Towns and Villages
What Makes the Trout in Ecuador Look Like Salmon?
Aiming to catch a few trout for dinner, the author decides to try his luck at one of the region's many "sport fishing" sites
February 12, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Bike, Bark, Bite, Blood: The Perils of Cycling in Rabies Country
An unfortunate run in with a mutt in Ecuador turned into a trip to the doctor's to be treated for rabies, a surprisingly fatal disease
February 07, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
A Football Team With No One to Play Against
Listen closely around the public parks of Quito, Ecuador, and you just might hear that familiar sound: "Hut hut hike!"
February 06, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Strange Ball in a Strange Place: Watching the Super Bowl in Ecuador
America's Biggest Game brings excitement, curiosity and some boredom to Ecuador
February 04, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Faces From Afar: Two Canadian Travelers Bring Love, Goodwill and Water Filters to the Needy
Give a man a glass of water, and you may quench his thirst. But teach him to build a water filter, as Rod and Ingrid McCarroll are doing, and he'll have clean water for life
February 01, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Much Ado About Nothing at the Equator
Just north of Quito stands a grand and glowing tribute to one of Ecuador’s proudest features: the Equator. The problem is, it was built in the wrong place
January 30, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Things to Do in Quito While Nursing Achilles Tendonitis
With its clean public parks, brewpubs, museums and tapas bars, Quito is a fine place to spend a week recovering from an injury
January 24, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Ecuador, Land of Malaria, Iguanas, Mangoes and Mountains
The author leaves Peru behind and crosses into Ecuador, where he encounters his first sign of a mosquito
January 23, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
What to Eat—or Not—in Peru
The roving ceviche carts and meat grills are colorful pieces of street scenery, but eating a creamy cherimoya or a sweet and starchy lucuma could be the truest taste of Peru
January 17, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Braving the Pan-American Highway of Death
Along the roadway in Peru, hand-built memorials to accident victims occur almost as regularly as the kilometer markers themselves
January 15, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
No Place Compares to the Unrelenting Lifelessness of Peru’s Sechura Desert
From the lush, tropical mountains, we descended into a landscape of flailing-armed cacti, spiny succulents like giant artichokes and sand dunes as high as mountains
January 10, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
From the Slums of Lima to the Peaks of the Andes
After unpacking and assembling his bicycle at the airport terminal, the author heads north on the Pan-American Highway toward the mountain town of Canta
January 07, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
A Short Bike Ride in the Peruvian Andes
The author kicks off 2013 with a 1,100-mile cycling journey through the Andes from Lima, Peru, to Ecuador's lofty capital of Quito
January 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Best Places to See and Celebrate the Winter Solstice
Many temples and monuments were intentionally built to face, frame or otherwise "welcome" the rising winter solstice sun
December 20, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
A Frightening and Fascinating Journey Through North Korea
When a Philadelphia couple took a world tour in 2011, they quickly struck upon the idea of visiting one of the world's most mysterious places
December 18, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
As the World Warms, the Future of Skiing Looks Bleak
Climate change is delivering serious wounds to the winter sport all over the globe
December 11, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Should Trophy Hunting of Lions Be Banned?
Some argue that tourist safari hunts generate important money for African nations—but can lions afford the loss?
December 07, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Have GPS Devices Taken the Fun out of Navigation?
With the rise of the digital age, the fascinating skills of map reading and celestial navigation are becoming lost arts
December 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The History of Beaujolais Nouveau Day
There's no better time to try this fruity red wine than today, the third Thursday in November, when the French celebrate the release of the new vintage
November 15, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Breaking News From France: My Hidden Beers Discovered!
Six containers of lager remain hidden in remote crevices and crannies in the French countryside. If you wish to find them, read these instructions
November 13, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
