Beginning this Wednesday, October 29th, Buenos Aires Photo 2008 will showcase some of the best photography from artists around all of Latin America.According to My Buenos Aires Travel Guide, this is the event’s fourth year and it has grown and grown, perhaps because it is the only art fair that specializes on Latin American photography.This year, there are 30 galleries from 10 Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Perú, Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, United States, Dominican Republic, and Spain.In addition to these galleries, works by the finalists of the Petrobras Buenos Aires Photo Award 2008 will be presented.The festival takes place at the Palais de Glace on Posadas 1725 and entrance is 15 pesos.

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The Los Angeles Latin American Film Festival started on Friday night, and of the 132 films they are showing, one that is getting particular attention is the Argentine documentary “Nuestros Desaparecidos” (Our Disappeared).According to the Los Angeles Times, the film is about the “dirty war” under the country’s last military dictatorship from 1976 until 1983, when around 30,000 people were “disappeared” by the military.Juan Mandelbaum directed the film, which follows the story of Ines Kuperschmit, a girl whose parents were disappeared by the dictatorship when she was very young.She grew up with her aunt and, although she herself was never tortured or detained, she bears the scars of it on her consciousness.The film is powerful and dark and a reminder that the dirty war is still something Argentines are trying to accept from their past.

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Cruises are a popular way to explore the southern coast of Argentina, and currently travelers can buy a cruise with Norwegian Sun at a large discount.According to MSNBC, the discount is for a 14-day cruise that begins off the coast of Argentina, goes through the Strait of Magellan, traverses the Chilean fjords, and ends in the town of Valparaiso, Chile.The cruise is currently discounted by 66 percent, meaning that by reserving a cabin now, travelers can potentially save around $1,600 off rack rates. This deal, promoted by Sherman’s Travel, is for cruises beginning in December and going though February of 2009, making them an excellent option for a summer vacation in Argentina.

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From Food to Music to Sporting Events, 87% of Respondents Indicate that Travel Involving Personal Interests Will Remain the Same or Increase Over the Next Two Years

From jetting overseas for a culinary experience to a desire to learn life-enriching skills while on vacation, travelers are intent on continuing to pursue travel experiences that allow them to indulge in their personal interests despite the softening economy, according to a recent survey of 501 U.S. adults by American Express Travel. Indeed, 87% of respondents indicated that the number of vacations involving one or more personal "passions" would either remain the same or increase over the next two years; of those, 28% indicated that they expect the number to increase.

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María Eugenia Cerutti, a photographer for the Clarín (a major newspaper in Buenos Aires), won the photography prize from the Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (Foundation of New Journalism in Latin America) which Gabriela Garcia Marquez presides over.The highest honor for a photographer in Latin America, this prize honors Cerutti’s work on the photo article entitled “Una empresa eléctrica y mortal” (“A Business Electric and Deadly”). This photo essay showed the effects of a high tension electrical station on the nearby residents of Ezpeleta, who were getting extremely sick. The research took three years to complete and Cerutti says that the prize makes her believe in continuing her hard work as a journalist. Cerutti will journey to Monterrey, Mexico to receive her award.

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The telenovela Lalola is not a typical telenovela, which is probably why Fox wants to produce an English-language pilot of the show for U.S. audiences.No doubt they want to follow up on the success of imported shows like Ugly Betty, imported from Colombia.  The premise of the show is that one morning Lalo, a machista, extremely successful Argentine man, awakes to discover that he is a woman:Lola.He then must deal with the myriad challenges of being a woman in both the business and social world.The show began recently, in August 2007, and there had already been a derivative series released in Chile.Currently, Lalola is nominated in16 categories at the 2008 Martin Fierro Awards.They will be held later this month in Buenos Aires.

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The ten leaders of Mercosur met yesterday and today in Tucuman, Argentina to discuss the major problems facing Latin America.According to AFP, the two day summit will cover many issues, including the issues of the EU’s new immigrant policy, regional integration in Latin America, and the global food crisis.Part of the plan to increase regional integration is to eliminate visa travel between all of its members, streamlining the borders.Integration between nations is one of Mercosur’s long time goals as an organization. Argentina’s proposal to raise export tariffs on regional food in order to stabilize prices will also be under consideration.

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We spent an incredible afternoon in one of the 14 wine regions in Chile drinking wine, eating amazing BBQ beef, and watching beautiful Chilean horses prance.

If you are in Chile, I high recommend a day of wine tasting and a stop at Puro Caballo restaurant, horse farm, and show. It is around an hour outside of Santiago, Chile on the way to the coastal town of Valparaiso.

It is a tricky ride out there, so you need to hire a driver or rent a car to get there. It is out in the country, but it really is worth a day tour.

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Recognizing that the status of the environment has become a top business and public policy priority, with major implications for travel, the Travel Industry Association and American Express announced today they have joined forces in the name of travel sustainability. The two organizations are working together to develop the Travel Sustainability Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to make crucial information available and to guide the travel industry in its response to assuring sustainability in travel and tourism.

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