TAKING THE KIDS

Grasshoppers? Eew! But chocolate? Yum!

The youngsters get a taste of multicultural Mexico in Oaxaca.

LATIN AMERICA

The pulse of Peru: A revitalized Lima invites rediscovery

Falling in love with Lima doesn't come easy. Tourists often find Lima to be too modern and Americanized to be worth exploring on their way to the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, the Amazon jungle or any of Peru's other treasures. I disagree.

On the sand: A beach-by-beach guide to Mexico's Riviera Maya

In the early 1980s, the pristine, beach-girdled Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula was marked by little more than a few fishing villages. But Mexico's government tourism development agency decided to put a name to this beautiful face, and the Riviera Maya was born.

ARGENTINA

Colomé combines art, adventure and wine

The white four-wheel drive pickup truck, with ''Los Cardones'' painted on its door, arrived punctually at the hotel in Salta. The driver packed the luggage carefully in large black plastic bags before stowing the bags in the back and snapping down the tarpaulin cover.

What's Happening | Mazatlan

Life moves smoothly along the shores of this Pacific Coast resort town, with casual sunbathers taking a cue from the pelicans deftly skimming above the waves, searching for a snack.

Beyond Paramaribo's bustle, Suriname is enveloped by jungle

I step out of my guesthouse the first bright and humid morning in Paramaribo, still holding Suriname as a fantasy formed by alluring snapshots and brief descriptions, like an Internet date I am meeting for the first time.

COSTA RICA

Cloud forest alive with birds, butterflies, orchids

The Monteverde Cloud Forest isn't easy to get to, but once you're there, it's worth every pothole.

Cartagena sparkles with modern sophistication

The day's swelter dissipates in twilight as a makeshift bar appears in the cobbled colonial plaza. Locals sidle up for a cup of espresso -- a cozy version of the café scene a few feet away, where out-of-towners sip daquiris and snack on gourmet pizza.

COLOMBIA

Novice climbers find height of adventure in the Andes

The peaks of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy National Park are challenging, but not insurmountable.