South American towns like Cusco and San Pedro de Atacama lie buried under throngs of tourists. However, three of Minas Gerais’s colonial gems wait for foreign discovery. The settlements of São João del Rei, Tiradentes, and Ouro Preto belong to the...
My bus descended into a valley, with fields full of vegetables. We stop at an army checkpoint. The military searches the local males, especially the young ones. They leave me alone. Arriving at the small bus station, I try to roll my bag down the cobblestone streets,...
Envision two cities worlds apart. You fly from one to the other, leaving a world of poverty, dirt, and crowded roads for intense cleanness, organization, and streets that work. Here’s a tale of a pair of such places. The taxi pulls in front of my hotel in Paharganj...
Where can you find an array of houses with multicolour door frames, windows and balconies? Nearby, very tall palms with lanky trunks grow in a valley surrounded by rounded green hills, accessible by taking a “Willy”, no not that willy. Welcome to Salento. Getting...
Barichara captivated me with its charm. I arrived after a 45-minute bus trip from San Gil, where nothing hinted at this colonial masterpiece. The village lies on the side of a hill, which descends on the Suarez River Canyon on one side. Green mountains lie on the...
