Since 2007, I have been traveling the length of the Western Hemisphere, incrementally, by bus. The trips have, for the most part, followed the Pan-American Highway, which stretches from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, next to the Arctic Ocean, down to Ushuaia, Argentina, in Tierra del Fuego. I am 90% done, having held out Colombia until the peace process with the FARC rebels is a done deal. Here, I will share pictures from this journey, from north to south. Enjoy. Continue reading
pan-american highway
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The Darien Gap, a roadless swath of jungle, separates Panama from Colombia, North America from South America. Panama does not want the two countries and continents connected because of leftist rebels in Colombia, cocaine trafficking, human smuggling, and foot-and-mouth disease.
This month, I took a 2,500 kilometer bus trip from Guatemala to the Darien Gap. Yaviza, population 6,000, marks the southern terminus of the Pan-American Highway and the beginning of the Gap. No matter where you live in North America– Toronto, DC, Dallas, Atlanta, LA– if you kept driving south, you would end up in Yaviza. Continue reading
As an unorthodox traveler, I, by default, choose unorthodox destinations. Here are three.
1. Southernmost point of the 50 United States. Ka Lae (South Point), Big Island of Hawaii.
Subjectively, this is the most fascinating of the three. A 12-mile roughly paved road leads you from the main ring road that hugs the circumference of the Big Island to South Point. It is very windy, as evidenced by the funny looking trees; the huge, rusting windmills; and well, the wind. Once in a while, cattle will randomly appear. Continue reading