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Hello from Anguilla. This is the final podcast in our nine-week odyssey through the Caribbean.
Anguilla is a popular alternative to St. Martin, which you can see from the southern end of the island.
Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination? For example, instead of going to Miami, seeing the Florida Keys. Or checking out the East Bay instead of San Francisco? We’d love to hear about your favorite alternates today.
Anguilla is filled with almost indescribable beauty. This is what you see when you check into Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club. Pretty spectacular.
The hotels in Anguilla have a friendly rivalry for the best views. Here’s the one from Zemi Beach House, another luxury hotel. That’s a private poll overlooking the beach.
All of these hotels have impressive environmental programs, which I will be writing about in the last installment of my sustainability series.
We’ve really enjoyed bringing you our unfiltered opinions from the Caribbean for the last nine weeks. We’re taking a few weeks off for Memorial Day and will be reporting from another part of the world soon.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination?
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Hello from Antigua!
If you like romantic islands with warm blue waters and lots of all-inclusive resorts, you’re going to love this place.
But it’s also a seismically active area. This week, we experienced a small earthquake. Which brings me to our question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.
We took a long walk while we were staying at Keyonna Beach Antigua Resort and saw things we’ve never seen. Enormous conch, laughing gulls, and crabs sparring in the clear water. If you like swimming in a warm, translucent ocean, this is the place to visit.
Breakfast at the Carlisle Bay Antigua. There’s so much to choose from. And that’s quite a view! We’ll share more about our experiences in Antigua in the podcast (Here’s a preview: If you like romance, book your ticket to Antigua. We met so many honeymooners this week.)
This kitten was hanging out in front of my room at Keyonna yesterday. Antigua is exceptionally pet-friendly. And you know, the cats think it’s all for them (which it is).
We have some big news of our own: Aren has finished is coursework for his MA in applied linguistics from the University of Massachussetts, so he is now officially my full-time photographer and podcast editor. Maybe we’ll take one more spin around the world before the next big thing — whatever that is.
Thanks for listening to our podcast. We’ll be in Anguilla next week, the final island in this series.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe -
Puuttuva jakso?
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Hello from Barbados!
This is a fascinating island and there’s a lot going on here.
Before I get to the details, here’s this week’s question: Tell me about the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels. We’re asking because Aren is trying to learn how to dive, and it hasn’t been easy. We’ll talk about it in the podcast.
Barbados has the best sunsets. Here’s what we saw on our first evening on the island. I remember my editor’s stories of seeing the Green Flash here. Alas, no flash on the evening I took this photo.
We did a quick rewind to Grenada and our visit with Atebo, our Rastafarian farmer friend. I don’t recognize many of these fruits, which is great. We’re always learning something new. My story on sustainability in Grenada just came out this morning.
Lunch at Villa Casablanca. This is one of the benefits of traveling during the off-season. We loved this part of our island experience.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels? I realize it’s a pretty open-ended question, but have fun with it. The comments are open.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe -
Hello from Grenada, a small Caribbean island just north of Trinidad and Tobago.
Grenada is called the spice island because they grow everything here — allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. When they burn wood, you feel like it’s the holidays because you smell all the spices.
All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had during your travels? (In the podcast, I’ll share my story of thermonuclear Mexican food in Santa Fe.)
That’s a cinnamon tree. You can spend all day sniffing one of these and imagining it’s Thanksgiving back in the States.
By the way, the signature drink here is cocoa tea, and you absolutely have to try it. It’s dark chocolate and a combination of spices. We can’t get enough of it!
In 1983, the U.S. invaded Grenada. They blew up this Russian plane, which is still parked near the old runway. The airport moved to the other side of the island and the runway is being used for drag races today.
We’ll have more from Grenada, including the rest of our island tour and how we discovered some of the best chocolate in the world.
Don’t forget today’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had in your travels?
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Greetings from Curaçao!
