AMAZON ADVENTURES

Generally, a cruise on the Amazon River starts from the city of Iquitos – a city located on the northern side of the Amazon. The cruise, then, moves down towards the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
It is most difficult to decide whether you should take a river cruise or stay in a jungle lodge. Especially if you are tight on funds.


In case you decide to take a cruise, you will find out that the luxury offered by these boats is way above a jungle lodge. They offer separate rooms, elegant dining halls, exotic cuisine and, above all, nightly entertainment. There are other benefits of these tours:  Some of the boats take you for excursions into the wildlife. They also include piranha fishing and swimming with Amazon’s lovely pink dolphins in addition to the night safaris and village tours. You also get to see the hidden lagoons and flood lands.

However, if you prefer to stay in a jungle lodge it will mean that you will see more and more diverse wildlife of the Amazon. This is perhaps the best way to get up close and personal with the beautiful River and its amazing habitat. There are scores of jungle lodges in Iquitos. One of the best things about staying in one of these jungle lodges is that it gives you a chance to explore the southern part of the Amazon which is situated near Machu Picchu making it easier to visit the Cuzco area as well. The Peruvian part of the southern Amazon has much more diversity in wildlife than its northern counterpart. It is also less explored. 
You can spot sloths, monkeys and even jaguars in this area in addition to thousands of birds and insects.


For an ultimate wildlife experience, you must choose to stay in a jungle lodge. However, a cruise will offer an inspiring and captivating eco-system which is also very knowledgeable.
A few Amazon cruises offer the opportunity to explore the peak of the Amazon in Eastern Peru. The river is a bit narrow at this point so the cruise crafts are smaller that can hold fifty to sixty passengers.
An Amazon trip is a great adventure whether you take a cruise or stay in a lodge. You will be dazzled and entertained to the maximum. The Amazon has no shortage of surprises. Infact, it is full of them. Imagine watching the world’s smallest monkey dangling from a branch, or spotting the most beautiful fish in world – the Golden Dourada. An Amazon trip will surely be an unforgettable experience.

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The Most Amazing Markets in Latin America

Chichicastenango in Guatemala

Chichicastenango is located around one hundred and forty kilometers northwest of Guatemala city. It is home to one of the most famous native markets in, perhaps, all the Americas. The Market convenes on Thursdays and Sundays drawing the K'iche' Maya of the nearby areas as well as vendors from all over the country. These vendors sell their products in a variety of ways, languages and dialects. The Chichi market used to be within the central plaza but it has now expanded into all the adjacent streets as well.
The preparations are made a night before by setting up booths in the plaza and surrounding streets of Chichi. The markets start with sounds of firecrackers and homemade rockets. The crashing sounds continue all through the day.
Although it is not immediately obvious to the tourist newcomer, the market is highly organized, with vendors of specific goods occupying traditional sites in the market area. Each item has its own area where vendors can put their products on display. You can also see various native costumes from all over Guatemala.
Other sights include processions, street musicians and traditional dances, antique shops, a Mayan artifact museum and the city cemetery.

 

Pisac in Peru

Most visitors, on their tour to Peru, try to see the Sunday market, however there are similar markets on Tuesday and Thursday as well. Pisac is a beautiful Andean village well known for its Sunday market. Despite its fame, the market maintains its local charm. Villagers come from miles in order to sell their products in this market. The tourist section offers quite a few varieties of handicrafts.

Pisac is a great place for buying the local ceramics especially hand-painted beads in various colors.

Otavalo en Ecuador

For anyone visiting Ecuador, one of the destinations is Otavalo because of the famed market or the Fiesta del Yamor, which is celebrated in September.

Otavalo  is situated north of Quito within a two hour drive. It takes a few days to see the market in Otavalo and to visit the villages that supply most of the textiles sold in Otavalo.

Otavalo markets are open every day but the busiest day is on Saturday. If you go out early, you can have an all day experience of the market. You can stroll through the food and produce section, wander the artisan market from where you  can purchase arts, crafts, and textiles.

