South America

Easily mistaken for Gallo Pinto in restaurants by travellers, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, a dish of White Rice & Red Beans, simmered in coconut milk has a similar name, but a very different flavour.

Nothing says Cost Rica quite like the famous Rice & Beans dish, Gallo Pinto. The biggest challenge is finding the Salsa Lizano, the signature flavour of Costa Rica.

Santa Cruz is perhaps the second largest of the Galapagos islands, and is heavily wilderness, with the Parque Nacional Galápagos taking up much of the island.

Isabela Island is shaped somewhat like the United Kingdom with Ferdinanda it's own Ireland. It is one of the larger islands in the Galapagos archipelago, and has some of the more iconic experiences.

Floriana Island is a small place with approximately a hundred and fifty inhabitants, it is a common stopping point on the way to Isla Isabela.

Isla de San Cristobal has a relaxed casual atmosphere to it, almost Caribbean in its vibe. The main strip of the shops and restaurants runs along the beach, and is cluttered with sea lions, how have made themselves at home amongst the human constructions in the Galapagos. A particular favourite for the sea lions are benches near the sea. A typical 'park' bench is just the right length and width for a sea lion to really stretch out and relax.

A small town between Tulcan and Quito, Otavalo is famous for its local market offering various tourist souvenirs as well as more practical local goods.

A strange place.

A small village has sprung up around the church, mostly offering snacks, drinks and souvenirs. During the season I was there it was fairly quiet, but during the busy periods, you could tell the location would turn into a market square, with shouting and haggling going on in all corners.

The main attraction of the town of Biblián, the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rock is carved into the mountain face.

The second best place in the world, after Machu Pichu to see Incan ruins, this shows more how completely the Spanish conquest impacted the indigenous cultures.

Cuenca is laid out in a grid pattern, reminiscent of American cities and a reminder that it is a relatively new city. It is a mixture of very new buildings and some beautiful old ones, with a handful of Incan ruins scattered through the city as well.

The capital city of Ecuador, though in the shadow of the Galapagos islands as Ecuadors most famous location, the city sits amongst volcanic hills, that rise up around it. Turbulence from the strange layered landscape buffets every plane to fly into the airport.