Tonight At 10:30 PM ,TotalAdventure departs Miami for La Paz Bolivia. After a relatively short short flight from MIA , which sits at just above Sea Level, our plane will land at the world’s highest commercial airport – El Alto at 13,323 Feet ,  4100 Meters – descending only about 60% from cruising altitude. For the next week TotalAdventure will explore the highest peaks of the Andes, Lake Titicaca and Salar de Uyuni  before moving south into Argentina for the Adventure Travel World Summit in Salta.

On the night of October 3, 2015 –  TotalAdventure boarded  LAN’s 787 Dreamliner from Miami to Santiago. It was the start of a two week journey,  with the main focus on the Adventure Travel World Summit in Puerto Varas Chile.

The trip covered a huge range – from the snowy Andes to the steamy Amazon.

After clearing customs in Santiago, TotalAdventure boarded a 90 minute flight to Puerto Montt, which was near Puerto Varas.

It was a cold misty day – especially for someone who had just flown from the 95 degree heat of Miami.

TotalAdventure warmed up with a  piping hot bowl of Parihuela – a fresh spicy seafood stew. For TotalAdventure’s Chilean adventures – CLICK HERE !

After a long and productive week at the Adventure Travel World Summit, where TotalAdventure met with hundreds of Adventure Travel companies who will be part of the TotalAdventure community, we headed back north to the sunny springtime of Santiago.

The next morning my host and I headed one hour from Los Condes to the top of El Colorado. October 12 was supposed to the the last day of a long season -El Niño has dropped many meters over the winter – but even more heavy snow later that week kept the mountain open to November 1 – the equivalent of May 1 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Afterwards we headed back down to Santiago so that I could catch my evening flight to Buenos Aires. The snow is only at the highest elevations.

THe temperature was nearly 70 degrees ( 21 C ) just one hour below in the Valley. For TotalAdventure packages in Chile – CLICK HERE ! 

After a great day of spring skiing on El Colorado in Chile, TotalAdventure boarded a flight from Santiago to Aeroparque – the smaller airport in Palermo.

After a quick stop at the hotel – TotalAdventure was off to a a Midnight feast at Las Nazarenas. The Bife de Chorizo was succulent , as always ! At 15 pesos to the dollar ( Blue Market ) dining is a bargain !

The next day was Columbus Day – Dia de Las Raza in Argentina – so the streets were relatively quiet, with families enjoying the cool early spring weather.

It was only a month before the quasi – Chavista government of Christina Kirchner would be defeated in a historic election.

For TotalAdventure experiences in Argentina- CLICK HERE !

Whirlwind week of October 12 continues. Less than 72 hours after skiing the slopes of El Colorado, TotalAdventure was bodysurfing at Ipanema Beach in Rio.

Waves were small, about 3  to 4 feet, but perfect for bodysurfing.

Rio is now getting ready for the 2016 Summer Olympics – which in August,will be their winter – making it easier for outdoor sports like long distance running.

For TotalAdventure journeys in Brazil – CLICK HERE.

BEL-MAO-MIA   In the morning TotalAdventure packed ( still carrying  ski jacket from Chile ) and boarded TAM for the 2 hour flight to Manaus – Amazonian Capital – and  hopping off point for many jungle and river adventure trips.

Coming into Manaus.

Time To Return Stateside –

The 4 1/2 hour journey offers beautiful aerials of the Northern Amazon, Venezuela’s Gran Sabana, the Guajira Peninsula, Cuba and finally into Miami.

ArcticTropic is now planning 2015 journeys. Three trips are shown here. The first , in February is to Southeastern Australia. The longest flight will be from San Francisco to Sydney – about 15 hours. In March – off to the Polar Regions of Iceland. September – Puerto Varas in Chilean Patagonia for the ATTA Summit. Several other ventures are in planning stage.

Today ArcticTropic accompanied the delegation from Enterprise Florida on a tour of the Panama Canal. The Canal, which just celebrated its’ 100th Anniversary is undergoing a major expansion -PANAMAX – which will triple capacity and allow much larger container ships to traverse between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Ships enter from the Atlantic ( Caribbean ) side at Colon.

