Story and Photos by: Mittie Roger

When I set off to Machu Picchu, I had no idea that my hiking partner would need an Incan descendent to carry him piggyback down the Camino Inca. Back in Louisiana, where I’m from, I’d trained like an idiot, taking my gator bait dog off leash in the swamps for hours with my fully loaded pack. Porters were out of the question. When I asked if he felt ready, he shrugged. “I’ve done outward bound.”

So off we went, from below sea level to a peak of 12,000 feet, hiking for 4 days through lush, foggy forest and into alpine climbs, pushing aside hallucinogenic Angel’s Trumpets and slurping coco leaf tea. After the first day, his right knee was aching. “Can I put a few things in your pack?” The next day it was the other knee. “I guess I was favoring it,” he said. Some more stuff hopped into my pack.

Cuzco is one of those magical little towns which is packed full of character and intrigue. Nestled high up in the Andes, many visitors often experience a bit of altitude when first arriving. It's best to take it easy and drink plenty of water when trying to adjust for the first day or two. A nice relaxing option, is just wandering around the many narrow, cobblestone laced streets, and experiencing some of the incredible spanish architecture mixed with the peaceful Andean culture. 

This picture was taken on the colouful Caminito Street, in the heart of La Boca. This is definitely a highlight when travelling in Buenos Aires, Argentina. All the tourist guide books will tell you to visit this area, as it's full of art, music and culinary delights.. truly an aphrodisiac of the senses. One thing to be careful of, however, is that the streets surrounding the touristy ones are an area stricken with poverty. The marriage of the two areas unfortunately has lead to slightly escalated levels of pickpocketing. When venturing to this beautiful region, please use good judgement and be wary and protective of your valuables.

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Wandering on any of the Islands in the Galapagos archipelago is truly a wildlife enthusiast's delight! They are just teaming with animals, so incredibly cute, and often quite fascinating in their unique adaptions to the Islands themselves. This little one just woke from a nap under the railing next to the sidewalk (where sidewalks end) as I was strolling past. He stretched out almost as if saying hello!

When in Cusco, a common site to visit is the White Jesus Statue, located close to the Sacsayhuaman Ruins. The tall statue stands atop a hill overlooking the city. I would recommend, unless already acclimatized to the altitude, to take a taxi to the top of the hill before exploring the sites. From there, it is a scenic walk back in to the city, taking roughly 30 mins from top to bottom.

Always a pleasant surprise, when zipping between islands in the Galapagos, dolphins will often put on a show for you playing in the boat's wake! This one, amongst the approximately 50 we saw that day, was exceptionally daring, coming only meters away from the boat. So close you could almost reach out and touch it! Truly a magical place!

There's nothing quite like hiking in the mountains, and Tierra del Fuego National Park is no exception. Literally translated, this is the Land of Fire, found in a place commonly referred to as the "End of the Earth", the landscape is rugged and pristine. If ever visiting Ushuaia, this is a highly recommended day trip, easily accessible by bus!

Going to Carnival was always a dream, and in Feb of 2007 it became a reality. This was my first exposure to Latin America, somewhere I had longed to go to for years. When the opportunity presented itself to be able to go to Brazil during one of the Southern Hemisphere's biggest parties, I thought what better way could there possibly be to dive right in?!

Carnival (and Brazil) can be a bit overwhelming for a first timer to this part of the world. I was fortunate in several ways, as I had some friends to meet up with down there, as well as another friend's Condo to stay in while visiting. This friend had a Brazilian wife, and they had decided to keep their beach side condo in Barra de Tijuca, which is a long beach in the southern end of Rio, nicknamed the Miami of Brazil for it's high end housing, beach side lifestyle and slightly more material driven attitude. Along with the stay at his condo came a few of his wife's family members who made regular visits to make sure we were ok. It was great having a local hand to make suggestions of where to eat, what things should cost, and where the best parties would be. I would strongly recommend making contact with a reliable local upon arriving there so you don't miss any of the action. A good choice is probably the concierge at your hotel, if not with a tour company.

Now the thing about Carnival which you don't always hear about, is that although it is really only over the course of a few days, the excitement starts building weeks before the event. I had arrived almost a week early, and already you could catch the occasional Samba party in the street. The energy you get while there is unlike any other party I've been to in the World! By the time the actual festival began, most of the city had already been going for a couple days at the very least. I remember a couple nights, having just wandered through the streets to different boroughs, party hopping from one beach to another, and the next thing I knew, the sun was rising and I had been out all night. Making our way back to the condo (a fantastic hour bus ride weaving through coast lines and tunnels dug through magnificent mountains, I was never upset at the prospect of having to commute), we occasionally wouldn't arrive until 10:00 the following morning and you could still hear the music and cheering erupting in the streets. It's truly a 24 hour event for at least each day of the festival itself (festival dates can vary drastically from year to year). Often the routine consisted of a quick swim in the ocean, a quick bite to eat, then pass out during the days hottest hours. Up by 16:00 for a quick meal, mix a few homemade Caipirinhas, then back off in to the city for another night of festivities.