South America

Viewpoint from the Nest : Coyhaique may not be the most isolated place we’ve been to, but it feels that way. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful. Located in Chile’s Southern Patagonia, it’s among the least explored regions in Latin America. It’s certainly a favourite of ours. We were there in October, which is early in the season, and...

Viewpoint from the Nest : Travel parenting insights The Torres Del Paine is not a walk in the park; fierce winds and an unpredictable climate can make it wilder than most other reserves we’ve been to. Boasting everything from glaciers, lakes, valleys and gorgeous hikes, it’s worth the small effort of having waterproof clothing, and some measure of patience to...

Hello my name is Colette, Today I almost got eaten by a Puma. Also known as the cougar, panther or mountain lion.  You can recognize this hungry, dangerous Puma by its shining golden fur and razor sharp teeth. The Puma is rarely seen and hunts at night.  At least that’s what they say. I was lucky enough to see two Pumas during the...

It took us a long car and ferry ride to get this remote island of Chiloe.   It is so far away and exactly the opposite of Singapore. It's not so crowded and lots of nature. Actually, there are many houses – ant houses, owl houses, beetle houses, sheep houses, cow houses…… When we arrived, we saw a marvelous rainbow right...

Once upon a time there was a girl called Colette.  She was leaving her home in Shanghai and moving to a new country.  So she had a farewell party. Instead of presents she asked her friends to bring pens + pencils. I wonder why? So the donated pencils + pens from the 40 guests travelled in Colette’s suitcase around the world all...

The Uyuni in Bolivia is a humongous salt plain that goes on for miles into the far horizon. Even though, The salt looks like snow, There are prickly cactuses On grass looking like sandy mattresses. It is windy and freezing So everyone is sneezing. It’s high up in thin air Which makes it hard to bear. It’s a wonderland and one of the world’s biggest playgrounds. Why? 1. It’s...

Viewpoint from the Nest - Travel Parenting Insights A very respectable and sensible doctor in Singapore reprimanded us when I enquired about the right dosage of Diamox for an eight year old for 4000m (12000 feet) along the lines of: “I think what you’re planning to do is very irresponsible. Why would you want to bring a child to such...

In the Amazon rainforest, there was a treasure hunt set up just for kids. You need a minimum of four kids to do it, it is simple and fun! First, you are split into two teams and both teams have to do a puzzle. Whoever finishes all the clues first, wins! The first clue was to hunt for terminates! All teams...

Viewpoint from the Nest - Travel parenting insights Sucre and Potosi are cities not built for mainstream tourism.  The surroundings can be gritty, and tourist sites are few relative to other parts of Latin America. They are, however, part of a route to take if you’re planning to acclimatize to the altitudes of Uyuni without taking altitude drugs, particularly useful...

When I was wandering around the Amazonian Rainforest, I discovered lots of Wand components. I thought of which one should go with which, for example, a special wood with a magical product. Here are the three types of wood to make the wands: Rubber wood, 13 inches, extremely flexible. Good for Protective spells. Iron wood, 7 inches, very stiff....