Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
San Andrés Island, Colombia
By Lee | 
2 Comments » 
San Andrés is the largest and principal island of the Colombian department of San Andrés y Providencia which consists of two island groups about 480 miles northwest of Colombia and 140 miles from the coast of Nicaragua. The archipelago has been claimed by Nicaragua, England and is now under the control of Colombia. San Andrés is the main island of the San Andrés group and the principal town is San Andrés in the north of the island. This is where most people spend their time on the island when they are not diving and the hub of commerce for the island.
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Cartagena, Colombia
By Lee | 3 Comments » 
Cartagena de Indias, or more commonly known as Cartagena, is a jewel of a city on the northwest Caribbean coast of Colombia. I don’t use that term lightly and Cartagena really is fantastic. The old town is as good as it gets and I’ve been to a lot of old towns around the world, especially in South America and in Europe. It is as fun as it is beautiful. I has all the little intricacies that you would look for and it has that ‘hard to put your finger on’ intangible quality that just makes it an amazing place. It’s hard to explain all of the reasons why it’s such a cool city but I will give it a shot.
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Bogota, Colombia
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
Where to begin? I apologize for not posting for nearly a week (thanks for the emails of concern), and a hectic week at that with the Champions League finishing up and the French Open getting started but I have been very busy and am still not caught up on sleep after a red eye last night back from the incredible country of Colombia. A country whose stigma is almost all negative. People think of drugs, cocaine, FARC, kidnapping and of course Pablo Escobar. However, what most people who are quick to mention the past do not know is that Colombia has made a complete rebound from the days of years ago and possesses some of the nicest and most endearing people in South America. It also possesses some of the best kept secrets around while boasting some of the best food I have ever eaten. Colombia to me is in a word, awesome.
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Machu Picchu, Peru
By Lee | 4 Comments » 
Recently, I have been getting a lot of people asking me about Machu Picchu so I wanted to repost something I posted last April with a few changes. Machu Picchu is one of those places that just completely baffles you. It is hard to comprehend how this city came to be and even moreso: how it came be be lost. The “Lost City of the Incas” is so mysterious that if you choose to do the 4 day Inca Trail hike to get there, you will spend most of your time trying to figure out just how they got all of these rocks and stuff up the massive Andes Mountains. You can ask your guide but they can’t give you a definitive answer. Machu Picchu is an example of what a wonder of the world should be. It is mysterious, tough to reach, beautiful and captivating. In a word Machu Picchu is awesome.
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The Guianas
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
The Guianas are the region made up of three smaller countries on the Northeast coast of South America. They are Guyana (formerly British Guyana), Suriname (formerly Dutch Guyana) and French Guiana. They are all unique in their own way but there are also a lot of similarities between all of them. During my overland trip to the three over the holidays I was able to see most of the region and certainly got a great sense of the cultures and differences of the three.
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My Adventure to French Guiana
By Lee | 2 Comments » There is no rest for the weary when traveling so I got up this morning again at 3:30am and had my dutch only speaking driver bring me to the border with French Guiana to get the 8am ferry crossing over to Saint-Laurent du Maroni. That didn’t happen exactly how I planned it as the road from Paramaraibo to the the border town of Albina, Suriname was brutal and we didn’t make it to Albina until just after the ferry left. I was kind of annoyed but at the same time I knew I had a second option…sneaking into French Guiana via small dugout canoe, which is exactly what I did.
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One of Those Days
By Lee | 3 Comments » Today was a day that every traveler has had at some point. It starts out innocently and ends up being the day from hell. I made two rookie mistakes that I normally don’t make and it cost me most of my day but a good story I guess did come out of it. It all started at 3:30am this morning in Georgetown, Guyana…
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Guyana
By Lee | 5 Comments » I arrived early this morning on Boxing Day in steamy Guyana. My friend Johnny who I met a few years ago in the Philippines is a Canadian Guyanese (I think that’s how it would be said) and he picked me up from the airport and gave me the quick royal tour of the capital of Georgetown-lovely town let me tell you, haha. It has a crumbling Caribbean vibe and a lot of laid back energy but at any second you can sense that something crazy is going to happen. Georgetown is known to be one of the most dangerous cities in South America and a lot of people do carry guns. But as with anywhere else, just stay out of places you shouldn’t be and you’ll be fine.
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Hang Gliding Over Rio
By Lee | 2 Comments » Some cities appeal to some people. Some cities appeal to other people. Rio de Janeiro appeals to everyone. How could anyone not love its breathtaking beauty? From the natural wonder of Rio’s harbor to the mountain top paradise of Sugarloaf, Rio has got it all. It has world-class partying all-year-round, especially during Carnival, and two of the most famous beaches in the world to match, Ipanema and Copacabana. And as if God himself was looking over the city, the Christ the Redeemer statue looms over Rio, embracing its beautiful people.
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Save Money In South America With An Airpass
By Lee | 7 Comments » South America is a very big place and has a lot to see. Almost every country is a destination in and of itself. Some countries such as Brazil, Chile and Argentina are huge and cover a lot of ground. Other places like Peru and Bolivia have a lot to see in different parts of the country but have poor infrastructure and poor mountainous roads which makes overland travel time consuming, treacherous and potentially deadly. If you are on a strict budget or have all the time in the world then perhaps 24-48 hour bus rides are your thing (many people do this in South America) but for most people, that sounds like a nightmare. That’s why air passes are the way to go in South America.
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