Bonnie's South America Travel Blog

Beaches, dune buggies, fishing boats. miscommunication, self-aggrandizement and trickery mark the challenges the remaining ten teams of the Amazing Race face in achieving success, or not, in northeastern Brazil.

Keep up with all the action in The Amazing Race Episodes in South America.

Photo of fishing boats along a Fortaleza beach thanks to ClipArt.com.

Fordors advises travelers to Deal in local currency: "Before you charge something, ask the merchant whether or not he or she plans to do a dynamic currency conversion (DCC). In such a transaction the credit-card processor (a shop, restaurant, or hotel, for instance) converts the currency and charges you in dollars. In most cases you'll pay the merchant a 3% fee for this service in addition to any credit-card company and issuing-bank foreign-transaction surcharges. DCC is optional—speak up to avoid these hidden charges. American Express card carriers needn't bother; DCC is not offered at all."

Exchange Your Money where feasible for small purchases, local transportation, tips, and the like.

This view of the Lost City of Machu Picchu, seen from Huayna Picchu, presents a different perspective on the terraces, scope and intricacy of the ruins. Note: Machu Picchu means Old Mountain in the local dialect and Huayna Picchu is Young Peak.

Click on the photo or the link for more information about this prime destination in Peru. Do you have a photo that you'd like to see featured as our photo of the week? If you do, send it to me via the Submit a Photo Form.

Photograph displayed with the kind permission of Katie Duran

Death and distress on the Orinoco (BBC News): 'In Venezuela, a mysterious disease has killed nearly 40 people from indigenous river communities. In one village, 10% of the population has died. James Ingham investigates."

The account relates the living conditions of the Warao community, the disease and the effects.

So far, the disease appears to be isolated to these river groups, but travelers should observe all the safety and health precautions listed in Health Matters.

Learn more about Venezuela and the Orinoco.

Photo of a native dwelling on the Orinoco is displayed with the kind permission of Peter and Jackie Main.

Chilean visitors spend over US$100 million a year in Tacna, Peru (Living in Peru): "Every year, Chilean citizens spend over one hundred million dollars in Tacna in medical services, Peruvian clothes...hotels, restaurants and handicrafts among other things."

Tacna is Peru's southernmost city, and an easy reach across the border from Arica, Chile via the PanAmerican Highway.

Patagonia 'Base Jump' alarms Chile authorities (Patagonia Times): "Torres del Paine Grand Circuit administrators plan to increase park security next season after discovering that a group of six Russians conducted an unauthorized base jump off one of the park's steep mountain slopes last summer. Administrators plan to increase the number of park rangers and have asked the Carabineros (Chile's uniformed police) for help controlling climbing permits given to foreigners."

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is a world-renowned area with mountain ranges up to 9000 ft, including the spectacular Cuernos del Paine at 6300 ft. Thousands of visitors annually come to trek, camp, mountain climb, hike and ride through the park on any of the numerous trails or stay in lodgings and venture out on daily walks.

Photo of the famed Torres del Paine granite peaks is displayed with the kind permission of Peter and Jackie Main. Enjoy more images with the Torres del Paine Grand Circuit.

The thirteenth season of the Amazing Race adventure reality show begins in world famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and jets off to its first stop of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Pity the competing teams have to dash through this historic city without learning its history or partaking in the vivid culture. but you don't have to. You can linger among the cobblestoned streets, admire colonial architecture, sights of the bay, and adjust your pace to the tempo of Brazilian music.

Photo of visitors to the district of Pelourinho and the old cathedral in the background thanks to ClipArt.com.

Green is the byword for living a more nature-friendly lifestyle. It also applies to travel in the form of eco-tourism, which has become more popular in the last decade or so.

The Amazon, described by the Weather Channel, is definitely green! "Often described as the "Lungs of our Planet" — as it alone produces 20% of the earth's oxygen — the remarkable Amazon rainforest surrounds the world's largest river system and supports thousands of plant, bird, mammal, and aquatic species in the 1.2 billion acres it occupies."

Read more about the area, referrred to often as Amazonia to cover all the Amazon region. The Amazon river system starts in the highlands of Peru, makes it way, joined by many tributaries from Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana to flow through a vast area of northern Brazil to reach the Atlantic ocean.

Photo of the muddy waters of the mighty Amazon thanks to Arttoday.com. For more views, enjoy the Amazon Sampler Photo Gallery

'Amazing Race' hits the road again: Bolivia, Kazakhstan are new destinations (Detroit Free Press): "La Paz, Bolivia, is the most extraordinary city. We fly in and climb from there up to this place where the teams have to perform with cholitas, or female wrestlers, " says Amazing Race host Phil Keogh.

For more information about this series, browse the Amazing Race, Season 13 which premieres Sunday, September 28th, 2008.

Do you enjoy this adventure reality series? You can catch up with previous Amazing Race Episodes in South America.

Explore La Paz.

Photo of the La Paz skyline thanks to ArtToday.com. For more views of the city that touches the sky, as the Bolivians call it, enjoy the La Paz City Tour

Cartagena's colonial charm and the old walled city, the Ciudad Amarullada, with tiled roofs, balconies and flower-filled courtyards, beckons visitors to stroll the narrow streets or to enjoy a vacation getaway.

One of Colombia's most visited destinations, Cartagena is easily accessuble and not soon forgotten.

Click on the link or the photo for more information about Cartagena, Colombia.

Do you have a photo that you'd like to see featured as our photo of the week? If you do, send it to me via the Submit a Photo Form.

Photo of these colonial buildings is displayed with the kind permission of Jane Susan Elliff-Glennon.