El archipielago de Colon or Galapagos Islands is group of 13 large volcanic islands and 6 small ones, which are located 1050 kilometers from the coast of Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are famous for its numerous endemic species and the studies that Charles Drarwin did there, which led him to establish his theory of evolution by natural selection. The islands were discovered by coincidence in 1535, when the Dominican friar Fray Tomas de Berlanga was heading to Peru by boat and a huge strong storm dragged his ship all the way to the islands.
lunes, 15 de marzo de 2010
Archipielago de Colon
El archipielago de Colon or Galapagos Islands is group of 13 large volcanic islands and 6 small ones, which are located 1050 kilometers from the coast of Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are famous for its numerous endemic species and the studies that Charles Drarwin did there, which led him to establish his theory of evolution by natural selection. The islands were discovered by coincidence in 1535, when the Dominican friar Fray Tomas de Berlanga was heading to Peru by boat and a huge strong storm dragged his ship all the way to the islands.
martes, 9 de marzo de 2010
Kerepakupai merĂº
Angel falls is the English name for the most beautiful water fall in Venezuela. It was called like that because in 1920 an American pilot named accompanied a gold digger to the very limits of the Venezuelan Amazon Forest. They didn’t found gold, but instead they found the biggest waterfall in the world, which was named after the pilot’s name.
The Angel falls have a height of 3,212 ft and a plunge of 2,647 ft, which make it the biggest waterfall in the world and one of the principal tourist attractions of Venezuela. The Angel falls shares the credit of its beauty with the impressive Tepuyes, huge sandstones towers formed by erosion many years ago.
For the ones that what to visit this beautiful waterfall, the trip is a little difficult. The falls are located in an isolated jungle region of Venezuela, so you would have to take a flight from Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar to go to Canaima camp, where is the starting point for river trips to the base of the falls by small round by boats which take approximately more than 3 hours. The other option is go by plane and to see the waterfalls from the sky, but sometimes on cloudy days there will be no chance to see them.
Here is a video for the ones that want to see a little bit more of the Angel falls:
viernes, 19 de febrero de 2010
River of January
I think it sounds better in Portuguese. Rio de Janeiro is one of the principal cities of Brazil and with no doubt one of the most stunning and fun cities in South America. There are three things that come to my mind every time that I think about Brazil. The first one is soccer, the second one is the beautiful beaches that it has and the third one is the Carnival. Rio de Janeiro has three of them and more to offer to anyone that wants to visit this amazing city.
The whole country, not only Rio, transform for the Carnival. The Carnival is actually a catholic tradition that was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese and it takes place on the second week of February. The carnival is famous because of its parade full with music and color, where the schools of samba dance to celebrate the Carnival.
It doesn’t matter if it is winter or summer; Rio de Janeiro is beautiful at any season of the year. If you decided to go on summer, you can enjoy its gorgeous beaches Ipanema and Copacabana. Also you can visit at any time of the year the most important symbol of Brazil that is the “Cristo Corovado” which was built in remembrance of the independence of Brazil. This is the biggest statue of Christ and it has 125 feets.
As in many other countries in South America, the transportation system is a little bit crazy, but it offers a variety of options depending on the amount of money you want to spend. The transportation system includes busses, trains, trams, taxis and even cycle paths all over the city. One requirement only: Lear Portuguese!... or at least buy a dictionary.
Here is a link of a video of some picture of the 2010 Carnival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgKCMO2v1I0
domingo, 7 de febrero de 2010
The end of the world
When I say the end of the world I'm not talking about 2012, but about Tierra del Fuego or Land of Fire in the Patagonia, Argentina. When I was searching for cool places in South America to put on my blog I thought that the Patagonia was one of the amazing ones.
“Tierra del Fuego” means in spanish "Land of Fire". At first it was named “Tierra del humo” or “Land of Smoke”. In 1520 when the explorer Ferdinand Magellan visited those lands he thought that he saw flames coming from the ground naturally, but the truth is that the Yaghan( the Indians that lived in Tierra del Fuego) used the fire wood from the trees to keep the place warm and that's why they named it Tierra del Fuego.
Tierra del Fuego have amazing forests, mountains, valleys and lakes which draws attention to every visitor that would like to enjoy the tranquility of nature. Tierra del Fuego is one of the last places in South America that hasn’t be destroy by the pollution or by the human hand, and that’s why the view of Tierra del Fuego is breathtaking to anyone.
Argentina is a wonderful country. They have the tango, good meat and beautiful places. I think that Tierra del Fuego is a wonderful place to relax and to actually enjoy nature. You can fish there, go camping, see museums and see the wildlife. I would recommend it for people that would like to live for some days in a quiet and cold place, but there is one requirement: LEARN SPANISH! (joke)