The history of the textiles can be traced back to the colonial days when the land around Quito was awarded to several people, including Rodrigo de Salazar.  Salazar established a weaving workshop and imported new tools and techniques from Spain. Some of the techniques used in those times can be seen in demonstrations at the Obraje Weaving Museum.

San Telmo in Argentina

The small Plaza Dorrego is the center of the San Telmo Antiques Fair of Buenos Aires. Each Sunday, the plaza is transformed into a flea market, which contains hundreds of booths that sell everything from outright junk to costly antiques. The market is a great place for browsing and watching. There are numerous sidewalk cafes surrounding the San Telmo market making the atmosphere festive. San Telmo is also the center of Buenos Aires' tango district and, occasionally, you can see a couple dancing in one of the market's open spaces.

There is an artisans' market in the park surrounding the Recoleta Cemetery. If you like hand-made jewelry, then you will be quite interested in Recoleta artisans' market.

The Ipanema hippie fair in Brazil

Since 1960s, Feira Hipe or the Ipanema Hippie Fair is held in the Ipanema neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on every Sunday. It began as a small affair which was initially organized by the Hippies in order to sell their crafts.

Since then, the Hippie Fair has evolved into an important arts and crafts market, which shows the works of some of the best artisans of the city.

The Ipanema Hippie Fair is held every Sunday from 9 in the morning till 5 in the evening. It takes up a whole city block located in the northern part of Ipanema, close to the southern flank of Copacabana Beach.

It is a highly organized market where stalls are set up around the perimeter of the park. Painters exhibit and sell their paintings in the center of the park.
Locals and tourists crowd the place all day long. Though, credit cards are accepted by some vendors, still it is better to use cash. Some vendors will accept US dollars as well as Euros but their preferred currency is Reais.
The Ipanema Hippie Fair is essentially not a flea market and it is very difficult to come about used items or bargain. However, you can find all qualities of arts and crafts sold at quite reasonable prices. You can pick some cool souvenirs in this market.

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Latin american festivals you can't miss!

In Latin American culture, fiestas and festivals hold a very special place.  Some of these festivals are celebrated all over the continent while others are country-specific. A brief description of some of these festivals is given below.

Rio carnival

The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a well-known event, which is held before Lent each year. It is considered as the world’s biggest carnival with around 2 million people per day on the streets. The festival dates back to 1723.
The Carnival includes Samba Schools, street carnivals, music and dances. It is held on March 1 and 5 and February 9 and 18. The main procession of the carnival is held on Sunday and Monday evenings after the above dates. The dates keep changing every year.

The four days and nights of the Rio carnival are a result of the yearlong planning, practicing and organizing. This carnival is Rio’s main event. The origins of this carnival are not known but it is widely believed that it started as a pagan celebration.

The festivities offer lots of fun for free. Everyone is welcome to watch and participate.

 

The Semana Santa Easter Festival in Antigua, Guatemala

The very first glimpses of Antigua consist of looming volcanoes, colorful homes and cobblestone streets. It is also one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.

The religious occasion of Semana Santa or the holy week was first introduced in Guatemala by their Spanish colonial masters. The holy week or Semana Santa is held annually in Antigua, Guatemala between March 22nd and April 23rd. The whole city of Antigua participates in the celebrations. Devotees in purple colored robes carry floats bearing images of the Holy Virgin and Jesus on their shoulders. The floats are followed by marching funeral bands. The processions parade the streets depicting the finals days of Jesus. From Monday to Thursday, several processions take the same course traversing the streets of Antigua, often lasting for twelve hours.

Antiguans make preparations for the occasions months in advance.

 

Corpus Christi in Cuzco

Though, the festival of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the  whole of Peru, its most impressive manifestation is in Cuzco. Various processions of fifteen virgins and saints come from several places to the Cuzco Cathedral in order to greet Christ’s body after sixty days of Easter Sunday. Sounds of the biggest church bell of Peru – Maria Angola – can be heard during the day. Maria Angola was built by Diego Arias de la Cerda during XVI century. Twelve different dishes are prepared and eaten the night before the actual celebration.

The timing of the procession on the main day is 11 in the morning with lots of people swarming the Plaza de Armas in order to watch the saints. Once the procession is complete, the saints go back to the cathedral.