Today, I have something completely different: I strapped on some dive gear and accompanied lionfish huntress Lisette Keus on an expedition. Keus runs an organization called Lionfish Caribbean that turns these invasive creatures into bracelets, earrings and keychains.
It’s all part of the island’s sustainability efforts.
Here’s this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in? I’m talking about a property that went way beyond the “recycle your towels” sign in the bathroom.
Lionfish are beautiful but deadly creatures that came here from the Indo-Pacific. They’ve been called the perfect invaders because they have no natural predators and can reproduce quickly.
Keus told me she has “a lot of respect” for lionfish — and catching them is not easy. They hide under rocks during the day and are really difficult to spot. Controlling the lionfish population is an essential part of reef conservation. I’ll tell you what it’s like to hunt lionfish in the podcast.
It’s not the only conservation effort taking place on the island. Here’s Gary Farstad, the general manager of the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, with an ornamental starfish made from recycled plastic that washes up on the beach. You can find this recycled art all over the hotel.
Art made from recovered plastics is everywhere in Curaçao, including the narrow streets of Otrobanda, the historic “other side” or Willemstad. Local guide Stanley Flores shows Aren a display made out of plastic bottles.
By the way, here’s the next installment in my series on sustainability on Aruba’s efforts to go green. I just posted it this morning.
Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the greenest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
We’ll be in Grenada next week. I’ll see you there!
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Bon dia from Aruba!
People here refer to it as “one happy island” without irony, so we will try to refrain from irony in this podcast.
I’m here to write about Arbua’s sustainability efforts, so we are not doing the usual touristy activities, like lying on the beach, snorkeling and making donuts in ATVs. (OK, to be honest, we wouldn’t do that, anyway.)
Speaking of happy islands, our question of the week is about destination slogans that don’t live up to their promise. We’d love to hear about yours. We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.
This is the Shoco, Aruba’s famous burrowing owl. We saw several of them on our birdwatching/sustainability tour with our friend Michael. It’s hard to understate the fragility of Arbua’s ecosystem. All it takes is one ATV to cross a roped-off area accidentally, and this owl is history. We’ll have more about this in the podcast.
The north side of Aruba is uninhabited and very windy but beautiful. You can hike among the rocks and watch the waves come crashing ashore.
As you head south, you get to the developed part of Palm Beach. On this day, just before sunset, there was almost no wind, and the ocean was like a sheet of glass. If you keep driving south to Baby Beach, you can see the coastline of Venezuela.
Don’t forget this week’s question about destination slogans that didn’t quite live up to their promises. I can’t wait to read your comments!
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Bon dia from Bonaire! We’re in the Dutch Caribbean right off the coast of Venezuela — and boy, what an interesting place! Reminds me a lot of my old home in the Florida Keys.
Speaking of which, here’s this week’s question: What’s your favorite doppelganger destination? I’m talking about a place you visited that reminded you of another place. (I can’t stop thinking of the Keys while I’m here.)
We spent a few days at Buddy Dive Resort, checking out their Reef Renewal program. The shop is part of an island-wide effort to replant depleted coral.
Caitie Reza of Reef Renewal Bonaire showed us how they are restoring the reef. It’s hard work and requires almost constant maintenance. We’ll have more in the podcast and in my upcoming story on sustainability and tourism in the Caribbean.
The culinary highlight: Having lunch with Saeed from Nature Cooking School. It’s so inspiring to see the school grow its own vegetables on the island.
There may be no better place on the planet to learn how to windsurf. I wasn’t going to risk another fall after that ski injury, so I took pictures.
Hey, don’t forget this week’s question about doppelganger destinations. Tell me your favorite one, and we’ll read your comments in our next podcast.
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Ola from Panamá City. We’re in Casco Viejo, a historic part of the city known for its colonial architecture, presidential palace — and boatloads of tourists.
Oh yeah, and there’s a canal here, too.
All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the most impressive public works project you’ve ever visited? The Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal, and the Three Gorges Dam top our list. How about yours?
