Ryan Goes Abroad

Having survived my latest (and hopefully last) bout with Ecuadorian bus rides, I arrived to Cali a few days before New Years. Feria de Cali, which is known as Colombia’s largest salsa party, was already underway, and I was eager to get a taste of it. I had long been curious about life in Cali, [...]

The secret is getting out on Medellin. I’ve been blogging about it for nearly two years, and more and more travelers are coming here every day. If you’ve ever Googled “Medellin” you’ve probably come across Medellin Living. It’s easily the #1 Medellin website for English speakers, and contains loads of great info on life in [...]

I really have come to dislike Latin America bus rides. It’s part of the most important thing I learned in 2012, and is based on the collected experiences I’ve had as a traveler in South America, especially in a number of experiences in Ecuador. Let me try to tell you about the experience at the [...]

After a passing a couple weeks in Arequipa and Cusco, I found myself in Lima the week before Christmas. I had been interested in Lima from a number of positive reports I had heard about the city. The food was supposed to be awesome, the city was supposed to have a great nightlife, and the [...]

After some time in Arequipa, I took an overnight bus to Cusco Peru, near where the famed Machu Picchu lay in waiting. Normally, I don’t go for the tourist attractions, but Machu Picchu is a wonder of the world, and I tend to hit those up if I’m in the area… just like I hit [...]

After blitzing through Chile, I headed north through vast deserts into Peru. Arequipa was my first stop. I stopped there mainly because it was recommended by many other travelers that I’ve come across, including travel bloggers who have traveled all over South America. It was also recommended by some readers of this blog as “the [...]

I’ve traveled a bit through South America the past two years, but am re-considering it in light of a few general realizations. 1. Internet is too slow / unreliable for serious internet entrepreneurs. The last time I was in the USA, I went to a co-working space where the internet was 6.0 Mbps download / [...]

A little while ago, I posted some quick notes on Chile, after staying there only about 7-10 days. What sometimes occurs after I publish a post like this was that a few people claimed I was making snap-judgements, and moving way too fast through countries in order to make a proper evaluation of the country. [...]

As we reached the 2013 new year, I was reflecting on what I learned in 2012. I feel like I learned a lot this year– particularly a lot about myself and what I am looking for as I traveled around South America (and am now back in Colombia). When 2012 started, I was thinking it [...]

Happy 2013 my dear reader. I hope this year brings you loads of happiness and adventure. I have a quick request… If you have read this blog at all, would you please take a minute and fill out this survey? It should take you no more than 5 minutes, use it to let me know [...]