Journey

Travel Guide 101

Spanish Speaking Countries Edition

Table of Contents

• Map pg 1• Venezuela pg 2-3• Colombia pg 4-5• Chile pg 6-7• Guatemala pg 8-9• Uruguay pg 10-11• Bibliography pg 12

Venezuela

GeographyVenezuela is the 33rd largest Country in the world. The country has a total of 912,050 sq km area. Venezuela is the home of Angel Falls , the world’s highest waterfall. This country provides some of the world’s greatest scenery, with the tepui in the Guiana Highlands.

ClimateVenezuela provides beautiful tropical weather. The hot weather makes it very enjoyable weather to explore the variety of gorgeous beaches. It does become rainy June through October.

Cuisine Venezuelan food comes from European roots like Italy, Spain, and France; although the food can also be very diverse. For example on the coast of Venezuela you are expected to find a lot of meals with fish and shellfish, like the pargo. Near the Andes the food is different, you can find a variety of meats including sausages. One traditional dish, arguably the most famous dish, is the Arepa. The Arepa can be fried or grilled it is made of cornmeal and tends to be filled with meat and cheese. Finally another familiar dish to the Venezuelan Cuisine is Cachapa, similar to an American pancake. The Cachapa is served with jam or folded over, with Cheese inside.

Tourist AttractionsIn addition to beautiful scenery Venezuela also has the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex, where you can view concerts ballet and the opera. Venezuela is also home of the Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara. A large football (soccer) stadium, with 40,312 seats.

SceneryAngel Falls, is the worlds tallest waterfall, and it is located in Venezuela. The Angel Falls is a beautiful site, and very popular tourist site. It is situated on top of a tepui, the inspiration for the animated movie UP.

Carreño Cultural Complex

Venezuela Beach

Angel Falls

Tepui in Guiana Highlands Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara

Colombia

GeographyThis country is very unique because it is the only South American country that has coastlines on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is the 26th largest country in the world with 1,138,910 sq km.

ClimateThe highlands in Columbia tend to produce a cooler climate. However the coastlines have tropical, warm weather.

CuisineIn Colombia the cuisine is very different depending on where you live. Some parts of Colombia roasts guinea pigs, and ants. While other more modern parts of the country would never consider eating that. A well known dish all over the country however is Ajiaco. Ajiaco is a soup made with guasca, an herb found in South America. There are also chicken, potatoes, corn and capers found in the soup. Another famous platter is the Bandeja Paisa, it has steak, pork sausages, a variety of bean avocato, and banana chips.

Tourist AttractionsThe city of Cartagena Colombia is a major spot for tourism. The city is connected by many bridges and walls. Cartagena features many restaurants, bars, and beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. Another tourist attraction is famous for it’s natural beauty, Tayrona National Park. You can view the beautiful beach of look at the pre Hispanic ruins of Pueblito.

HolidayOne famous holiday practiced in Colombia is the Día de las Velitas, or the day of the little Candles. This holiday is celebrated on the night of December 8th to contribute to the Virgin Mary. Candles and lanterns are light all over

the cities in celebration.

Día de las Velitas

Chile

GeographyChile has Atacama Desert, which is considered to be one of the driest regions in the world. Chile is the 38th largest country in the world, with 756,102 sq km.

ClimateIn the central region of chile it is temperate, in the north it is hot because of the desert. Finally in the south it is damp and cool.

CuisineChilean foods are very varied, from seafood, beef, vegetables, and fruits. One famous dish is the Pastel de Choclo, which is a pie made of beef, corn, vegetables, and chicken. Another meal is the national Chile, the Cazuela. Cazuela is a soup made of beef, chicken, of fish, and other local ingrediants.

Tourist AttractionsOne major tourist attraction in Chile, is Easter Island. Easter Island is very isolated, 1200 years ago someone discovered an incredible society of the Rapu Nui, living on the island. The people would carve statues out of volcanic rock called moai. There is curiosity in how these people disappeared and that is why the island is a great tourist attraction. A large statue head from this island can be seen in the movie Night at the Museum.

