SUNDAY'S SPECIAL SPOT - CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

***Sorry that this is a day late! I hope you enjoy it regardless***

On the northern coast of Colombia, South America lies the city of Cartagena, once fortified for protection against pirates, it is now a thriving city based on industry, construction, commercialism and tourism. Although the city was found in 1533 C.E. by the Spanish, it has been home to numerous indigenous peoples as far back as 4000 B.C.E.

 San Felipe de Barajas’s fortress, Cartagena, Colombia

This magnificent walled city was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, along with Cartagena's port and monuments.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, owned by: Martin St-Amant (S23678) 

The Appeal of...Part VI

Rounding out this series brings us to South America. A land of soaring mountains, mysterious jungles, ancient civilizations, bustling cities, isolated villages and the farthest south you can go before hitting frozen Antarctica (which I intend to visit on a separate trip down the line). So much to see in this mosaic of a continent.









The Appeal of:

Ecuador: 

Fairly straightforward and simple - I was to be in two places at once. What better place than at the equator, which this country is named after. To stand (or lie down) in both the northern and southern hemispheres is cool. The other draw is the Galapagos Islands!! I hope that I can afford that incredible journey. 

Bolivia:

One of the two only landlocked countries in both North and South America, Bolivia is home to the world's largest salt flats, the Salar de Uyuni. This immense creation of nature is over 10,000 square km and, I imagine, is quite unlike anything one has seen.

Argentina:

I understand that from Uyuni, Bolivia it is fairly easy to get to Salta, Argentina. I am intrigued by Salta's Train to the Clouds, a sensational train trip that reaches almost 14,000 feet above sea level. 

Peru:

Even though Peru is not high on my list of destinations that I must encounter, I will visit this country that is very dear to a good friend's heart. That alone has made me a bit more curious. Not to mention that I have several friends who have visited and raved about Peru and it's most famous landmark: Macchu Picchu. I can not say if I will visit this legendary ancient world or not, though it is a real possibility. 

South America is a large continent with large countries. It appears to be harder to cross than other areas of the world such as SE Asia. That reasoning has led me to decide to not visit the other countries within this amazing continent, at least for now.  I will return one day to see more of it and hopefully learn and understand more. 

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This sums up this series. I hope you have enjoyed a look inside my (travel) desires and what has affected the why of my destination choices. Now to continue to save save save and bring this baby to fruition! I have a long way to go but I have tremendous support from my friends (you know who you are), family and I suspect, the blog-o-sphere. The continued support from all of you means a great deal to me. Thank you so much for your encouragement.

SUNDAY'S SPECIAL SPOT - SALTA, ARGENTINA

Situated in the northwest of Argentina the city of Salta is perched at an elevation of 1152 m (3780 feet) above sea level. Historic colonial buildings with a Spanish influence date back several centuries. This is one of the main draws for tourism to the area. 



This amazing photograph is of the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco.

This photo is from Flickr and was taken and is owned by Domingo Leiva