20 Highlights of my travels in 2023

Last week I published a detailed review of all my travels in 2023. In brief, I spent the year continuing my two-year explorations of South America, visiting seven countries in total. Along the way I also reviewed 162 luxury & boutique hotels. Yep, 2023 was another year of full-time world travels!

In this article I mention the main highlights of my travel adventures through Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and the Mexican Riviera, followed by finishing up the year with family in St Pete, Florida. I wrote entire articles about most of these adventures, which you can access by clicking through the various links.

Without further ado, following are my very best experiences of 2023, in chronological order from January, when I was staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina…

1. Seeing the famed Rojo Tango show at Faena Hotel

Tango dancing was invented in Buenos Aires. To this day, the city is home to the world’s very best tango dancers. Not surprisingly, there are several renowned tango shows performanced in theaters and luxury hotels around the city. And Rojo Tango Cabaret at Faena Hotel is generally considered the cream of the crop.

Quite luckily for me, I was assigned to review Faena Hotel. During my visit to the hotel, I hit it off with the hotelier, who ended up inviting me – gratis – to experience Rojo Tango! Yeah! It was a really awesome show.

2. Walking parks & gardens and visiting dogs in Buenos Aires

One of the best things about Buenos Aires, for me, is its plethora of huge, beautiful parks and gardens, each one quite different and showcasing a variety of small lakes, landscaped gardens, huge indigenous tree forests, flower gardens and other features.

While exploring the various parks, I eventually discovered that about 12 of them are connected together, running for many miles through the city. I could walk from one distant park, through all the others, for a 1-2 hour stroll in one direction, reveling in all the varied landscapes and settings.

I also discovered the city’s many professional dog walkers, who often take out 10-25 dogs to the parks, all at the same time! So I went out several times per week to play with dogs and hang out with their handlers. Fun!

3. Staying in a Bohemian beach house in Uruguay

The small coastal country of Uruguay is situated just across the broad river, Rio de la Plata, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I took a ferry over to Uruguay for a two-week stint exploring the capital city, Montevideo, and the country’s stunning Atlantic coast beaches. I was also on assignment visiting yet more hotels.

I really lucked out finding an amazing place to stay at the rather wild, au naturale beach called Buenos Aires Beach. It was a small wood cottage hand-built by Amma, an amazing Uruguayan woman into yoga, meditation, holistic living and nature. Amma and I hit it off instantly and enjoyed each other’s company.

I had a charming little all-white bedroom and got to play with Amma’s lovely cat, Dali, & dog, Gaia.

4. Ushuaia

Ushuaia, Argentina is at the far bottom of South America and is generally referred to as the world’s southernmost city. It also boasts an incredible natural setting: set along the wide Beagle Channel, backed by high jagged peaks and a glacier, and surrounded by more distant jaggedy mountain ranges.

Ushuaia proved to be my very favorite place in Patagonia, the vast southern region of both Chile and Argentina. The setting was just so spectacular.

5. Boat cruise on the Beagle Channel to see penguins & sea lions

In addition to enjoying Ushuaia town, one of the best things I did in the region was to take an all-day boat cruise on the famous Beagle Channel to see penguins, sea lions, cormorants and the region’s iconic lighthouse. It was a really awesome trip.

6. Hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park and visiting the tail end of the Panamerican Highway

Another great day trip I took from Ushuaia was out to nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, where I hiked on gorgeous trails, stopped by the end of world’s southernmost paved road (farthest road point in South America and end of the Panamerican Highway that begins in Canada), and enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake in the national park’s cozy, all-wood lodge.

7. Crossing the Straights of Magellan

From Ushuaia, I took an all-day bus trip from the bottom of vast Tierra del Fuego Island up to its northern edge, then crossed the Straights of Magellan back onto the South American mainland, and continued bussing it over to Punta Arenas, Chile.

Although the ferry trip across the Straights was bleak, icy-cold, windy and very choppy, I was still greatly excited to cross that body of water famously named after it’s ‘discoverer’ Francisco Magellan back in the 1500s, as he searched for a route from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans at the bottom of South America.

