teenager, all my mother could think to feed me was soup after soup after soup. She still sends frozen […]
Bold statement coming in: I’m declaring 2023 the year for Peru and, heck, why not 2024, too! The short and the sweet of it is as follows: the shadow cast by the pandemic, coupled with political unrest earlier this year, has resulted in a slower return to travel than many other countries have experienced over […]
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 […]
Integral to the grandiose setting, the alluring mist and immensity of sound that comes from getting close to the Iguazú Falls is the often overlooked, culturally and naturally diverse province of Misiones. Political borders aside, this area is the heart of Argentina’s Atlantic Rainforest. Misiones province was named after the Jesuit missions that formed there […]
Uruguay is of wood and marble, of grain and sheen; where rural charm sits at the table next to aristocracy and both happily have sand between their toes or dirt under the nail from the outdoor explorations of the day. Olive orchards, hillside wineries, cattle ranches and small fishing boats all populate this tiny pear-shaped […]