By Andrea Davoust

Of all the Central American countries, Guatemala is the one where the indigenous culture remains most alive. Nowhere is it more readily visible - in the clothing, rituals and language of the people - than in Chichicastenango, a small, sleepy town in Guatemala's western highlands, which springs to life every Thursday and Saturday during its arts and crafts market.

My friend and I reached Chichicastenango late one rainy afternoon - with much relief. From the sprawling, polluted streets of Guatemala City, it had been a three-hour ride in a converted, brightly-painted American school bus, deeper and deeper into the mountains. And what a journey!

The bus charged through crowded intersections, roared down steep hills, swung at breakneck speed around hairpin turns, chugged up roads nearly concealed by rolling clouds before dipping into yet another lime-green valley, but at last it screeched into Chichicastenango. We tumbled out onto a nondescript street, still unsteady on our feet from the eye-widening ride, and seconds later the bus tore off.

The next morning, we set off bright and early to explore the place. The town itself was fairly unremarkable. While most of the one-story buildings were painted bold yellows, oranges or pink, many were just plain concrete. For a place which was supposed to be home for 50,000 souls, it also seemed rather small.

After strolling just a couple of blocks, we had already reached the main square, where very few of the stalls were open, as everyone obviously was waiting for the next day's big market. Nonetheless, there was a pleasant, quiet feel to the place, with few cars driving through the unevenly paved streets.

I also loved the way the women dressed: in a riot of colours. They all wore thick dark blue or dark grey skirts, with fine vertical stripes of darker purple alternating with lighter grey motifs. Their blouses were heavily embroidered with enormous roses or diamond patterns in blazing pinks, yellows and blues. Every single bundle they carried was wrapped in rough striped blankets, again drawing from every hue of the rainbow. It was a natural kaleidoscope, definitely not a show put on for tourists.

After visiting the square, we hiked up the pine-covered hill just south of town to Pascual Abaj, a shrine to the Mayan earth god Huyup Tak'ah. The shrine was little more than a foot-tall ring of blackened stones with a Christian cross in the middle of a clearing, but again, the traditions proved very much alive, as we observed an elderly couple burning some herbs as a sacrifice.

As we were heading back to the center, it started to pour, so we found refuge under the makeshift roofs of the food stalls in the center of the market and ordered two mugs of scalding hot watery coffee. Women were expertly patting corn dough into tortillas, then slapping them to cook on grills. The gesture is common all over Central America, but we were surprised to see dark tortillas. "They are made with black corn," explained the woman, pointing to the different sacks of grain.

Corn is an essential staple here, to the extent that it forms part of Mayan mythology. "The gods created man out of corn," the woman reminded us. "I am from Europe, so was made from wheat," I joked back. She immediately shot back with the eternal where-are-you-from question. My travel companion came from El Salvador - the country literally next door. Yet the woman had no idea where it was. "How many hours by bus?" she asked. As to my home country, France...judging from the uncertain look on her face, I might as well have come from Jupiter. It occurred to me that she had probably never had the chance to venture outside her mountains, a poor campesina selling tortillas every day of her life.

The next day for the artisanal market, the town was so bustling it was barely recognisable. The stalls on the square were bursting with carved masks, jade jewellery, cloth dolls with button-eyes, bags and purses of all sizes and of course blankets. We pushed our way through the crowds, trying not to step onto the women who had simply spread their baskets of fruit on the ground between stalls. A few other pale-skinned tourists stood out in the crowd, all at least a head taller than the Guatemalans.

On the steps of the 500-year-old Santo Tomás church, sellers had covered every available inch with buckets of irises, chrysanthemums and lilies. A young girl read the paper, her legs wrapped in a red and green blanket, while a very matronly woman pottered around, carrying three live chickens. A grey-haired man in corduroys and a sweatshirt, kneeling at the top of the steps, was swinging a pot of incense, shrouding the whole scene in thick scented smoke.

I felt privileged to be witnessing such an authentic scene. Guatemala styles itself as "the soul of the earth" and indeed, up in Chichi the townspeople have not yet sold out to the small trickle of tourists coming their way.

By Adam Roy

As our engines sputtered to a stop, a group of blue and crimson Sally Lightfoot Crabs strolling across a nearby rock froze in place and trained their eyestalks on us, skittering away when we drifted too close. From a grotto in the lava cliff high above our heads, a pair of Blue-Footed Boobies peered down at the Queen Mary as divers moved about the deck, donning scuba equipment and checking computers. Clearly, we were causing a bit of a stir.

Geared up, I leaned against the railing of the cabin cruiser as the dive master ran through his final briefing. He would lead us along the edge of the wall and signal us if he saw anything interesting. We should keep an eye on our pressure gauges and let him know when we were down to half a tank. And please, added the dive master, don't touch anything.