Sand FormationsThe Valle de la Luna also known as the lonely planet is known for it’s variety of sand formations. It can even be described as looking like the moon. These lindforms have been countlessly eroded by flood, or the wind, making for a spectacular sight.

Guatemala

GeographyGuatemala has numerous volcanoes in the Sierra Madre mountain range. The most popular being the Santa Maria whose elevation is 3,772 miles. Guatemala is the 106 largest country in the world, with the area of 108,889 sq km.

ClimateGuatemala mainly has tropical weather. At higher elevation it is cooler, and hot, at low elevation.

Traditional ClothingGuatemala is one of the only places where many people where there traditional dress, traje. The traditional clothing is more frequently worn by woman verses men. However, in different villages it is common to see people in different designs, or more modern clothing, like t-shirts.

Tourist AttractionsOne of Guatemala’s great tourist attraction is the Tikal National Park. There are stupendous views of well preserved architectural buildings left behind from the Maya civilization. The building were untouched for thousands of years until archaeologists found them.

CuisineGuatemalan foods are basic, there are usually not as many spices used in dishes. The exception of that being pipian, a soup that is thick and spicy, made with tomatoes, onions, and ground pumpkin seeds. Another popular dish in the Guatemalan community is tortillas, rice, beans, pasta, and bread.

Uruguay

GeographyMost of Uruguay consists of flat grassy plains. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, it is the 90th largest country in the world. The total area of Uruguay is 176,215 sq km.

ClimateUruguay is warm and temperate year round. The country is unfamiliar to freezing weather.

CuisineOne of Uruguay’s most famous desert is Dulce de leche, it is used on cookies and bread; it is similar to a thick carmal like substance. Another Uruguayan favorite is the Chivito al plato, which can be made many different ways. Some common ingredients are steak, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and ham.

Tourist AttractionsCarlos Páez Vilaró’s house, he was a famous artist born in 1923. His house is also called the Casapueblo. It is also called a living sculpture, and he later opened a portion of it as a hotel.

SportsFootball (soccer) is the most popular sport in Uruguay. Their country has won the world cup twice.The most Faous stadium in this county is the Estadio Centenario. The stadium was actually made for the first world cup held in Uruguay. It was designed by Juan Antonio Scasso and José Domato, and can hold

100,000 spectators.

Bibliography

Venezuelan Cuisine

http://www.southamerica.cl/Venezuela/Food.htm

http://carnaval.com/venezuela/food/

Colombian Cuisine

http://www.southamerica.cl/Colombia/Food.htm

Chilean Cuisine

http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Chile.html

http://myhungrytum.com/2010/03/16/cazuela-chile-national-dish-day-66dish-35/

Guatemalan Cuisine

http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Guatemala.html

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Guatemalans.html

Venezuelan Tourist Attractions

http://www.tourisminvenezuela.com/2010/07/09/teresa-carreno-cultural-complex-travel-information-and-tips-for-you-visit/

http://www.venezueladeverdad.gob.ve/obras/10/103/estadio_metropolitano_de.html

Colombian Tourist Attractions

http://www.globosapiens.net/travel-information/Cartagena-1073.html

http://www.tourismnewsinfo.com/2010/09/23/natural-beauty-and-eaches-parque-national-tayrona-colombia/

Colombian holiday

http://irielatino.blogspot.com/2010/12/irie-latino-window-dia-de-las-velitas.html

Chilean Tourist Attractions

http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html

http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island/

Chilean Sand Formations

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/chile/northern-chile/san-pedro-de-atacama/sights/canyon/valle-luna

Guatemala Tourist Attractions

http://www.tikalpark.com/

Uruguay Tourist Attractions

http://inspiracionline.blogspot.com/2010/01/artists-house-carlos-paez-vilaro.html

http://www.artnet.com/artists/carlos-p%C3%A1ez+vilar%C3%B3/past-auction-results

Uruguay Sports

http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stadiums/stadium=34866/detail.html

http://www.uruguaydailynews.com/montevideo/key-points/234-historic-centenario-stadium