Colors and Flavors of Arica

Northern Chile is a desert – more specifically, part of the Atacama Desert: the driest hot desert in the world. And yet, it is dotted with oases in which are grown a variety of fruits and vegetables of exceptional quality and size. The fruit and vegetable market Mercado Central Municipal was among the best I’ve ever seen, anywhere. It made me want to rent an apartment for a few weeks and do some serious cooking.

Arica's fruit and veggie market

You could eat two different kinds of avocado every day for a week and still not try them all. Continue reading

Las Escobas Springs Reserve (Guatemala)

Our third stop, and my second new country on this trip, was Santo Tomas, Guatemala. Here, my husband and I went on different excursions. I chose a visit to Las Escobas Springs Reserve, which is part of the Cerro San Gil Protected Area, one of the last remaining tracts of very humid tropical forests within Central America. The Nature Conservancy and its partner, Fundación para el Desarrollo y la Conservación (FUNDAECO), are working to conserve this incredibly important rainforest.

Natural pool seen through trees Continue reading

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