In the protected seas of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, "Don't touch anything" is more than an admonition: it's a way of life. Even as cruise ships have replaced whaling vessels, runaway growth in the Galapagos' tourism industry and the islands' skyrocketing population have kept native fauna on the defensive. With the Ecuadorian government hesitant to turn away tourism dollars, the future of the islands' ecosystem may well rest on visitors and residents' ability to create a new culture of sustainability on Galapagos.

Much like the islands themselves, what makes the seas surrounding Galapagos so unique is their remarkable biodiversity. Located at the intersection of the warm Panama Current and the frigid Humboldt, the waters of the archipelago support a wide variety of sea life, including marine iguanas, dolphins and several species of shark. It's a kind of aquatic Wonderland, where cold-water species like the Galapagos penguin swim among schools of gaudy tropical fish.

The localized temperatures and finicky currents that make these odd juxtapositions possible also made diving in the Galapagos a bit tricky. 50 feet below the surface, the water was clear but cold, chilling me even through my thick wetsuit as we swam along the ocean floor. Next to us, a pair of comically mismatched manta rays, one about five times the size of the other, shuffled along the sandy bottom. Underneath a spur of lava rock, a green sea turtle regarded us before gliding off with a lazy wave of its flippers.

The wilderness of the reserve finds its counterpoint in Puerto Ayora, a bustling bayside town on Santa Cruz Island's southern shore. The dive shops and restaurants jockeying for space on Puerto Ayora's streets are a testament to the eco-tourism industry that built this town, and most residents seem determined to preserve that livelihood. Restaurants' landscaping doubles as marine iguana nesting ground, while hotels provide biodegradable soap and encourage guests not to kill spiders out of concern for the island's food chain.

Unfortunately, as the population of Puerto Ayora continues its explosive growth, alarming signs of friction are beginning to crop up. Tires, plastic bags and other detritus wash up along the shore of Academy Bay with increasing frequency. Over the past 15 years, the number of introduced species has more than doubled.

According to the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), a scientific organization based in Santa Cruz, current rates of growth in the tourism industry seems to be following a "boom-and-bust" pattern, putting both Galapagos' ecosystem and economy in grave danger. To avert the crisis, CDF looks to get island residents involved in the tourism. In July 2007, after UNESCO placed Galapagos on its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, CDF Executive Director Graham Watkins emphasized the role of local, family-owned businesses in promoting conservation.

"This island culture must prevail over the existing frontier culture that does not recognize such limits and the need for sustainability," Watkins wrote on the group's website. " It is our fervent hope that we can create a truly sustainable society that cares for these islands ."

A two hour boat trip away, sleepy Floreana Island offers both a glimpse into Galapagos' past and a showcase of what the islands still have to lose. The highlands of Floreana were once a hideout for pirates, who took advantage of the island's supply of fresh water and convenient lookouts to keep watch for enemy vessels. Later, the island would become home to one of the first families to settle in Galapagos, the Wittmers.

When Heinrich, Margaret and Harry Wittmer arrived from Germany in 1932, they found themselves in a challenging new world. There were no stores, no post offices, no cruise ships puttering from island to island. Their chosen life was the garua rainy season, a wooden house in the shadow of the mountains and the impossibly vast, blue stretch of the sea. Their home, now a hotel, still has an aura of pioneer sturdiness around it. Above one door, a sign in German reminds passerby "God helps those that help themselves!"

Back on the boat, we followed Floreana's coast to a small cove, where we donned snorkeling gear and slipped beneath the surface. Only a few minutes in, I did a double take when I spied a mountain of manta rays in the shallows. I counted 21 of the flat, heavy-lidded fish heaped one on top of another. A quick tally by the guide came up with 25. As I gaped, a pair of white-tipped sharks emerged from a grotto and swam a few circuits before retreating back into the darkness.

On the way back to the boat, the guide paused to dive down, resurfacing a moment later with a sea cucumber in his hand. Snorkelers immediately clustered around him, passing around the sea cucumber and stroking its nubby hide. When the guide noticed me treading water at the edge of the circle, he held out the spiny orange critter to me and asked if I wanted to touch it. I shook my head no.

By Nelza Oliveira

Buenos Aires, the third largest city of Latin America, is sophisticated, vibrant and cosmopolitan. In the capital of Argentina, the tourist is enchanted by the architecture in the European style, traditional cafes and restaurants, adorable street fairs, fancy stores, great shopping, museums, cultural centers, parks with great green areas and many places to relax and observe the beauty that are part of the postcards of the city.

