South America

An American expat returns to her adopted home in Santiago, Chile. While undergoing the mandatory quarantine, she finds ample time to reflect on the people and places left behind. My…

A traveler in Peru finds more adventure than she bargained for when her tour boat’s engine unexpectedly dies in the middle of the Amazon. “There’s the boat, I see it…

A mugging in the colorful port town of Valparaíso, Chile, helps a traveler understand the country’s troubled past and turbulent present. When I was in Chile, I got mugged.  It…

In a music-filled square in Cartagena, Colombia, travelers and refugees drink beer, swap stories, and attempt to bridge a cultural chasm. The air was heavy with water, sweat, and music.…

A scuba diver-in-training finds herself facing her fear more than 100 feet underwater off the coast of Colombia. The water ahead is so dark that it seems to be actively…

While lounging in the hot springs of Baños, Ecuador, a traveler encounters a stranger who attempts to predict her romantic future. Grey nose hair is the first thing I see…

Trinidad and Tobago’s annual J’ouvert festival wakes a traveler and pulls her into the traditional madness and revelry of the day. In the early hours of a February Monday, I…

A writer researching the Kolla peoples of Argentina hears the story of their fight for freedom from an elderly nurse and former slave. The first time I met Saturnino Vargas,…

In the mystifying tango salons of Argentina, a writer attempts to mend a broken heart. A woman dressed in black is sitting alone inside a café, and I wonder if…