In the Panama Canal, you can get really close to the container ships. These behemoths of the seas hum and vibrate as they churn through the water. Easy to see how one of these could knock down a bridge; they’re massive.
Still, we kept a polite distance from the ships.
This is the Sofitel Legend in Casco Viejo. In 1989, believing Gen. Manuel Noriega was hiding in the building, U.S. forces leveled it. It’s now a luxury hotel with a terrific view of the canal and Panamá City. We’ll have details in the podcast.
Many of the buildings in Casco Viejo used to be divided into apartments. About two decades ago, investors started to buy the historic properties to restore them to their former glory. The Amarla is a boutique hotel that has a lot of character and a very memorable sweet potato appetizer.
Hey, don’t forget this week’s question about impressive public works projects. We’ll read your comments in next week’s podcast.
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Olá one last time from Rio!
This week, we experienced everything — a heatwave, monsoon rains and a double dose of Brazilian culture.
One of the highlights was a visit to the Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, a modernist church based on the Mayan pyramids. It’s one of the most awe-inspiring cathedrals I’ve ever seen. (I’ll share a picture in a minute.)
And that brings us to this week’s question: What’s the most impressive religious monument you’ve ever visited in your travels? Whether it’s a shrine in Japan or a cathedral in France, we’d love to hear about it. And please tell us why it was so meaningful to you.
This is the interior of the Rio Cathedral. Really, we’ve never seen anything like it, and we highly recommend you check it out if you’re in Brazil. Even if aren’t religious, you’ll appreciate the architecture and the attention to detail in this one-of-a-kind building.
One of the other highlights was the Rio Carnaval Experience. It’s a workshop where people create the floats and displays that you see during Rio’s famous Carnaval parade. We’ll have more in the podcast.
They even teach you how to dance the Samba in this fully immersive experience. We admired the skill of these dancers from a safe distance.
Ah, but you can’t escape the Carnaval! At the end of our tour, it was dress-up time. If we had actually participated in a Carnaval parade, this is what Aren and I might have looked like.
These costumes are heavy, and I’m not sure how people dance in them in the summer heat without passing out.
Thank you for joining us in Rio for the last few weeks. It’s been a lot of fun! We’re headed to Central America next. Stay tuned for details.
Don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most impressive religious monument you’ve ever visited in your travels?
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Hello from Rio!
Today’s episode is unapologetically touristy. We’re hitting all the highlights, from Cristo Redentor to the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. One is an underrated national treasure, the other is an overrated attraction with next-level crowds.
Speaking of crowds, here’s this week’s question: What is the worst crowd you’ve ever experienced while traveling? I’m talking Tokyo Subway, New Year’s in Manhattan-level crowds. Please share your comments, and we’ll read them in the next podcast.
This is Rio’s signature attraction, Christ the Redeemer. It’s a 98-foot Art Deco statue overlooking the city on Corcovado mountain. It’s on everyone’s bucket list, and rightfully so. There’s a stunning view of Rio below. But …
The crowds are next-level. On Friday morning, it was madness at the top of the mountain. We took our pictures and then bolted. Our recommendation? Visit during the off-season if you can. We’ll tell you more about our visit in the podcast.
Rio’s botanical garden is a national treasure. There’s a better view of the statue from the fountain, and it’s far more serene. Pro tip: Visit the orchidarium, which contains hundreds of rare and beautiful orchids that you can only find in this part of the world.
Of course, there are also the famous beaches of Rio, like Ipanema and Copacabana. They are some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen, but also crowded and a little rowdy at night. Better to visit during the early morning when the sun is still low on the horizon and everyone is sleeping off their hangovers.
We’ll have more from Rio next week.
Please don’t forget our question: What is the worst crowd you’ve ever experienced while traveling?
The comments are open.
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Hello again from São Paulo, where the big party is well underway. I’m happy to report that we’ve survived the chaos of Carnaval so far. Details are in this week’s podcast.
