On the far north side of Bogotá is Usaquén. It’s an upscale area of the city and a top foodie destination.
I’ll be honest with you. Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World), a touristic “city” within San Antonio de Pichincha, is a cheesy tourist trap. Its large 30m tall monument is said to be exactly on the equator but is actually about 240m off the mark (nobody looking at the pictures of you straddling the yellow line has to know).
Otavalo is a very touristy town with a proud indigenous culture. The main attractions in the town are the markets, which sell anything from traditional handicrafts to knock-off imports and fresh fruits and vegetables to live animals.
If you find yourself in Pereira with extra time to kill, head across the bridge to the suburb of Dosquebradas. This city is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Our tour of La Guajira began when our guide, Pedro, picked us up in our hotel in Santa Marta at 4:45AM. We were driven a few hours away to Riohacha, the gateway to and capital of La Guajira. We had breakfast and changed vehicles to a large pickup truck with our Wayúu driver.
Taking a chiva tour is a touristy way to get acquainted with some of the highlights of Cartagena. A chiva is a colorful bus that was historically used in more rural parts of Colombia (and sometimes used today). Many cities now use them to give tours or as party buses.
One of the fascinating things about La Paz are its seemingly never-ending maze of street markets in the city center. Tents, stalls, or sometimes just blankets on the ground line the streets selling just about everything you can imagine. Do you need vegetables for a big dinner party? Head to the streets. Are you looking for a pair of socks, a light bulb, shampoo, and perhaps a toilet seat? You’re in luck!
Retiro is centered around Plaza San Martín, an impeccably landscaped park just to the north of the city center of Buenos Aires. The plaza is a great place to sit and people watch under the shade of tall trees.