6 Ways to Banish Travel Fear Factor - It's Not All Danger In Latin America

A brief glance at the international news is often enough to persuade you to stay inside and lock your doors, let alone leave the borders of your own country. Volcanoes exploding in Guatemala, earthquakes flattening Haiti, Mexican drug wars, military coups in Honduras, viruses sweeping Latin America...we're certainly not safe anymore. Any Government Foreign Office or State Department website has a long list of countries to avoid, and even if they give the all clear, you'll be confronted with a sobering list of potential dangers and disasters to prepare for.

Of course, if we listened to these dire warnings, we'd never go anywhere. The trick is balancing the well-meaning and slightly overbearing advice with enough common sense so that your trip doesn't turn out badly. Here's some tips to get a realistic appraisal of your future travel destination.

1) Speak to travel businesses that operate in your destination of choice
If travel pessimism is getting to you, speak to a professional. Travel agencies or tour operators are never going to send you into a war zone, and as long as they are offering trips in your country of choice, let them sell it to you! You'll be showered with all the wonderful aspects of your destination, and if the business is reputable with a good selection of testimonials, you can be sure that the agents or operators will be genuinely and honestly trying to give you the trip of a lifetime.

2) Speak to someone who has recently been to the same country or area
If you don't have a friend or member of the family who can give you an eye-witness update, get advice from the horse's mouth online; there are a ton of travel forums and travel social networking sites out there. Thorn Tree forums, wayn.com, tripconnect.com and realtravel.com all provide hundreds and thousands of users who have recently travelled all over the world and one of them is bound to be able to fill you in about the state of the country.

3) Read any online media from your destination country
An Internet search will often reveal current affairs websites for your country of choice. Ex-pat run options will often be presented in English giving up to date information about the country or their community. Failing that, you could try using Google Translate to change the web page into English or get a friend who is confident in the language to assist you. Make sure that nothing gets lost in translation!

4) Separate what could happen anywhere, and what is specific to your destination
Are there road accidents in your country? Yup. Do people get food poisoning? Yes, they do. What about getting robbed? Well...yes...

It's easy to think that for all the dire warnings, everything bad that happens is 'out there'. Try to remember when considering the risks of travel that many of them are relevant to your own country as well - you can't eliminate risk from your life.

5) Evaluate warnings against common sense
For the risks specific to your destination country, how easily can they be avoided by simple application of common sense? Taking the advice of a locally based travel company. Not walking around alone in a bad neighborhood at night, not flashing jewellery in unknown public places, not drinking untreated water...you wouldn't instinctively do any of these things at home, so why would it be any different abroad?

6) If anything does go wrong, have it covered
Plenty of travel insurance packages exist to cater for a wide range of different trips. There's something out there for you, it's just a case of searching. Knowing that a missed flight, lost luggage or an accident won't cost you the Earth will doubtless remove some travel-worry. The travel company you choose should have a 24 hour helpline in your native language and plenty of information before, during and after the booking process, this ensures you are always looked after and can feel reassured at all times.

Feel good about your next Latin American trip? Book it and go! If you want to smooth the first steps of your self-planned vacation, a huge amount of pre-bookable options and reviews for accommodation, restaurants and other facilities worldwide are available on tripadvisor.com. If an agent or tour operator did a good job at step 1 and you want to take them up on their proposal - go with what feels right! Remember you can't protect yourself against everything, so don't be a slave to it. Enjoy your next trip!

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Soccer in Argentina - Who is Maradona, and why does he divide opinion?

As the Soccer World Cup unfolds, it's very difficult to ignore the Argentinians. If not for being the only national squad with two victories in the group stage so far, their progress is shouted from the rooftops at press conferences and interviews by their colourful manager, Diego Maradona. If you're an Argentinian you probably love him, and if you're a soccer fanatic from anywhere else you probably can't stand him. So, who is Diego Maradona and why do so many people hate him?

Maradona was born into a poor neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, the first son after three daughters. Discovered by a talent scout at the age of ten, he played for the youth team of Argentino Juniors until the age of 12. Testament to his skill at such a young age, he would entertain spectators at senior league games as a ball-boy by showing off ball-juggling tricks at half time. This led rapidly into a string of successful contracts with clubs from Argentina and Europe, creating 258 goals from 494 appearances. Internationally his reputation is the strongest, embarrassing the best defenders in the world for 17 years whilst achieving 91 caps and 34 goals. Pretty impressive, but why does he have such a bad reputation?

A Professional Cheat; The "Hand Of God"
One of Maradona's most infamous goals was against England in the 1986 World Cup. During this time, Argentina was at war with England in the Falkland Island conflict, so much more was at stake than the match. Argentina went on to win the tournament, but as former Argentinian international Roberto Perfumo stated, "'In 1986, winning that game against England was enough. Winning the World Cup was secondary for us. Beating England was our real aim".

In a one-on-one contest with the English goalkeeper (who was about half a foot taller) Maradona won the ball from a challenge in the air by clearly using his hand to push the ball into the net. The referee didn't see the foul and awarded Argentina the goal. At a press conference after the match, Maradona claimed that the goal was scored "un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" (a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God).