Here’s this week’s question: The State Department has issued warnings for several popular spring destinations. Are there any places that are on your “DO NOT VISIT” list for 2024? Please share your place in the comments.
In the podcast, we talk about how tight security is at Carnaval. They got Aren and frisked him. He doesn’t look suspicious at all, right?
Here’s one of the samba schools waiting to start the parade. Those are some big crawfish up there. We attended the festivities early before the real “fun” started, so we didn’t get carried away. (Also, neither of us drinks, which limits our opportunities to get into trouble.)
Yes, this is Aren the next day at the art museum. The São Paulo Museum of Modern Art of the smallest art museums we’ve been to, but the art was pretty interesting. I think this is more our speed. Also, it’s much safer.
Speaking of safety, please don’t forget this week’s question: Which destinations are on your “DO NOT VISIT” list this year? We’ll read your comments in the next podcast.
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Olá from São Paulo!
It’s our second week in South America’s biggest city, and we’re starting to find our way around this fasinating place. Carnaval is only a few days away and you can feel the anticipation building.
Here’s this week’s question: Have you ever been in town for the “main” event (like Carnaval in Rio or Oktoberfest in Munich)? I’d love to hear your story in the comments. We’ll ready our comments in our next podcast, as always.
Brazil has some of the best passionfruit in the world, and they are huge compared to the kind you find in Hawaii, Southeast Asia or Madeira. We have been hopping between grocery stories in São Paulo to find the tastiest maracujá. I think the passionfruit at Carrefour is the best (I know, technically, that’s a French grocery store).
We’ll talk more about our favorite passionfruit in the podcast.
This is the MuseuAfroBrasil, a museum that highlights the importance of African people in the formation of Brazilian culture. We found a lot of interesting art and exhibits that explain the link between Africa and Brazil.
This was the most arresting display: The hull of a ship used to transport slaves to Brazil. It’s much smaller than you can imagine. Most visitors just walk around the ship in silence. We’ll talk more about the MuseuAfroBrasil in the podcast this week. If you visit São Paulo, you don’t want to miss this museum.
We’re bracing for Carnaval, which starts in just a few days. Even though Rio is known for the festival, they have a huge parade here and they’re already starting to close off city blocks for the festivities. I’m not sure if we dare go out after dark. We’ll have an update next week.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever been in town for the “main” event? If so, we want to hear about it.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe -
Oi from São Paulo! We survived our first few days in Brazil’s biggest city. You were probably wondering if we would after last week’s podcast.
Before I tell you what happened, here’s our question of the week: If you didn’t have the passport you did, which one would you want? Please leave your answer in the comments.
We wandered into all kinds of neighborhoods in the city before finding our way back to our apartment yesterday. Some of them were not so safe. I’ll explain what happened (and how we got through it) in this week’s podcast.
A fern-covered tree in Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo’s version of Central Park. The park is full of people exercising on a Saturday morning, but once you get off the beaten path, it’s quiet and it feels almost remote. I have a feeling we’ll be coming back here.
You know what they say? They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil. This is the coffee aisle in our local supermarket. We couldn’t decide which one to get. I think we’re going to do a coffee shop tour while we’re here. They take their coffee very seriously in São Paulo.
By the way, if you’ve ever been to Brazil, we’d love to get your recommendations for places to visit and feature in an upcoming podcast.
Oh, and don’t forget this week’s question: Which passport do you covet?
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Greetings from Montevideo, Uruguay!
Fainá is a flatbread made of dried chickpeas, water, olive oil, salt and pepper. It’s a signature dish of Montevideo — and in this episode, we discover the best fainá in town.
And that brings us to this week’s question: What is the most memorable national dish you’ve ever had in your travels? Please leave your comments. We’ll read them and respond to them in our next podcast.
Here we are in our tiny apartment in Montevideo, sampling Uruguayan flatbread. Like everything else in the city, fainá is pricey. Two servings set us back anywhere from $6 to $10. We’ll tell you which place was our favorite in the podcast.