8. Visiting replica sail boats of Darwin and Magellan in Punta Arenas

In Punta Arenas I learned more about Magellan’s voyage at the Museo Nao Victoria, where there’s a life-size replica of his wooden sailboat, named Nao Victoria. The open-air museum is quite appropriately set on the shores of the Straights of Magellan.

There are other life-size sailing ship replicas, including the Beagle, which carried a young Charles Darwin around the tip of South America and on up to the Galapagos Islands in the mid 1800s.

9. Glimpsing Torres del Paine mountain peaks

From Punta Arenas, I took a three-hour bus northward to Puerto Natales, Chile. It’s the base for visits to dramatic Torres del Paine National Park, most famous for its jagged black mountain spires, called Torres del Paine, and the vast Gray Glacier, accessed by Gray Lake.

I visited the national park just as a day trip from Puerto Natales, where I visited a luxury hotel on assignment and marvelled at spectacular views of the towering peaks.

10. Perito Moreno Glacier at El Calafate

Visiting Perito Moreno Glacier was one of the very best highlights of 2023. Even though I’d already visited glaciers up close in New Zealand back in 2014, Perito Moreno was even more amazing. In fact, it’s considered one of the world’s easiest and most dramatic glaciers to visit.

The dramatic pale blue glacier is halted in its tracks by a long narrow lake, where the glacier’s soaring cliff-like front is constantly breaking off with loud roaring cracks as huge chunks of ice plunge dramatically into the lake below, where the broken ice forms icebergs in the water.

I spent one day viewing the glacier from a massive series of boardwalks set on the lake’s opposite shore and on a boat trip that glided along the face of the glacier. Spectacular!

11. Hiking in Glacier National Park and viewing Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy peaks El Chalten

From El Calafate I took a three-hour bus ride to rather remote El Chalten town, which is set in a flat, broad river valley at the foot of the eastern range of Andes mountains. The quaint town is surrounded by soaring cliffs and high mountain ranges.

El Chalten is a mega-base for hiking into the high Andes mountains within Glacier National Park, where hikers can view the spiky jagged peaks of Mt Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and other mountains. Many are filled with huge glaciers, snowfields and mounds of snow.

I spent a week there, excitedly hiking various trails up to spectacular viewpoints.

12. Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls are South America’s version of Niagara Falls. But Iguazu Falls are much much bigger and more powerful than Niagara. The falls careen over high cliffs into the Uruguay River, where it separates Argentina and Brazil. Visitors can access the falls from either country.

I stayed on the Argentinian side in a lovely private apartment and spent two full days viewing the spectacular falls from a variety of walkways, bridges and viewpoints. I also reviewed a handful of luxury hotels there.

13. Staying at a boutique apartment in Ascuncion, Paraguay

I spent nearly three weeks in tiny Paraguay, a small landlocked country wedged in between Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. Strangely, you can buy just about any and every product from around the world in Paraguay, due to its Duty Free shopping status! Who knew?

But aside from that, there’s not really too much for Paraguay to boast about. One amazing experience I had there was staying at an absolutely gorgeous little boutique apartment in the captial city, Ascuncion. Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve stayed at in all my world travels!

My hosts, Guise and Dario, were equally wonderful – award-winning Cross Fit trainers with their own Cross Fit Gym in the city. Guise and I hit it off immediately, both considering each other ‘soul mates’. We’re both into fitness and gym work-outs, love Japanese cuisine, not so much into kids, and definitely into ‘girl power’.

14. Rio de Janeiro !

It was my first visit to Rio and… O M G ! Rio is THE BEST city in the whole entire world! Absolutely gorgeous, immersed and surrounded by nature: powdery beaches, jagged mountain peaks, dense tropical vegetation, plenty of wild animals, beautiful parks and spectacular weather.

Rio is so extensive, stretched along a long coastline, so diverse and so beautiful, that it’s like 10 beautiful cities all put together. In addition to the stunning natural setting, Rio has several world-class museums, an extensive historic district, a Bohemian hill enclave and much, much more to see and do. I am smitten by Rio!

