Results matching “andrew evans chile” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Our November/December issue is on its way to a newsstand or mailbox near you - and features our sixth annual Destinations Rated Survey. Conducted by the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, this year's survey looked at how tourism is impacting some of the iconic places we first surveyed in 2003 and rated in 2004, with several new places added to the mix.

Topping the list this year was the "vigorously protected" Fjords region in Norway, followed by the "awe-inspiring" Kootenay/Yoho National Parks in British Columbia and the "authentic Francophone" villages of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. And pulling up the rear, garnering strong concern from our panel of tourism management experts, was the "cruise ship hell" of Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas, the war-torn and "intimidating" status of Bethlehem in the West Bank, and Spain's Costa del Sol region, which one panelist called a "textbook example of tourism run amok." See all the results from this year's survey, and more comments from the panelists online.

Elsewhere in the issue, you'll find Jim Conaway's pitch-perfect piece on Portland, Oregon, and Andrew Evans' On Foot walking guide to Valpariso, Chile, which he reported for us while filming the pilot for "Confessions of a Travel Writer." Melina Bellows heads to the boreal forests of Central Mexico "In Search of Magic" (hint: it involves butterflies), and Raphael Kadushin brings us tidings of good cheer from Copenhagen, Denmark's eco-aware capital city, which is hosting the U.N. Climate Change Conference this December.

Want more? Visit our online table of contents for more maps, photo galleries, and World Wise quizzes from the issue.

When you tell people you're a travel writer, most people look at you with a bit of envy in their eyes. But the newest reality show to hit the Travel Channel hopes to dispel (or perhaps perpetuate) the myths of living the high life on a magazine's dime. Just ask Andrew Evans, a regular contributor to National Geographic Traveler and Intelligent Travel and one of the five scribes featured in "Confessions of a Travel Writer," premiering tonight at 9 p.m. EST. He and his cohorts traveled to Chile several months ago (see his blog posts here) while Andrew reported a story for the magazine on Valparaíso (tentatively scheduled to hit newsstands in our November/December issue). We asked him to offer a glimpse of what's in store.

"Travel writing is a dream job, but it's still a job," he writes. "I think the show employs a kind of nail-biting, Saving Private Ryan kind of realism in order to shock and awe the viewing public into how challenging travel writing can be--trials like antique-furnished boutique hotels, gourmet 12-course taster menus, and remembering NEVER to look into the camera . . you know, all the travel writing essentials. In a bizarre coincidence of fate and foreshadowing, this pilot takes the form of a timely John Hughes tribute as it is basically five travel writers re-enacting the Breakfast Club in South America."

Watch tonight to find out whether Andrew is the brain, basket case, athlete, princess, or criminal... and if you're a fan of Andrew's work, help him get to Antarctica by voting for him in the Quark Expeditions blogger challenge!

[Confessions of a Travel Writer]

When Andrew Evans left Chile's Patagonia region, he had multiple filled notebooks and a camera that kept blinking "insufficient memory." Here, he shares some of his sufficient memories from his trip.

Some countries just don't get along--just the way people do. France grumbles at England, America shakes its head at France. The Swedes mock the Norwegians, Korea does not love Japan and the whole of Central America thinks Costa Rica needs to take it down a notch. All these little national rivalries are fascinating and hilarious, as long as countries stick to name-calling and don't start trading bullets.  

Patagonia spans two countries that love to argue: Argentina and Chile.  Argentina accuses Chile of fudging its maps to look bigger than she really is, like padding a bra, while Chile thinks Argentina is a snob who's too good for the rest of South America. Both still squabble about who gets the bigger pie slice of Antarctica, who has the southernmost city and who makes the better glass of red wine. Neither country can stand the other's accent.

Like any two siblings, there's a degree of jealousy in the mix. Argentina secretly craves Chile's starched collar, its more stable economy and sound business record. Chile thinks Argentina is more sophisticated and wears way better shoes. The differences often seem petty, especially considering how much the two countries have in common: both Argentina and Chile harbor painful political histories, both are nations of immigrants and both own a piece of Patagonia.

IT Contributor Andrew Evans offers an all-inclusive guide to all things penguin.

Penguins are never passé. Be they marching or tapping their happy feet toward another sequel, the little black and white birds are still very much in everybody's minds and hearts. I also imagine that kids who play with plastic penguins in their Happy Meals grow up to be bigger kids who want to see the birds in real life, in the wild.

Admittedly, live penguins are so astonishingly cool--the way they tilt their heads from side to side to get a good look at you, the strange braying chorus they sing, and that distinctive penguin smell that's part fishy dishwasher detergent and part dusty, old attic. Travelers often bemoan the fact that penguin Grand Central is in almost-inaccessible Antarctica, a destination better suited for scientists, explorers, and millionaires. Still, that doesn't mean you have to cross wild penguins off your wish list. The southern hemisphere is filled with alternatives for seeing wild penguins in their natural habitats.

The following locations offer options for safe and sustainable human interaction with wild penguins:

1.    Isla Magdalena, Chile: This lone clump of rocks in the Strait of Magellan is home to over 50,000 breeding pairs of adorable Magellanic penguins. After a one-hour ferry ride from the city of Punta Arenas, the boat drops you off for a good 90-minute visit with the birds. A marked path guides you safely through the penguin nests and up to the island's lighthouse for a remarkable view. (Insider's tip: in case you're tempted to use your hands to climb up those giant mountains of yellow 'dirt' for a better view, don't. That isn't dirt.)

2.    Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: The Galápagos penguin is the world's northernmost penguin species. They live right on the equator, but look and act a lot like the penguins from colder climes. The best viewing spots are on Isabela island (the largest in the archipelago) and the west coast of Fernandina island.

3.    Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, South Africa: Gigantic granite boulders and tropical-looking turquoise inlets are the exotic home for the African or jackass penguin. A system of raised wooden walkways leads you right into the heart of penguin territory, including the penguins' own sandy beach. Afterwards, enjoy a swim at the people's beach next door.