Mandatory shot of the Palacio Salvo in the center of town. You go there once and then you return to your neighborhood for the rest of your visit. It’s very touristy and the locals warn that it can be dangerous.
Montevideo has some of the most beautiful buildings we’ve seen in South America. Unfortunately, many of them are in desperate need of restoration. This one is now being used as a music school. We’ll have more on our architecture adventures in the podcast.
Don’t forget this week’s question: What is the most memorable national dish you’ve ever had in your travels?
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Holiiii from Montevideo! We survived our adventure on the Chilean volcano, crossed the Andes, and now, here we are.
This week, we’re talking about Southern Hemisphere hotspots where you can escape the cold. We’ll give you our advice on the best places in today’s podcast.
But before we go there, here’s our question of the week. This part of Latin America is famous for its political turmoil, so we want to know: What’s the most unstable place you’ve ever visited?
Speaking of instability, here’s a look at Villarrica volcano the morning we left Pucon, Chile. Yep, that’s lava up there. The volcano could erupt at any time. We’ll have more on our adventures of climbing the volcano in the podcast. You can also read my feature on indigenous tourism in Forbes.
Here’s the volcano by day. That’s Aren with our guide. The ascent takes about six hours. We weren’t allowed to go to the top because the volcano was too volatile.
Crossing the Andes on our way to Uruguay yesterday. Ski season is only a few months away!
Montevideo has one of the coolest-looking airports in the Americas. But before Aren calls his ride, he needed to get that eSIM card working.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: What’s the most unstable place you’ve ever visited? The comments are open.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe -
Mari Mari from Pucón, Chile. That’s how the indigenous people greet each other in Mapuzungun, the language of the Mapuche.
We’re in central Chile's Lake District, a place with a blue sky and a large lake overlooked by the not-so-dormant Villarrica volcano. At night, you can see the glow of the lava contrasting against the snow. (We’re headed up there tomorrow.)
Last week’s question was about pre-departure rituals. So this week, we’re asking: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a new destination?
The first item on our agenda? A visit to the grocery store. We’ll explain everything in the podcast.
That’s Aren and Mauricio, the village chief. Mauricio was kind enough to share some Mapuche stories with us, which we’ll tell you more about in the podcast.
The Mapuche have struggled for centuries to maintain their culture and identity. We feel very lucky to have met Mauricio and his family.
Our Mapuche friends also showed us how to weave. It is quite complicated and takes skill — and patience.
On May 22, 1960, a 9.5 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of southern Chile, spawning a tsunami that leveled the town below. The Pacific continues to gnaw away at the land. Just before we arrived, the ocean claimed part of this cliff, leaving the boardwalk teetering on the edge.
We’ll be back next week with more pictures from Pucón — if we survive the volcano.
Don’t forget our question this week: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a new destination?
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Hola one last time from Santiago, Chile.
It’s out last week in the Chilean capital, so we thought we’d talk about what we do before we leave a destination.
And that brings me to this week’s question: What do you do before you leave a place? Do you have a pre-trip ritual or a favorite thing you always do before you go? Our comments are open — and we’ll read yours in our next podcast.
The ciabatta in Chile is excellent, and definitley on our our pre-departure list. Throw them in the toaster and slice fresh avocado on top. Mmmm. We will miss this part of Chile, along with the incredible produce. More on that in the podcast.
Our daily walk up the mountain in Metropolitan Park of Santiago. The sign is there in case you forget where you are. (I’m kidding; it’s there for people who want to take selfies to share with their followers — gotcha!) We’ll talk about our daily hike in this week’s podcast.
There’s snow up there in the Andes. And you know what that means? We have to come back in July to go skiing. I will try not to get into another accident, but I make no promises!
Pre-departure breakfast in our rental. Aren discovered how to make yerba mate while we are here and now he’s a little overcaffeinated. Something tells me this will be an issue for as long as we’re in Latin America.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: What do you do before you leave a place?
