Previous questions
Our previous questions:
- What was the Inca Highway?
A veteran explorer and a real character, Victor Von Hagen set off in 1952 to try to follow the old Inca road which originally went from Lake Titicaca to Quito at the height of the Inca empire. He had first glimpsed its beginnings in Ecuador as a young man, and after 20 exciting years spent in the jungles of South and Central America looking for the elusive El Dorado, and living (with his intrepid wife) with remote tribes deep in the Amazon, he made it his quest to uncover the road for posterity. He wrote a book about his amazing expedition called Highway of the Sun, which he amusingly dedicated 'In all humility - to Myself'. Look at our itinerary spanning Ecuador and Peru for inspiration to explore this fascinating part of the world for yourself, with Last Frontiers of course!
- Who came on the Mimosa?
The Mimosa was a ship that brought the first Welsh people to Patagonia in 1865. Her cargo was predominantly women and children who came from Lancashire and Wales, some of the passengers were educated, others were illiterate. All were looking for a new life in a far-off land. On board the Mimosa during the voyage, five children died and two were born. A widow and a widower were married, so it was not all doom and gloom! It was a very difficult voyage and Patagonia must have seemed like the end of the world when they arrived, conditions on land were so difficult. But the Welsh survived there and today there are still thriving communities, keeping up traditions such as Welsh tea cake and Eistedfords!
- Was Newton right?
During the 18th century in the exciting age of the Enlightenment, France and Spain both sent scientists out to the mountains and jungles of South America, to try and determine conclusively the shape and size of the earth. Newton had already published his theory in the UK that the earth was spherical, but that it bulged in the middle and flattened out at each pole. La Condomine and his dedicated band of French mathematicians and scientists spent ten years in the Andes and Amazon basin, taking painstaking measurements of the stars, to try and establish what was one degree of latitude. Their race to deliver their findings back home highlights the conflicts that existed between the various colonial powers who laid claim to the Americas, and the French were hotly pursued by both Spanish and Portuguese explorers and beaurocrats. Robert Whitaker (award winning US journalist) has written "a true tale of love, murder, and survival in the Amazon" in his book 'The Mapmaker's Wife'. The book reads like an adventure novel, but is in fact a well-researched historical account of a 1735 French scientific expedition to the Amazon, and paints a vivid picture of this turbulent time.
- Chimborazo or Popocatépetl?
Latin America contains some very high volcanoes (sometimes snow-capped!), with Chimborazo being the highest in South America, and Popocatépetl the highest in Central America. Look at the Ecuador pages to see ideas for a spectacular journey down the 'Avenue of the Volcanoes' from Quito to Cuenca. Or in Mexico, enjoy an itinerary based around Mexico City with its wealth of Aztec history, and the Spanish colonial heartlands around San Miguel de Allende.
- Who inspired Conan Doyle?
There was considerable interest during the 19th century in South America, encouraged by talks given by eminent explorers at the Royal Geographical Society. Sir Walter Raleigh had gone to the Gran Sabana in Venezuela in search of El Dorado, and centuries later, Conan Doyle found inspiration for his novel 'The Lost World' in the tales of Mount Roraima, told by explorers such as Sir Everard im Thurm in their lectures to the Society. The scenery today is still just as spell-binding in this remote and beautiful part of Latin America, and we have put together exciting itineraries in both Venezuela and Guyana, to show you the wonders of this 'lost world'.
- What happened in 1421?
There is a new theory that the Americas were discovered by the Chinese at this time, according to the excellent book written by David Menzies: 1421 The Year China Discovered America. This is his premise: "I suggest that the first settlers of North America came not with Columbus nor any other European pioneer, but in the junks of Admiral Zhou Wen's fleet, landing around Christmas 1421. Perhaps New England should now be renamed New China." Have a look at the Brazil and Venezuela pages on the Last Frontiers' website, for exciting itineraries around the area traditionally associated with Columbus and the explorers of the late middle ages.