PANAMAX construction. Estimated to be finished by late 2015.

Gatun Lake. The total route is 50 miles ( 80 km ) and takes 8 to 10 hours. Only 32 ships a day can pass through – 16 from either side. Reservations are required 547 days in advance, but expedited service is available.

Entering Miraflores Locks.

Clearance of the ;Miraflores completed, the ship sails into the Pacific, about 5 miles away, then on to China.

For adventures in Panama, CLICK HERE

After a 2.5 hour flight from Miami, ArcticTropic arrived in Panama City. All immigration and ground transport was super fast and efficient. Panama is a true Crossroads of the World. Since the Canal Zone turnover and the departure of Manuel Noriega, the economy has grown exponentially. Many Americans,Chinese,Colombians and Venezuelans have settled in , growing a huge modern skyline.

By air it’s only 5 minutes from the Atlantic …..

…. To The Pacific.

A Sunday Afternoon stroll through the Old City.

Part of the Spanish Main.

A peaceful oasis in a bustling World Port.

For adventures in Panama, CLICK HERE

45 kilometers and 4.5 hours later I arrive in Potosi from Sucre, Bolivia’s capital. Potosi known only for its mine is a medium-ish sized town. Because of a government strike everything is closed for the two days I was there, expect the silver mine. “Hello everyone, my name is Pedro I’m an ex-miner, today I will show you the beautiful mine of Potosi, I began mining when I was 12.” Now retired at 28, Pedro of Big Deal Tours is prepping us for a mine tour.

Our first stop is the miners market to pick up coca leaves, soda and dynamite as gifts to the miners. If I’m correct these gifts are like our “entrance fee” to the mines, which are nationalized. We are given protective clothes to cover our branded jackets and jeans. Our sneakers are traded for worn and dusty boots and our warm beanies are replaced with hard hats equipped with lights. “Okay everyone, we go!” On a shabby bus we head up hill, at about 4200 meters our bus slowly whines up the dirt road, inches from the edge we make our way to one of the 200+ entrances of the mountain.

As we wait to enter we’re told of the rituals and religions the miners honor. Dried lama blood covers the entrance and all the doors to storage and dressing quarters that line the entrance to the mine. They hold one religion for the outside world and another for inside to mine to protect themselves from death inside. The religion inside consists of gods, uncles, devils and one female spirit that protects the over 8,000 independent miners. With endless uncharted tunnels you can use all the protection you can get. It’s unknown how many tunnels or miners are working inside daily. There isn’t a log or check in system to keep track. Dynamite which as you saw can be easily purchased, can go off at any time. The knowledge of the old miners and enthusiasm of the new ones is what powers the continued exploration of this very old mine. The elders teach them how to look for silver, the growth is from north to south, they pass down rituals of their mine Gods. Coca leaves and a special alcohol that comes in a plastic bottle (which I’m convinced is rubbing alcohol minus the “safe for consumption sticker”) are some of the offerings to the Gods. Coca leaves seem to be the main food stipend. They have about a entire mouth’s full at all times, Pedro tells us about the magic powers of the coca leaves – keeps them from getting hungry, thirsty, or loss of energy. Most miners seem to be addicted and as most side effects of narcotics we know why.

As we make our way past different statues within the cave honoring the mine gods we are asked to sit. Pedro begins to give us life advice and lessons. He tells us about eating healthy, providing for our family and ends with requests for love and happiness from the Uncle God of the mine.

We travel about 600 meters in and around the mine. We pass tools from all generations, simple chisels to machines. Miners in Potosi can earn between $USD700 to over $USD10,000 a month from silver and zinc. This number is outstanding because it is said that the amount of silver Spaniards took was enough to build a bridge from Potosi to Spain, that was also said for the amount of bones from mine slaves that died during the colonial period.

A miners life may be one of the hardest, days spent in the dark to emerge only into the darkness. My grandfather was a miner for over twenty years in Romania his lack of education lead him to that life but his detection to work trickled and changed the following generations. If you want to experience only for a moment what it feels like to have this hard but rewarding life I’d recommend the tour, just know it’s not the safest or charted.

For adventures in Bolivia, CLICK HERE