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Hola from the Andes mountains. We're in San Alfonso, Chile, at a place called Cascada de Las Ánimas, or Waterfall of the Spirits.
What a great place to end 2023.
All of which brings me to this week’s question: What was your favorite destination of the year? And where are you going next year? (You can answer both for bonus points!) As always, we’ll read your comments in our next podcast.
To get to the waterfalls from Santiago, you have to drive about two hours south and into the Andes. It looks a little bit like Northern California, but the mountains remind you of South Africa.
Aren and I love fresh fruit, so we were happy to discover a medlar tree along the river.
Medlar is delicious. It's sweet but also tart. We spent a few minutes peeling and eating medlar. It was one of the highlights of our adventure.
The Maipo River is unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s a fast-moving current that looks like chocolate milk. As I mentioned in the podcast, people go whitewater rafting on it, and the brochures promise a “wall of water.”
No thanks! I prefer a nice hike up to the falls.
Please don’t forget this week’s questions: What was your favorite destination of the year? And where are you going next year?
Happy New Year!
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Hello from Valparaiso on the Pacific coast of Chile.
This is a city that has seen it all. Ridiculous prosperity in the early 20th century, when the “jewel of the Pacific” was one of the world’s leading ports, followed by a precipitous decline after the Panama Canal opened.
Today, the city’s claim to fame is Tomas Slavik’s mountain bike run down to the ocean, captured by drones. Don’t watch it after more than one cup of coffee, or you might jump out of your chair.
We never expected to be here for the holidays. But here we are. All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the strangest place you’ve traveled to for the festive season?
OK, let’s break out the photos of this week’s adventure. First, Valparaiso in 1910. Just four years later, the Panama Canal reduced this lively city to a ghost town.
Today, Valparaiso is still a little run down. The walls of homes are covered in graffiti. But some of the street art is noteworthy.
Heeeere’s Johnny!
You can find an authentic Moai statue from Easter Island in town. It’s probably just a matter of time before the Rapa Nui demand its return.
Valparaiso is built on a steep hill, so you’ll find several funiculars that take you to the top. Many of these elevators are abandoned today, but our guide told us that they plan to restore them soon. I guess they want to put the “fun” back into their funiculars. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Valparaiso is worth a day trip, but we’re happy we selected Santiago as our home base for the next few weeks.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: Where’s the most unusual place you’ve traveled to for the winter holidays? We’ll read your comments in our next podcast.
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Greetings from Santiago, Chile.
We survived multiple illnesses during our Ecuador adventure, and isn’t that what makes it an adventure? This isn’t the high-energy podcast you’re accustomed to because Aren and I are still recovering from whatever we had. But we are still alive!
In the last few weeks, we’ve gone from practically zero hours of daylight in Spokane, Wash., to a full blast of summer and 14 hours of daylight. Talk about climate shock!
All of which brings us to this week's question: Please tell us your best climate shock story — you know, going from summer to winter, or winter to summer, or from darkness to light. (To be honest, we are still trying to adjust to summer here.)
Here are a few photos from this week’s adventure:
It rains a lot at Mashpi Lodge, but the hiking is spectacular. Aren and I spent our last morning exploring a riverbed with a guide. We met Slava and Ozge, who I profiled in my Forbes story about ecolodges. A shoutout to the Mashpi’s resident MD, Pablo, who gave me enough medication to get out of bed and face the day.
It’s a tropical rainforest, so there’s no shortage of waterfalls. The water is clean enough to drink. You can swim in some of the waterfalls, but not this small one.
Here’s the view of our hiking path in the Metropolitan Park of Santiago. There’s a stunning view of the snow-capped Andes mountains from the other side of the hill. I’ll share a few shots next week.
Please don’t forget this week’s question: Tell us your favorite climate shock story from your travels!
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.elliottconfidential.com/subscribe - Näytä enemmän