A Poor Example In His Personal Life
Not exactly a good example for young soccer players, Maradona became heavily addicted to cocaine in the 1980's, a habit that lasted almost twenty years. He gained a huge amount of weight after his retirement from professional football and became obese, requiring surgery to bring his weight down. In 2004 he was admitted to hospital for a heart attack following a cocaine overdose and alcohol abuse caused another admission to hospital in 2007. In accordance with the media circus that had evolved around his personal life, there were three false claims about his death in the month following his admission to hospital. Many of Maradona's professional peers acknowledge his problems, the following quote coming from international player Carlos Tevez;

"Although I believe in Maradona in football I sometimes question him when it comes to life, as he is wonderful in soccer and fabulous as a coach but lives a poor and dear life."

A Towering Ego
Outspoken Press Conferences and ridiculous quotes characterize Maradona; some favourites...

“The Lord helps those who help themselves.”

"I did it with the hand of reason." (After smashing the windscreen of a press photographer)

"I worked hard all my life for this. Those who say I don't deserve anything, that it all came easy, can kiss my arse."

“I am calm, ... My surname is not a burden for me. It might be for others, but not for me.”

Seen By Over 100,000 People As The Son Of God
In 1998 in the city of Rosario, founders created the "Maradonian Church", complete with ten soccer and Argentinian nationalist-based commandments. Maradona is referred to by followers as D10S, a fusion of the Spanish word "Dios" (God) and the number 10 that was on his shirt during his playing days. Christians worldwide are, naturally, offended.

Despite Everything, Still Better Than Everyone Else In The History Of Football
Despite the controversy surrounding the infamous "hand of God" goal, in the same match Maradona sealed Argentina's victory with a 60 yard run beating no fewer than five England players in ten seconds. The effort was labelled "Goal of the Century" because it was deemed the greatest individual goal in the history of the game. That wasn't just a flash in the pan either - in a FIFA internet vote, he finished in first place as "Player of the Century", testament to his incredible sporting skill, despite everything else. Makes that big ego even harder to swallow...

If Argentina make 2010 the year of their World Cup victory or not, the name of Maradona will no doubt prevail. Any visitors to Argentina who ask for local opinions about Maradona are more likely to get an animated reply about the man than a non-committal shrug of the shoulders; for all his faults, you can't deny that he's lived with typical Latin American passion, and aroused the same in others.

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

How To Dance The Tango Like They Do In Argentina

It's time to tango!  Few dances rival the passion and showiness of the tango, the dance that everyone associates with Argentina.  Celebrity dancing shows like Dancing With The Stars and Strictly Come Dancing are popping up all over the world, showing us all that anyone can have a go, but where do you start?  Try these useful pointers...

1) Listen to the music a lot to get the "feel"
Familiarity with music gets your body moving nicely to it, and feeling is everything with the tango; experts say that you must really learn to listen to the music before you start to dance.  Do it whenever and wherever you can; in the car, at work, just before you go to sleep.  If you find after a few weeks that you can't stop listening, you may have just found a life-long passion!

2) Get comfortable with the basic steps to find you dancing feet
Tango as a dance is very free-form, based in improvisation.  However, before you can let your feet do the talking, you need to train yourself in the basic moves and steps.  To get helpful pointers and be surrounded by others to keep you motivated, find a local dance school or, even better, dance with someone who already knows it.  Failing either of these, don't let circumstances kill your passion; try finding instructional videos on the Internet, a much easier alternative to reading a list of foot movements or trying to decipher pictures.

3) Persevere...
Like everything in life, only regular practice will get you going smoothly, and tango is no exception.  Beginners must devote lots of time to solo practice and it is widely acknowledged that big advances can, and must, be made in tango without a partner.  As you "walk your miles", try to move like you are already an excellent dancer; the dance is as much about attitude and communicating yourself as anything else.  You may find yourself more convincing than you think!  Also try and make your practice a regular commitment; it is common knowledge that the successful dancers are those that book a month of classes and show up to every one.

4) It takes two; find a partner
Once you've put in the time with your own steps, it's time to get someone else involved.  Even though tango isn't a subtle way to meet people, make sure you dance with lots of different partners so that you don't get lazy being accustomed to the way one other person dances; everyone is different, and if you are improvising you should be ready for that!

5) More practice; get out there and enjoy your dancing!
Hopefully if you've dedicated yourself regularly to the previous steps, you'll have a group of people with whom you can go out and dance for fun, as well as knowing some good spots.  The free-flowing aspect of the dance will come easier with time, as moves need to come automatically from "body memory" and not from actively thinking about them; this naturally only comes with a lot of practice.

Which style to learn?
Tango evolved in Argentina as a melting pot of cultural influences from world-wide immigrants that flooded into Argentina at the beginning of the 19th century.  Lonely and looking for company in their new surroundings, the arrivals developed tango as a means to mix and express themselves beyond language.  Thus, tango is a portrayal of Buenos Aires and its people.  Over the last 100 years many different styles have evolved, including Ballroom, Social and Stage.  Many consider the styles to be so drastically different that if you have learnt one, it won't form a basis to help you learn another. 

