The above pic kind of hints at the place that would feel great during a long dark and cold winter if you happen to live in the UK. Warm beaches great wine, and in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay the middle of summer to boot!
Usually in February Carnival grips Latin America, no more so than in Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia also kindles warmth and generosity at this time of year too.
These doggies appeared in Singapore, always a great place to visit anytime of year and with short hops to Malaysia and Bali or Java available the choices are always there.
What passes for “summer” emerges in Indochina and these beauties are there for you to shield from the emerging sun whether you be in Hanoi, Vientiane or indeed Chiang Mai.
By May the rains have subsided in Peru and makes for a time of pilgrimage to the Sacred Valley. Ecuador also in the Andes yields itself for exploration with crisp blue skies under land elevated to over 2 thousand metres.
In peninsula Malaysia the rain tends to hold off and more clear skies intervene so that going from Penang down to Malacca is a joyous railway journey or a pleasant bus ride.
Away from Carnival Cartagena and the Caribbean coast of Colombia is magical to visit if the blazing sun in Britain gets too much! Also heading for Bahia or Pernambuco in Brazil is the best at this time of year with little rainfall and temperatures not so searing.
In December Argentina’s hit its summer stride so head to the desert scenery with so much in store and anywhere else in South America’s southern cone, this really is the region to escape an European winter.
They say September is a shoulder month but you can bare your shoulders in languid Vietnam or the sensuous islands of the Philippines. South America also begins it’s wake from winter with a Mediterranean climate enveloping the river Plate and the vineyards of Chile,
That is a street in Valparaíso on the Pacific coast of Chile. Peaceful and serene, the perfect retreat after the year we’ve just had. There are beaches nearby in Viña del Mar but not crowded or tacky since Viña is a classy kinda place.
Cambodia and South East Asia around November is a perfect time to embark on a voyage through the region. Again not very high season and a time of year that gives a good pre Xmas boost. But stay on and head onto Singapore as Raffles would have re opened by the time you read this.
December is when Argentina hits its summer stride and the desert blooms for tourists visiting wineries and haciendas. In fact South America does become the perfect antidote for an European winter.