Off the beaten track in the Inca Sacred Valley of Peru
On our recent trip to Europe we stopped off for a week in Peru, a country which Alicia and I first visited in 1999. Twenty five years ago, we actually met on a bus from Copacabana in Bolivia to…
Don’t cry for the blue dollar (or Argentina) just yet
On my recent trip to Europe, it was difficult to avoid the subject of Argentina’s new President. As a new Labour government was elected in my beloved UK, with premier Keir Starmer heralding sensible rule after the mop-headed loon that…
Taxing the Tourist: can it ever be justified?
I am currently on holiday in the UK, having recently enjoyed a month-long tour of Europe with my wife Alicia and 19-year-old son Calixto. One thing we noticed, not only in highly touristy areas like Venice and Florence, but…
Oranges are not the only fruit, Champagne is not the only sparkling wine
For my mum's 85th birthday this month, among the green rolling hills of the Kentish countryside, I opened a bottle of "Pet Nat", a lightly fermented sparkling wine which we'd brought across from Argentina. For those of you who have never…
North West Argentina's new tourist train powers ahead
LATEST: THE SOLAR POWERED TRAIN IS DUE TO START RUNNING ON MONDAY 17th JUNE The most exciting new tourist attraction to emerge in northwest Argentina since… well, probably the Train to the Clouds in the 1970s, is…
Wine harvest 2024 in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
One of my favourite times of year for an Argentina wine tour is the Vendimia, or harvest, when you’re rewarded with the sights and sounds of wine production, not to mention the great smells and tastes. You can also pitch…
Extreme weather batters Argentina
LATEST: AFTER NEARLY TWO WEEKS, THE ROAD TO THE SALINAS GRANDES & SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA RE-OPENED YESTERDAY (Thurs 28th March) As I write this on 22nd March, the main road from Purmamarca to the Salinas Grandes salt flats,…
Best places to go out in Buenos Aires: top bars
Three bars in Buenos Aires have been voted among the best 50 in the world for 2023. The World's 50 best bars ranks Sips in Barcelona as the finest on the globe, while there are five from London, including…
Could this be the death of the blue dollar? (Spoiler alert: No)
As promised, after the settling in of the new President and his radical approach to governing a broken economy, here are some of my thoughts on what the new regime means for tourism. Crucially, is this the death…
Salta to Lima flights return: and now the bad news...
Direct flights between Salta and Lima returned this month, as (entirely coincidentally?) Argentina’s new President took office and began the process of dismantling the structure of the state and liberating the markets. Perhaps taking advantage of this wind of change,…