South America is a delight for people who like to revel in the glory of all that nature has to offer. The country is filled with the kind of landscape that surprises and enchants you in equal measures. With some of the best trekking destinations in the world, South America is a place every adventure-lover should visit once in their lifetime. For a regular tourist, too, it has a lot to offer.
Let’s take a look at the five best destination travel spots to visit in this continent.
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Situated in the Southernmost region of Chile, the Torres del Paine National Park is a great place to go hiking. The area surrounding the park leads to magnificent lakes, glaciers, and mountains. There are different levels of trekking available, and you can opt for the one which befits your experience and one you are comfortable with. The paths, which you will be trekking on, are properly marked and there is no chance of you losing your way. If you just want to stick to sight-seeing, you can visit the area during the daytime.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The Incan kingdom of Machu Picchu is an ancient city, which was excavated and rediscovered a while back. Now, it is one of the most well-known archeological sites and a popular tourist destination travel spot. You have to cross the beautiful Peruvian mountains to reach here. You can either trek your way through these mountains or simply take a train to reach Machu Picchu. Either way, when you reach here you will be stunned by the breath-taking panoramic views.
Angel Falls, Venezuela
Within the confines of Venezuela’s Canaima National Park is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. Water streaming down from Angel Falls makes for a stunning view. The area, which the waterfall is surrounded by, is a popular spot for hiking activities. The forest trek nearby covers a wide area encompassing rivers, mountains, and grasslands. As you trek through these areas, you will be introduced to lagoons and more gushing waterfalls.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
After trekking through dense forests and reveling in the gorgeousness of waterfalls, you can plan a visit to a salt flat. Not just any salt flat but Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt flat in the world. A salt flat is an area consisting of largely flat land that is covered with salt. Visiting this place is a very unique experience as the landscape will make you feel that you have stepped into some other world altogether. If you want to experience the charm and aura of this area in its full glory, visit it during a dry season.
Amazon rainforest, Ecuador
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most important ecosystems on our planet. It covers around 40% of the continent and touches the borders of the many neighboring countries in the process. This is not an easy terrain to walk through, but if you are up for a wildlife adventure, it will turn out to be a rewarding process for you. You will get to see this unique green zone up and close and encounter a vast variety of exotic animals and birds along the way.
-
Clever ideas for small kitchens
Read moreSpace management is a challenge for anyone living in a small home, but nowhere do you feel as cramped for space as you do in a small kitchen. Unless you eat all your meals away from home, kitchens are the heart of every home. Unlike most other rooms in the house, kitchens are functional in the extreme, and require meticulous planning if space is a constraint.
Ceiling-high cabinets Don’t hesitate to take the cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. The top shelves can store seasonal items like the crockpot you only need once in a while. A sliding ladder will give you access, and can make an eye-catching attraction.
Glass and mirrors Opaque cabinet doors can make your kitchen look cramped and stuffy. Choose clear glass to allow the eyes to travel into the cabinets. A brightly contrasted interior could add some visual depth. Mirrors for cabinet doors make a clever alternative as well, as they create an illusion of more space than is actually available.
Corner cabinets corners are especially wasted in the traditional kitchen, where the typical cabinets don’t have a plan for corners. Today, corner cabinets are terrific space-savers in the kitchen, ensuring all that space doesn’t stay unused. For the area under the countertop, corner cabinets also come in the form of draws, making even better use of space.
Open kitchen The usual 4-wall format is a bad idea for a small kitchen. If your budget allows it, bring down a wall, at least halfway, so you can put a classy stone slab on the half-wall to create a mini-dining table with bar stools on either side. This area can even double as an island or extra work space when you need it, and needless to say, the area under it is more cabinet space!
Bright colours Bring in more light into the kitchen by painting it white, or pale pastel hues of blue, yellow or pink. If wallpapers are your choice, then go for small and discrete floral prints. Nothing screams cramped space like dark, heavy colours or large patterns.
Wall garden No kitchen is too small for some green. If you cannot actually manage a few mason jars with some herbs on the window sill, then consider installing a small wall-garden on a sunny section of the wall. Classy, fresh herbs, and again, it is a subtle way of bring the outdoors in, opening up the ambiance of the room.
Small spaces don’t have to be a big disadvantage. With some clever hacks, you can always find a way of making your kitchen fun and functional.
-
4 steps for creating customized embroidered patches
Read moreDon’t know how to make your plain denim look chic? Just add some quirky embroidered patches on them and you are good to go. Embroidered patches are very much in the trend and why would they not be? Apart from being cool, they are also extremely versatile. You can put these patches on uniforms, hoodies, denim, hats, overalls, and on any clothing of your choice.
If you have decided that you want your own customized patches, then here are four simple steps in which you can get them made the right way:Decide the correct size– The size of the patch depends on what you are planning to put the embroidered patch on. When it comes to measuring the size of the embroidered patch, you need to decide the height and the width of the patches. If you are planning to put it on your denim or your hat, then a small-sized one, roughly around 2 to 4 inches, would be an ideal choice. Whereas, if you want it for a backpatch then you will have to go for a much bigger size, like something between 8 to 12 inches.
Choose a shape– Once you know what size patch you want to make, you can decide the shape of the patch. Some of the most basic shapes that you can go for are squares, circles, and ovals. If you want to go for any of these basic shapes, then you have the luxury of buying premade patches, where you simply need to create the design and the details you want to see in the patch.
Be clear on the concept– Most of the times, the designs of the patches are brand logos, symbols, or a message that conveys an event or a cause. So, it is vital that before you go ahead and design a patch, you are clear on what you want the patch to convey. You can use photographs or text to convey the design of your embroidered patch to the designer.
Finalize the design– Less is more when it comes to the designs that you select for your embroidered patch. If you go overboard and add too many things in the patch then it might end up looking chaotic. So, stick to one idea and turn it into a simple design. It is best to have a rough sketch of what you want the design to look like so that the designer knows what you are looking for. If you are getting an embroidered patch for personal use, then you can use your favorite quotes, movie characters, or a sketch you drew yourself.
Do your homework and be clear on what you want. Once you have a vision for how you want them to look, everything else will fall in place. Be up to date with the trending designs and shapes, so that you can take inspiration from them to make your own tailormade embroidered patch.