Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil

29 July 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Julius Dadalti/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Julius Dadalti/cc-by-sa-4.0

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses) is a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the 155,000 ha (380,000-acre) park includes 70 km (43 mi) of coastline, and an interior composed of rolling sand dunes. During the rainy season, the valleys among the dunes fill with freshwater lagoons, prevented from draining due to the impermeable rock beneath. The park is home to a range of species, including four listed as endangered, and has become a popular destination for ecotourists.   read more…

Empanada

5 May 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  20 minutes

© flickr.com - Oskari Kettunen/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Oskari Kettunen/cc-by-2.0

An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spain, other Southern European countries, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish empanar (to bread, i.e., to coat with bread), and translates as ‘breaded’, that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.   read more…

Ceviche

21 April 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Picanteria karol/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Picanteria karol/cc-by-sa-4.0

Ceviche, cebiche, sebiche, or seviche is a dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings, recognized by UNESCO as an expression of Peruvian traditional cuisine and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, although different versions of ceviche are part of the culinary culture of various Spanish-American countries along the Pacific Ocean where each one is native: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. In Peru it is also considered a flagship dish and cultural heritage.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia – Río Gallegos

30 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Base Aérea Militar Río Gallegos © Arcibel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Base Aérea Militar Río Gallegos © Arcibel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Río Gallegos is the capital and largest settlement of the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz in Argentina. Located in the department of Güer Aike, it has a population of about 98,000, according to the 2010 census (INDEC), a 24% increase from the 79,000 in the 2001 census (INDEC). The city bears the name of the Gallegos River, and sits on its estuary 2,636 km (1,638 mi) south from the Argentine federal capital Buenos Aires.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia – Neuquén

29 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Plaza de la Mujer © panoramio.com - martin moran/cc-by-sa-3.0

Plaza de la Mujer © panoramio.com – martin moran/cc-by-sa-3.0

Neuquén is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers which form the Río Negro, making it part of the ecoregion of Alto Valle del Río Negro. The city and surrounding area have a population of more than 340,000, making it the largest city in Patagonia. Along with the cities of Plottier and Cipolletti, it is part of the Neuquén – Plottier – Cipolletti conurbation. Founded in 1904, it is the newest provincial capital city in Argentina.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia – Viedma

28 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Viedma sign © David/cc-by-sa-4.0

Viedma sign © David/cc-by-sa-4.0

Viedma is the capital and fourth largest city of the Río Negro Province, in northern Patagonia, Argentina. The city has 80,632 inhabitants (2020), and is located on the southern margin of the Negro River, about 30 kilometres off the Atlantic Coast, and 960 km from the city of Buenos Aires on the National Route 3.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia – Rawson

27 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Government of the Chubut province © Gobierno del Chubut - chubut.gov.ar/cc-by-4.0

Government of the Chubut province © Gobierno del Chubut – chubut.gov.ar/cc-by-4.0

Rawson is the capital of the Argentine province of Chubut, in Patagonia. It has 24,616 inhabitants in 2010, and it is the chief town of the Rawson Department.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia – Los Glaciares National Park

26 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  3 minutes

Perito Moreno Glacier © flickr.com - Tibby Jones/cc-by-2.0

Perito Moreno Glacier © flickr.com – Tibby Jones/cc-by-2.0

Los Glaciares National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) is a federal protected area in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The park covers an area of 726,927 ha (7,269.27 km²; 2,806.68 sq mi), making it the largest national park in the country. Established on 11 May 1937, it hosts a representative sample of Magellanic subpolar forest and west Patagonian steppe biodiversity in good state of conservation. In 1981, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.   read more…

Theme Week Patagonia

25 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  13 minutes

La Trochita on its Chubut Province route © PatagoniaArgentina/cc-by-sa-3.0

La Trochita on its Chubut Province route © PatagoniaArgentina/cc-by-sa-3.0

Patagonia is a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands and steppes to the east. Patagonia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south.   read more…

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