After el Octovo or seven days, the saints partake another procession and then, go back to their original places. The Corpus Chriti is a traditional festival, which also gives visitors from all around the world a first-hand experience of Peru’s traditions and cultures.

Inti Raymi in Cuzco

The festival of the sun or Inti Raymi is a religious ritual of the Inca Empire in honor of one of the most respected gods of the Incas - Inti. Inti Raymi was created to celebrate the winter solstice and the New Year in the Andes. The celebration also indicated the mythical origin of the Incas. It spanned nine days of processions, dances and animal sacrifices in order to ensure good crops. The last Inti Raymi was carried out in 1535, after which it was suppressed by the Catholic church consequent to the Spanish conquest. It was completely prohibited in 1572.
 A theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Cuzco on 24 June every year. The celebration attracts thousands of visitors and tourists to Cuzco.

 

Dia de los muertos in Oaxaca México

Dia de los muertos or the day of the dead is celebrated in order to gather family and friends to remember and pray for the deceased. The celebration is carried out on 2nd November. This date is connected to the Christian holiday on 1st November ( All Saints Day) and 2nd November (All soul’s day). Traditionally, the celebration includes building altars with sugar skulls and other foods. Eating and parties are common at the time of celebration. It is sometimes, confused with Halloween. However, the two are completely different.

Some people have a belief that the spirits of the dead eat the spirit of the food. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Xoxocotlán just outside of Oaxaca, people spend the whole night beside the graves of their loved ones.

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Treks in Machu Picchu

From all over the world, visitors come to Peru in order to walk the Inca trail which is undoubtedly the most famous hike in all of South America. The scenery and the ruins are the main attractions of this famous trail. The trail starts from a point called Kilometer 88, and spans around forty three kilometers. In order to start the trip, you must cross the narrow Kusicancha Bridge and then walk towards the left side of the Eucalyptus forest. You can either camp at Llullucha or Wayllabamba.

The second day is relatively tougher since you must climb the Warmiwañusqa Pass (Dead Woman’s pass) which is around four thousand and two hundred meters high. The third day is more interesting but it is also the longest. You get to see the remarkable ruins of Sayaqmarca and Runkuracay. Wiñayhuayna and Phuyupatamarca are the two sites available for camping. On the fourth and the final day, you can watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate. The rest of day can be spent sight-seeing the ancient city.

The Inca trail to Machu Picchu comprises of three interconnected trails. The longest of the three trails is Mollepata. It intersects with the classic route before is crosses the Dead Woman’s Pass. The trail is situated in the Andes mountain range and passes through different kinds of environments. The trail passes through several Incan ruins ending at the Sun Gate. The other two routes are more than twelve thousand feet above sea level. Taking these routes can cause altitude sickness.


The Peruvian government is worried about erosion due to increasing number of visitors so it has limited the number of hikers. Guides-providing companies have also been severely limited. Only five hundred people – which include guides and porters – can commence hiking on the trail each day. Consequently, it is imperative that you book in advance. Moreover, the trail is closed every year in the month of February for cleaning purposes. It normally takes around three to four days in order to complete the Inca Trail. It was built by the Incas in South America and covers almost twenty three thousand kilometers. The trail begins from Cuzco. At Wayllabamba, the trail traverses Mollepata at an altitude of nine thousand and eight hundred feet.

The trail to Machu Picchu spins west at Wayllabamba and ascends towards Warmiwañusca - Dead Woman's Pass. After crossing this pass, the trail slides into Pacaymayu River drainage. The Incan tambo of Runkuraqay is situated one km along this trail at an altitude of twelve thousand three hundred feet. The trail ascends and the forest offers dramatic views of mountains. Here you can also see the valleys of Urubamba and Aobamba. A tiny spur of the trail goes towards Winay Wayna while the main trail leads to Intipata. From Winay Wayna, the route goes towards Machu Picchu. You can reach the Sun Gate or Intipunku from here. The final section of the trail consists of a short walk downward. Overall, the treks around Cusco and Machu Picchu are fun-filled and adventurous.