15. Paratay, Brazil

Paraty is a tiny coastal historic town about two hours south of Rio. The adorable town is full of rough cobblestone streets lined by colorful colonial Portuese port town houses, shops and boutique hotels. There’s a small bay full of colorful wooden fishing boats, a man-made canal that flows into the sea and a few public beaches for suntanning, swimming and socializing.

I discovered Paraty when searching for other places to visit in Brazil. Quite happily, my supervisor then offered me a decent hotel assignment there, so I spent one relaxing, happy week strolling around the charming town and visiting beautiful little boutique hotels. One even required that I get up into the nearby mountains to visit a boutique holistic-oriented retreat.

16. Olinda, Brazil

Olinda is a suburb of Recife city, a large Brazilian city situated on the country’s northeast coast. Olinda is another charming colonial coastal town similar to Paraty. Like its southern sister, Olinda is filled Math cobblestone streets and colorful Portuguese colonial houses, shops, bars, restaurants and churches.

Unlike Paraty, Olinda is steeply hilly and is primarily known, among Brazilians, for its long, lively Mardi Gras Festival, costumes and marching bands. While most places in Brazil, and the rest of the world, celebrate Mardi Gras for about one month in February, Olinda begins celebrating every weekend from September and on through the official festival.

I stayed in Olinda for two weeks, exploring the streets and attractions, walking my hostess’s dog and generally enjoying the wonderful bright architecture and friendly vibe.

17. Great people I met in 2023

During my explorations of South America I met several people I would consider ‘soul mates’. We clicked instantly and had so much in common, including our ‘vibe’, that we felt like we knew each other ‘intimately’. Among them were Amma in Uruguay, Guise in Paraguay, Clau in Chile and Gloria in the Galapagos Islands (last two from 2022).

Many others were great new people I met who I loved and clicked with, though I wouldn’t go so far as to call them ‘soul mates’. We liked each other right away, got along very well and enjoyed each other’s company.

There was my hostess Beth in Rio, Oscar from Peru living in Rio, my adorable hostess Tracey at Iguazu Falls, my friendly hosts & pets at Punta del Este, Paraguay, two separate hostesses Thais and Olivia in Olinda, my landlord Daniel in Buenos Aires, hostess Cio and traveler Daniel in Salvador, Chris from Germany down in Puerto Natales, my host Humberto in Punta Arenas and a few BlaBlaCar drivers who gave me lifts along the coast of Brazil.

In 2023 I was treated to a few of the best accommodations I’ve come across in my entire 26 years of world travels. Each consisted of a great private room in a host’s apartment/house or a full private apartment to myself, some with pets. And all the hosts were people I really clicked with.

Included were my stunning boutique apartment with hostess Guise & Dario in Ascuncion, Paraguay; my lovely all-white room in a Bohemian beach house with Amma at Buenos Aires Beach, Uruguay; the super quiet condo in Salvador, Brazil with hostess Cio and cats; and my lovely & quiet room in an adorable little house in Olinda, Brazil with Thais & her dog, Biscuit. Thank all of you for such wonderful accommodations and friendship!

19. Re-visiting Tulum Beach and staying at jungly Maui Hostel

For six weeks in September and October, I returned to my old stomping grounds of Riviera Maya in Yucatan, Mexico. It’s located south of Cancun on a long stretch of spectacular white-sand beaches with palm trees and turquoise Caribbean Sea waters.

I was re-directed there from Brazil, in September suddenly, to complete a big hotel assignment reviewing 38 huge seaside resorts and boutique hotels. After I arrived, I was mostly working my ass off. The temperatures were a staggering, literally sickening, temps of 105-110 F / 40-45 C. And the prices of everything had doubled or tripled since I had last spent six months in Tulum back in 2016. So my visit was more or less absolutely awful!

But, at the tail end of my stay I had completed my hotel work and had a few days to actually ‘vacation’ and lounge out on stunning Tulum Beach. I was also staying in a new & wonderful, peaceful jungly hostel called . So at least I could enjoy a few great moments at a place I used to love… and Tulum Beach is still spectacular.

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