south america

2 posts

Views of Three Southernmost Points

big_island_2007As 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 →

An Afternoon In Arica, Chile

Preface: In December 2010, I traveled over 4,000 miles by bus from Lima, Peru, all the way to the tip of South America in Ushuaia, Argentina. After my Peruvian leg, I took a break and hung out in Arica, near the Peruvian and Bolivian borders with Chile. It is a port town in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth.

After a light-hearted moment at the border, in which I had to pantomime to customs officials what the beef jerky in my backpack was, I reached the extraordinarily clean city of Arica. After my stint in Peru, I grew accustomed to a moderate level of general filth. Arica’s prosperity became quickly apparent as I saw two metrosexual dudes zip past me in a BMW Z3 with the top down. Continue reading →