True or not, the best way to learn Argentinian tango is to follow it to the source.  Numerous companies run entire tours based around exploring Buenos Aires through learning to dance the tango.  As well as an unforgettable adventure, you'll be sure of learning a pure-blooded form of the passionate, dramatic and beautiful dance that everyone wants to be good at.

Eva Peron - The Princess Diana of Argentina?

The latest news about the return of the famous Broadway musical Evita with Ricky Martin in a starring role has the entertainment press whipped into a frenzy.  However, many of us are still wondering who Evita is, what she did, and why she deserves her own musical.

María Eva Duarte de Perón (1919-1952) was the second wife and political partner of President Juan Perón (1895–1974) of Argentina.  She's also popularly known by the affectionate Spanish diminutive Evita, which translates into "Little Eva".  Still a hugely popular figure in Argentina and a worldwide icon due to books, movies and musicals based on her life, many consider her comparable to another global superstar, England's Princess Diana.  Here we look at the similarities and differences of both women to see if the comparison is justified.

It's fair to say that both Evita and Diana, despite living almost 50 years apart on different continents, had similarities;

• Both married powerful men, Diana with Prince Charles and Evita with Colonel Juan Peron.  They met in 1943 when Peron had assumed the post of secretary of labor and social welfare in the military government that had recently come to power.  Two years later they were married in 1945 when Evita assisted Peron with his release from prison after his incarceration by military opposition.  Peron's presidency in 1946 assumed soon after, and Evita's close relationship with Peron gave her access to a lot of power. 
• Both Diana and Evita shared an affinity for the poor and sick; during the 1946 Presidential campaign Evita directed her efforts towards the "descamisados" (shirtless poor) and her efforts for woman's suffrage saw laws passed in 1947 that allowed women to vote in the 1951 elections for the first time in history.  She also devoted several hours every day to meeting with poor people and visiting hospitals, orphanages, and factories. Additionally, she supervised the newly created Ministry of Health, which built many new hospitals and established a successful program to fight different diseases.
• Much like Diana, Evita was a figure constantly in the public eye.  As a result she, like Diana, was immensely fashion-conscious.  Her clothes and hairstyle were avidly studied, commented upon and copied.
• Both women died young, Evita of cervical cancer at the age of 33.  In both cases, there were huge outpouring of public grief.  All activity in Argentina ceased; movies stopped playing; restaurants were closed and patrons were shown to the door.  The crowd outside of the official presidential residence after the announcement of her death was so dense that the streets were congesting for ten blocks in each direction.  The streets of Buenos Aires overflowed with flowers that were stacked in huge piles, and within one day of Evita's death, all flower shops in Buenos Aires had sold out.
• Just as Diana's legacy and reputation has endured after her death, Evita's passing doesn't seem to have stopped her international fame.  In 1980, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Timothy Rice's Musical "Evita" won a major award and started the ball rolling for a surge in her popularity.  After a nearly 20-year production delay, Madonna was cast in the title role for the film version, which brought Evita as a figure to the international public eye more than 50 years after her death.

However, for all the similarity, Diana and Evita shared some fundamental differences;

• Born into an unmarried family of 5 children, Evita's background was humble to say the least.  Her father left her mother a year after her birth and as a result of the impoverishment following the loss of his supporting income, the family moved to the poorest area of their city. In order to support herself and her children, Evita's mother sewed clothes for neighbors. The family was stigmatized by the abandonment of the father, especially since Argentine law frowned upon illegitimate children.
• Evita's strong political involvement throughout the majority of her public life stands her significantly apart from Diana.  Despite using it as a platform for humanitarian agendas, it also opened her up to criticism, as the Peron administration was viewed by many as fascist, ruthlessly suppressing political opposition from an authoritarian centralized government.
• Diana was well known for raising money for charitable causes, just as Evita did, but questions surrounded the money that Evita raised for some causes.  Many claim that she extracted large sums from wealthy businessmen by intimidation.  She was also accused of keeping amounts for her own ends, buying jewelery and dresses.  Her European tour in 1947, a much publicised affair in which Evita visited various heads of state, was derided by some as an excuse to deposit funds in a Swiss bank account, some of which was supposed to be earmarked for charitable donations.

Whatever the comparisons, Evita certainly stands alone as a unique historical figure that managed to achieve near-sainthood and phenomenal popularity with the Argentinian lower classes; visitors to Argentina can still see the enduring effect of Evita on the country.  It is said that in many homes, the image of Evita is on the wall next to the Virgin Mary.  On 26 July 2002, the 50th anniversary of Eva Perón's death, a museum opened in Buenos Aires in her honor called "Museo Evita". The museum, which was created by her great-niece Cristina Alvarez Rodriquez, houses many of Eva Perón's clothes, portraits, and artistic renderings of her life.