Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Wine and Steak in Argentina
By Lee | 
8 Comments » 
If you’ve ever read my “Why Travel” page, you may recognize the line “Travel helps you appreciate wine and the beauty of vineyards”. That is so true and going to vineyards and wine country’s around the world are one of the most fun things to do in travel. Mendoza and the surrounding region of Maipu is the center of the famous Argentinean wine trade and the home to malbec wine. It is a gorgeous setting and fun time as you rent bicycles and peddle your way from vineyard to vineyard. Of course it gets perpetually more difficult as you go further along in the day! There are some fifteen vineyards in Maipu, which is about 40 minutes by bus from the center of Mendoza, but in order to really appreciate and take the setting in, you should only choose a few good ones. I went to three and had a blast some new friends from some interesting places.
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The Atacama Desert
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world. It is gorgeous, photogenic and just a really cool place to be. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be able to live up to the awesome experience I had in Bolivia and was worried that much of the scenery would be similar. Of the tours I looked at, many actually went up into Bolivia and many saw Lagunas, salt flats and other things I just saw. However, there were plenty of other choices to see the dryness and beauty of the desert. I based myself out of San Pedro de Atacama and explored the small tourist town. I also did a comprehensive Valley of the Moon tour for a great sunset in the desert.
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Bolivia’s Southern Altiplano
By Lee | 10 Comments » 
The Southern Altiplano of Bolivia is unquestionably one of the coolest places in the world to visit. The landscapes are otherworldly and will leave your jaw on the floor of your 4×4. You can’t imagine you are on planet Earth let alone in Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni is what brought me back to Bolivia seven years after the first time I was there. It had always eaten at me that I didn’t get to visit it the last time because I was rushed to get to Machu Picchu. However, what I discovered on my epic three day circuit tour of Southwestern Bolivia is that there is so much more to this wonderful little Andean country. The world’s largest and truly awesome salt flats are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to attractions in Southern Bolivia and I cannot recommend a trip more than this. It is one of the world’s great places to visit and a mesmerizing sight to behold.
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The World’s Most Dangerous Road
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) coined the mountainous road from La Cumbre to Coroico in Bolivia as the World’s Most Dangerous Road. This was because of the extraordinary amount of deaths that occurred on this road which is no more than 3 meters wide at most points, has no guard rails and generally has 600 meter sheer cliffs as a drop-off at any given point. Although a beautiful road dotted with waterfalls, with several hundred deaths a year, mainly from trucks carrying hundreds of workers at a clip, it was time for a loan from the bank to build a safer paved road. That just created one of the most awesome tourist opportunities for adventure seekers to essentially bomb down 3600 meters from 4700 meters at the top to 1100 meters at the bottom at high speed and at high danger. The world’s most dangerous road is simply awesome!
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The Galapagos Islands
By Lee | 9 Comments » 
The Galapagos Islands are the type of place you´ve always wanted to visit because you really don´t know what to expect and what there actually is on the islands. All you know is something about Darwin being there; there´s a bunch of cool animals and birds; and it´s expensive to get to. Well the truth is all three of those statements are absolutely correct but what most people don´t know are there are gorgeous beaches (possibly the best beach in South America), amazing food and 30,000+ of the nicest people around who love their beloved islands and treat all visitors with respect and with a welcoming smile. The Galapagos Islands are a true delight and a priviledge and a pleasure to have experienced.
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The Center of the World?
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
I have been meaning to come to Ecuador for years, literally. However, I always wanted to wait until I had a good week or so to come and see both the country’s main two cities and the mystical Galapagos Islands, plus it is the only country in the Americas that I hadn’t been to. Well that time has finally come as I made plans two days ago to come down here and I have spent the last day and a half exploring the awesome little capital city of Quito. Quito, like many other South American capitals is a food lovers, or at least meat lovers dream and has one of the more interesting and certainly clean old towns in Latin America. It also has that amazing feeling of life that is so prevalent in many Latin American cities and the feeling of undying Nationalism even in the throws of an unpopular government. It also boasts the Mitad del Mundo or the center of the world as the geographic equator lies only about 25km from Quito itself. My brief but rewarding time in Quito will stick with me and I highly recommend checking this city out.
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San Andrés Island, Colombia
By Lee | 7 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 | 5 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 | 7 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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