The best way to get to know the city is to divide it in neighborhoods and walk. Each neighborhood brings an enchantment, several attractions, and an atmosphere unique to itself. Downtown, around Plaza de Mayo, concentrates most of Buenos Aires's historical monuments. The square unites the Madres of La Plaza of Mayo, mothers who lost their children during the military dictatorship of Argentina, and one can visit the Casa Rosada, home of the National Executive Branch, and the Cabildo, the only surviving building of colonial times.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is guarded by two soldiers solemnly dressed, immobile in the Buckingham Palace style, and hosts the mausoleum of the general San Martin, hero of Argentinean Independence. After admiring the architecture of the historical monuments and buildings in art nouveau and art déco style of the area, the sit down and take advantage of the beautiful Café Tortoni.

Inaugurated more than 150 years ago, the cafe is the most traditional in the city and famous for being frequented by great artists, among them, the famous Tango singer Carlos Gardel and the writer Jorge Luis Borges. In the surroundings, it's worth a look at the Obelisco, the Teatro Colón, and a long walk along Calle Florida, lined with shops that sell all skind of things, from leather articles to jewellery.

In its extension is located the sophisticated Galerías Pacífico, housing stores of the best international brands. The Galerias also shelters the beautiful Centro Cultural Borges, a cultural place where you can learn a little more about writer Jorge Luis Borges and see other exhibitions and shows. At night, Calle Florida is taken over by street vendors that do anything to attract tourists and sell good and cheap handicrafts.

The best day to visit San Telmo, the oldest neighborhood of Buenos Aires, is Sunday, when the street fair of antiquities takes place. Besides the antiques, clothing, porcelain and handicrafts, one can find a vast selection of restaurants and cafes around Dorrego Square, the heart of the fair. The street is also lively with several street musicians and performers.

Synonymous with Tango and soccer, the neighborhood of La Boca attracts attention with houses painted in many different bright colors. In La Boca is located the Boca Juniors soccer stadium, the team of the famous player Diego Maradona. Going to the stadium is crucial to getting in touch with the soccer passions of the Portenhos, as the inhabitants of Buenos are called (meaning people of the port).

Speaking of Tango, the sensual Argentinean rhythm can be enjoyed in several ways. The Tanguerías are totally designed for tourists and present a "jaw dropping" show with orchestras and dancers performing live, with dinner included. Milongas are casual balls frequented by people of all ages, where you can try to learn the first steps of tango.

In Caminito, the pedestrian street of 100 meters, tourists enjoy Tango performances in the street or bars. The street was founded by the famous local artist, Benito Quinquela Martín, who encouraged the residents to paint their houses colorfully and whose studio in the neighborhood was transformed into a museum (Museo of Bellas Artes de La Boca), with some of his works and other exhibitions. In La Boca, it's also worth a visit to the Fundación Proa, one of the best and newest galleries of the city.

Recoleta is one of the most aristocratic areas of the city, although the one thing that most attracts the attention of Argentineans and foreigners is the local cemetery, where the remains of Evita Perón are. Even today, many Argentineans gather in front of her mausoleum to mourn the death of the political leader and "standard bearer of humble ones". To the north of the gates of the cemetery, you can see the colonial baroque style of the church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, built by the Jesuits in the beginning of the 17th century.

Buenos Aires Design is a closed shopping center dedicated to furniture and decoration. Walking a little more, you find the main Argentinean museum, Museo de Arte Moderno, with its refined predominantly European collection. Palermo, divided by zones, is the broadest neighborhood of the city. Palermo Soho is an elegant, bohemian and avant-garde zone full of fancy stores. Plaza Cortázar, in honor of the Argentinean writer Julio Cortázar, is the epicenter of the bohemian Soho. The busy square is surrounded by fancy trattorias, cafes and bars.

The Bosques (forests) de Palermo host many natural areas. The green zone includes a Jardín Japonés (Japanese garden), Planetário (planetarium) Galileo, Jardín Botânico (Botanical Garden), the Zoo and other areas with artificial lakes surrounded by trees. In those places, the portenhos meet to sun bathe and to walk. Also in the neighborhood is the Malba (Museum of Latin-America Art). Malba boasts an important collection of Latin-American artists from the 20 century.

Buenos Aires's newest neighborhood is Puerto Madero, reborn in 1991 with the recovery of the old port zone. The neighborhood has become a high end tourist attraction with sophisticated restaurants and night clubs, where one can stay until dawn. The Puente de La Mujer, abstractly meant to illustrate a couple dancing Tango, is a magnificent bridge that links the two sides of the old dock, .

No matter where you go in this "Paris of Latin America", you're sure to find a vibrant and pulsating city. The biggest question is where to start.