Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
The Guianas
By Lee | 
3 Comments » 
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 | 5 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 | 9 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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Uruguay is Worth a Visit
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
Most people dismiss a visit to Uruguay because they know nothing about it. The truth is that Uruguay is a really fun place to visit with a lot of the same things that tourist favorite and close neighbor Argentina has but without all of the people and hassles. In fact, you can actually take a hydrofoil just three hours from Buenos Aires and be in either Montevideo, which is Uruguay’s very underrated capital or Colonia, which is a delightful little port city. Some prefer to go straight for the beaches of Punta del Este, sometimes called the Hamptons of South America but whatever you decide to do in Uruguay you will be better off for it.
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Lake Titicaca
By Lee | 3 Comments » 
Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, at 3,812 m (12,507 feet) above sea level. Located in the Altiplano high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia, Titicaca has an average depth of 107 m, and a maximum depth of 281 m. The western part of the lake belongs to the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.
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Margarita Island, Venezuela
By Lee | 6 Comments » 
I spent the summer of 1999 living on Margarita Island in the Southern Caribbean. It was one of the best times of my life and I am much better off for my experiences. I learned to speak Spanish fluently, met a lot of great friends and just had a great time on this amazingly diverse and stunningly beautiful island. A lot of people are scared to go to Venezuela now because of the political situation but I was there when the current President came to power and I can assure you that most Venezuelans don’t care about politics and they will treat you as one of their own, regardless of your nationality.
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Giant Turtles in Fernando de Noronha
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
One of the best places in the world to see and swim with giant turtles is in Fernando de Noronha, an island off the Northeast coast of Brazil and a separate country on the TCC list. You can get right up to them and actually touch them but with the crystal clear water it makes for great pictures and a lot of fun.
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