Bonnie's South America Travel Blog June 2007 Archive

Copa America News (ESPN): News and updates from the Copa América games held in Venezuela, with standings of each group and individual player statistics. So far, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Paraguay and ... Read More

U.S. warns of travel to Colombia resort (AP). The resort is Melgar, forty-five miles southwesr of Bogota, a popular place to escape the cold in the capital. "The United States ... Read More

The colorful Monastery of Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru is not a single building but many within a complex of 20,000 square meters that was home for Dominican nuns for ... Read More

2,000 years later, global vote to pick world's new Seven Wonders (The Christian Science Monitor): "- In the bid to have their iconic statue recognized as one of the ... Read More

If you're traveling to Buenos Aires with kids who like Barbie and Hot Wheels, look into the offer from Hilton Hotels and Mattel: This summer, Hilton Buenos Aires and Mattel are ... Read More

FIFA changes altitude ban to matches above 3,000 meters (International Herald Tribune): "FIFA changed its ban on World Cup qualifying matches at high altitude Wednesday, saying it would only apply ... Read More

Copa America: A Sneak Preview "Goal.com's South American correspondent Gregory Sica offers a sneak preview into the Copa America..." Details by group, venues, teams and expectations, plus predictions for wins during ... Read More

Galápagos Islands added to UNESCO list of endangered heritage sites (UN News Centre): "The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador and Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park have been inscribed on the List of ... Read More

Lowly potato's future buried in Peru's Andes (The Seattle Times): "The potato originated in the Andes near Lake Titicaca, 12,500 feet above sea level, in what is now Peru, and ... Read More

The Earth Observatory feature from NASA reports on a study of rainfall and vegetal growth in the Amazon basin: The Amazon’s Seasonal Secret With a detailed study over years presented ... Read More

Rip Curl Pro Search Chile back in water with 8-10 ft surf (Global Surf News): "Round 2 of the Rip Curl Pro Search Chile, Stop 4 of 10 on the ... Read More

With the radar system not working properly in some Argentine airports, and Brazil's controller system breakdowns, AP reports that Air travel scary in South America . "Angry stranded travelers have stormed ... Read More

A peaceful sunset on Ypacari Lake beckons visitors to fish and relax at the end of a hot day. Click on the link or the photo for more information about Paraguay's ... Read More

NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 23, 2007 - Bolivia (NASA): "This image, captured June 5, 2007 by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite, shows the entire land-locked ... Read More

Glacial Lake Vanishes in Southern Chile (physorg.com): "This undated combo image released by CONAF, Chile's National Forest Service, shows a 2-hectare lake at the Huemules National Park that mysteriously ... Read More

Cameron Diaz takes part in Andean Rituals-Cusco, Peru (Living in Peru): "On Wednesday, the Provincial Municipality of Cusco extended an invitation to the famous American actress to take part in ... Read More

Galapagos may get 'in danger' listing (AP): "Ecuador says tourism is threatening the Galapagos Islands and has asked UNESCO to add the habitat that inspired the theory of evolution to ... Read More

Traffic to and from the Santos Dumont domestic airport and the international airportin Rio de Janeiro is affected as Stray bullets rain down on violent Rio (AP): "In-the-know tourists ... Read More

In Inca times, at the Winter Solstice in Cuzco, the native residents gathered to honor the Sun God, sacrifice an animal to ensure good crops and to pay homage to ... Read More

New Non-Stop Flights to Chile Offer Opportunity to Explore (WebWire): "Take advantage of LAN AIRLINES’ new non-stop air service to Santiago, Chile for a chance to relax and discover one ... Read More

Celebrating the birth and life of José Gervasio Artigas, June 19 is a national holiday. Born in 1764, Artigas is called the Primer Jefe de los Orientales and Primer ... Read More

South America & Antarctica Heat Up for 2008, 2009 (Cruise Critic News): "South America and Antarctica have long been "hot" spots for more adventurous travelers in search of rugged ... Read More

Amazon river 'longer than Nile' (BBC News): "Researchers in Brazil are claiming to have established as a scientific fact that the Amazon is the longest river in ... Read More

Cruise ships are a common sight in the Galapagps islands, as are the ferry boats that provide transportation beteween the larger islands. Click on the link or the photo for more ... Read More

U.S. Census figures show the average marriage lasts seven years, when couples often get the itch to stray. Now couples can skip the scratching and get back on track with ... Read More

Although soccer teams, fans and coaches from South America's high altitude countries have protested, FIFA says 2,500 meters altitude limit still in place (Reuters): "FIFA surprised the South American nations ... Read More

Snows Shut Argentina-Chile Crossing (washingtonpost.com): "Argentine transit officials predicted the Cristo Redentor tunnel, a nearly two-mile passage drilled into the mountains at 10,400 feet above sea level, would be impassible ... Read More

Bariloche, formally known as San Carlos de Bariloche, is an all-season destination with scenic beauties, sports, activities, tours, attractions, skiing, top nightspots and quiet out of the way retreats. Known ... Read More

Argentina's Domestic Flights To Resume (AirWiseNews): "Argentina's domestic flights will resume on Wednesday after almost three days of paralysis, according to two airlines hit by a check-in staff strike that ... Read More

Trip Report: Peru (Frommer's): The author reports on a ten day trip where they "started in Cusco, went whitewater rafting on the Urumbamba river, hiked the Inca Trail which ... Read More

Although his actions have earned both praise and condemnation, American buys slices of South America (AP) : "The American multimillionaire who founded the North Face and Esprit clothing lines ... Read More

New Route to Torres del Paine Park Cuts Distance in Hlaf (The Santiago Times): "Back packers and nature lovers interested in traveling to southern Chile’s Torres del Paine Park will ... Read More

Although there hasn't been enough snow as they'd prefer, Chile Ski Resorts Prepare to Open (The Santiago Times): "...with snow-making equipment and the weatherman’s prediction that there will be another ... Read More

The three islands of Île du Diable, Île St. Joseph and Île Royale compose the Îles du Salut, (Islands of Salvation or Health), so named because they provided a more healthy ... Read More

Pan American Games torch relay begins in Brazil (Chronicle-Journal): "The Pan American Games torch relay started Tuesday on its tour of 51 cities before reaching Rio de Janeiro on July ... Read More

Vision-inducing drug makes new inroads in Peru (Reuters): "A powerful hallucinogenic vine, long revered by Amazon Indians as a tool for peering deep into the psyche, is drawing interest from ... Read More

Polynesians beat Spaniards to South America, study shows (latimes.com): "After decades of contention, New Zealand researchers have provided the first direct evidence that Polynesians sailed across thousands of miles of ... Read More

Peru's Machu Picchu among 100 most endangered sites (Living in Peru): "According to the World Monument Fund (WMF), Machu Picchu - Peru's most important archaeological complex - is among one ... Read More

Psychedelic Fluorescent Purple Frog Found in Suriname (Living the Scientific Life): "A purple fluorescent frog of the genus Atelopus was discovered during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in ... Read More

Chile: Valpo Region Bids Adieu To Easter Island (The Valparaiso Times) : "The Chamber of Deputies this week approved an initiative that designates both Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and ... Read More

Farming and sheep are time honored traditions in the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas whose residents learned early on to be self-sufficient. Click on the link or the photo for more information ... Read More

Guayaquil has spent millions in revamping and beautifying the city and visitors appreciate those efforts as they stroll about the city, including the waterfront esplanade Malecón 2000, to view historic ... Read More

Arthur Frommer Online (scroll down to the middle of the page for the section titled Three little-known websites can take you on a better trip ) for this recommendation: "Viator.com (www.viator.com) ... Read More