10 most interesting plants in the world and where to find them

You may not pay much attention to the plants and trees around you, but when you travel to foreign lands you start to take notice of them. Here's a list of some of the most interesting ones you may want...

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• Costa Rican villagers opt for tourism to preserve way of life
• 10 best attractions for baby boomers in Florida
• Getty Villa full of artistic treasures
• Italian villa vacations: cheaper by the dozen

Travelling man

Despite the pouring rain, the lineup to get into the Rio Theatre on East Broadway at Commercial Drive stretches around the block. The marquee reads: Solo in South America, with William Jans. It's a cold...

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• Warrior tribes and yak-turd tea
• Winging it in the Andes
• Peru's Wild Rainforest
• Meet the locals at community events
• Driving through time on the Silk Road

Tracking crocs, caimans and cool water

In the end, exhausted from my Goldilocks search, I simply plopped down on a dock and dipped my feet into the river. The hiccups of water lapped at my toes and ankles. That was enough for now.

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• Lonely Planet Guide to Brazil
• Pantanal amazingly rich in wildlife
• Oldest synagogue in Americas draws tourists to Brazil
• Treasure island: Ilha Grande is a Brazilian paradise
• World hoteliers going green to help save the planet
• Sao Paulo has authentic air
• More South America Travel stories

Chile's Lake District is a feast for stomach and soul

"This is one of the reasons I love working here," sighs Pablo Toledo, gazing across the panorama beyond the hotel's dining room windows.

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• Why a place at the bottom of the world, should top your travel list
• Visitors get an eye-watering welcome in Santiago
• Easter Island still attracts more tourists than it can handle
• Time for skiers to head south, to Chile

Peru touts ancient city as next big tourist draw

Archeologists at the ancient, wind-swept ruins of Caral, a desert city built by the first civilization in the Americas, are pressing to make it one of Peru's top tourist attractions.

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• 48 hours in Lima, Peru
• Seeing South America in a big yellow bus is a blast
• Peru lures wealthy tourists with luxury train, yoga

Explore Ecuador's richly diverse rainforest

The guide hushed us as we walked through the jungle in our rubber boots. If we were very quiet, he said, we might be able to catch a glimpse of the howler monkey whose howling we had been hearing intermittently...

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