“My helicopter hung frozen in the desert sky, and for one magical moment I star ed straight down into the eyes of the world’s largest man. There, sprawled across the windswept summit of a mysterious mountain, was an incredibl e, 405-foot-tall giant created countless centuries ago by some some-vanished people.
“ I was 1,200 feet over the remote Atacama Desert aboard a Chilean Air Force helicopter on assignment for the International Explorers Soc i e ty. My mission was to capture the barely known giant on TV film for the first time. "
(Jim Woodman’s author’s note for Megagods: The Mysterious Giants of Our Past, Pocket Books, 1987).
A prolific author and lecturer, expert tour guide and television documentary host, James Monroe Woodman III was born June 24, 1931, in Evanston, Ill. He died in Miami on May 27, 2011.
Many travelers to Brazil will tell you to go to Florianopolis and list it as one of their favorite places in the country. It is not hard to see why. With 42 beaches to explore, all within an hour's drive, Florianopolis is paradise. Read more>>>
This Week in Brazil...
Exploring Rio de Janeiro on a Budget
Although Brazil is undoubtedly now one of South America's most expensive destinations it is still possible to travel on a budget. Rio de Janeiro is one of the country's highlights for many travelers. As long as you follow a few simple rules you can have a good time without breaking the bank. Read more>>>
New at LatinWineries.com...
Spring in Chile's Vineyards
The spring mornings were cool and crisp and the vines in various stages of awakening. It was early October, 2009 in the wine valleys of Chile and we were long overdue for a visit.
We headed west out of Santiago toward Valparaiso, took a left and landed in the coastal San Antonio Valley the first night. A wine lodge in a colonial-era farm house with three-foot thick walls and a private chef was the first of several unique lodging and dining experiences this trip.
The next week was spent visiting wineries, large and small, conventional, organic and bio-dynamic, in a number of Chile's wine producing valleys. So much to taste - so little time!
Read about our trip to Chile at our new affiliate site, LatinWineries.com.
Is Latin America Safe?
LatinTravel.com's editor and publisher, Jim Woodman, examines the changing attitudes of today's travelers and concludes that Mark Twain best summed it up a century ago -- "Twenty years from now you'll be disappointed by the things you didn't do rather than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, fly away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover!" Read more>>>
Spring in Chile...
A sampling of Colchagua, Curico and Cachapoal wineries
In September, after attending the Chile's annual wine fair, Vinos de Chile, and several busy days in Santiago, and a more relaxing one in the San Antonio Valley, we headed south to visit wineries in Chile's central valleys.
The area south of Santiago between the Andes and the Coastal Mountain Range is divided by a number of rivers that bring water from the Andes. In most cases this water is channeled to provide irrigation for surrounding vineyards, and the rocky riverbeds carry just a trickle of water to the Pacific. The name of the river valley is often present on a wine bottle label to identify the valley in which the grapes used to produce the wine were grown.
Because we visited wineries while traveling on Chile's Ruta de la Fruia (route of the fruit) heading toward the Maule Valley further south and along the Pan American Highway (Route 5) as we headed back toward Santiago, I'll group the ones we visited by valley but first a little bit about the roads.
Heading out of the San Antonio Valley on the Ruta de la Fruta we passed through one of Chile's most productive agricultural areas. Orchards, vineyards and fields line the road. This two lane highway is the main road between southern packing plants and the ports at San Antonio and Valparaiso, hence the name. Large producers share the land with small family plots and produce stands. Twice-weekly marketplaces in most communities bring fresh produce to the local people.
The other main route through the Central Valley is the four lane Pan American Highway. This limited access highway connects industrial areas and the buildings lining it are mostly commercial, although it, too, slices through fields and orchards.
Chile's roads are well maintained and even the most industrial areas are framed by a background of snow-capped Andes or the rolling Coastal Range.
Our tour was arranged by Santiago Adventures, a ground operator based in Chile, but many wineries offer online reservations. It's very possible to book your wine tours, plot your route and travel independently by rental car.
Read more>>>
Many travelers to Brazil will tell you to go to Florianopolis and list it as one of their favorite places in the country. It is not hard to see why. With 42 beaches to explore, all within an hour's drive, Florianopolis is paradise. 
Although Brazil is undoubtedly now one of South America's most expensive destinations it is still possible to travel on a budget. Rio de Janeiro is one of the country's highlights for many travelers. As long as you follow a few simple rules you can have a good time without breaking the bank.
The spring mornings were cool and crisp and the vines in various stages of awakening. It was early October, 2009 in the wine valleys of Chile and we were long overdue for a visit.