Colonial Crossing

... are as diverse as they are beautiful; allowed me to experience firsthand - ancient Mayan empires, colourful villages, charming colonial towns, vibrant markets and fine beaches. Travelling the length and breadth of this diverse region, whilst compiling ...

... arrived in the city around 2am.  Old Quito Quito is basically divided into two parts, the Old Quito, with its beautiful colonial architecture, and the New Quito, which just feels like any other developing city with some parts that look very poor and ...

... of the many tours. We got to the island from River Heads on a short ferry cruise across the Great Sandy Strait. The crossing was pretty uneventful apart from a few picture opportunities of some of the views. Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand ...

... all the remains of the huge church after a fire destroyed the rest of it. Then there's dozens of Portuguese colonial houses, villas and churches scattered between the newer highrises. The colonial highlight is, strangely enough, the protestant ...

... quaint city and immediately I felt good here. It reminded me of Antigua, Guatemala, very narrow cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial architecture and with the volcanic mountains in the background it could easily pass for "La Antigua". What I especially ...

... as the Pearl of the Orient. Georgetown is on the northeastern corner of the island, it's a bustling compact city full of colonial architecture, temples and museums. We're staying in the old colonial district, inbetween the large Chinatown area and the ...

... stay and both were side by side on the central plaza. The nicest of the two was Posada Casa Calibri. This charming colonial house offered spacious, well appointed en suite rooms - with high ceilings, a nice common area, kitchen and veranda. ...

... stayed, is the oldest barrio in BA, the heart of tango culture and is a beautiful collection of old colonial buildings surrounding cobblestone streets.  This blue collar neighborhood is as filled with parillas, guesthouses and ...

... same and they just call it Choroni) are also known for its boombastic parties with tambores (Afro drums, inherited from the colonial period) during the weekends. During the week it´s quiet, but many Venezuleans decide to spend the weekend. I am staying ...

... ;prison (or the 'Hanoi Hilton' as it was known) which has eerie sculptures of Vietnamese prisoners in the colonial times and a ghoulish preserved guillotine. It also has some photos of John McCain having his war wounds ...

... given him these $14 but instead they went to the government. I hop on the drivers seat and drive away: this marathon border crossing took us almost 3 hours. Two minutes later we get stopped by a traffic cop. He goes through the documents and lets us go. ...

... contrast to Xiamen and looks a bit like a peninsular on the French mediterranean until you get close. There are many crumbling colonial mansions including an (ex) British consulate and similar for the US. Some of the buildings are lived in and some ...

Wednesday 23rd January 2008, Montevideo/Colonial Sacramento, Uruguay max temp 26C Rating - suitable for all unless you are an insect lover   It was just a short stay in Montevideo and after waking up we quickly packed and headed back to the bus ...

... her eyes and we walked slowly ahead on a determined path, trying to ignore the motorbikes weaving around us without slowing. Another crossing... and again the same chaos - you have to trust that the motorbikes will go around you as they judge your path. ...

... walked up the hill and found the main church of Copacabana.  The Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana is a 16th century Spanish colonial shrine that houses the image of the Virgin of Copacabana.  Our Lady of Copacabana is, in fact, the patron ...

... to explore the capital city. Quito is a modern, cosmopolitan city with a population close to 2 million, and has a well-preserved colonial centre that was declared a world heritage cultural site by UNESCO in 1978. It has a wonderful location, high in an ...

... 17 different little "scenes" about dragons, agriculture, fishing, etc. It was very playful and so much fun and we really enjoyed it.   All in all, a very full, educational, entertaining, adventurous (street crossing, of course) few days! ...

... one which would take 8 hrs and one which would take 15 hrs to my destination. Despite being known as the ´Worst border crossing in South America´, I chose the quickest route. I caught a bus to Machala and then to Huaquillas on the border. Partially ...

... . Due to this, the whole city has a very English feel to it, with every street in the old centre being lined with colonial style buildings. As soon as we arrived in Georgetown we had a good feeling about the place. The evening streets were really quiet ...

... place for fast food. Instead, a lot of appropriately decorated places that blend nicely into the picturesque streets and colonial buildings of Colonia's Barrio Histórico. Some strategically parked classic cars make the picture complete. I've totalled a ...

... number of small waterfront restaurants before heading back to our guest house for a hot shower before dinner. The traffic is really busy, crossing the road is a nightmare, they keep to the basics like they drive on the right hand side, but to turn into ...