A chance encounter at the Doheny Blues Festival two years ago proved to be a pivotal moment for North Park blues woman Whitney Shay, who met a Brazilian guitarist/concert promoter named Igor Prado. “A couple …
May 24, 2017
South America
Whitney Shay's "away" game
Máncora, not Monaco
Máncora, not Monaco, is the destination for the jet-setting crowd of Peru. This beachside resort town is on the Pacific Ocean, near the country’s northernmost border that it shares with Ecuador. Think sun, surf, and …
September 19, 2016
Latin America's "Gringo Trail"
The "Gringo Trail" refers to the well-trodden backpacker route within Latin America, encompassing Mexico and Central & South America. In 2015 I spent 3 months on "the trail." This region of the world is so …
September 7, 2016
Former U-T owner sees future in oil
Former Union-Tribune owner Douglas Manchester reported last month that he purchased 16.3 percent of GeoPark Limited, a Santiago, Chile–based oil-and-gas exploration and production company. Manchester's purchase of 9.7 million shares for around $30 million makes …
June 24, 2016
The half-expected hazards of a taxi ride in Brazil
Rush job – a rush job summoned me into action. By no means could I depend on public transportation in Natal, Brazil (where I'd ended up due to strategic miscalculations as a travel addict). A …
March 13, 2016
Pailon del Diablo will make you a believer
Rio Verde is a small Ecuadorean puebla in the center of the country. Nestled between two tunnels on a mountainous road, the one and only entrance can be easily missed. Fortunately there are signs and …
December 15, 2015
Music video number zwei
How do we get to music video number zwei in our curated playlist? We started with Beethoven's Fifth and then we found out about Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic creating a Fifth virtual …
September 24, 2015
Go away, Professor Baker
A book just came out on November 28 which thinks it’s going to expose Venezuela’s El Sistema as a tyrannical and corrupt petty kingdom. The author published an article about his findings in The Guardian. …
December 5, 2014
Macchu Picchu, in style
It’s a well-worn theme, that of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. But bear with me: this time – my fifth – we did it in luxury, an experience so alien to me as a …
May 31, 2014
Faith at Lima's witches market
Sometimes the power of belief is the most important part of a medical treatment. At the witches' market in Lima, Peru, the curanderos gather in early morning, setting up their stalls and hanging their banners. …
February 24, 2014
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The landlocked (and usually overlooked) country of Bolivia in South America is home to the largest salt flats in the world, visible by astronauts in space. The Salar de Uyuni is 25 times larger than …
January 20, 2014
Chillin' in El Chaltén
In South America, religious icons are as common as sunrise, and shrines are ubiquitous. But a shrine studded with cigarette packs, bottles of beer and decks of playing cards? Welcome to El Chaltén, Argentina – …
December 6, 2013
Caño Cristales, Colombia
The army sharpshooter looks us up and down, his anti-guerrilla livery emblazoned on a tightly wound bandana. He establishes quickly that we represent no threat, shows us his rifle and smiles, revealing braces. Incongruous, I …
October 20, 2013
Perception vs. reality: Peru's Amazon
My wife and I were deep in the Amazonian rainforest of northern Peru, traveling on a small river boat. Our local guide, Uciel, was born and raised in this tropical jungle, and his passion for …
July 30, 2013
Los Llanos: wild Colombia
If you look at a map of Colombia in South America, you see a huge region in eastern Colombia comprising sprawling, seasonally flooded plains that have been ignored by tourists due to their location (former …
July 11, 2013