Talk about a wake-up call: Early Sunday, soldiers in Honduras marched into the home of president Jose Manuel Zelaya, arresting and exiling him to Costa Rica, marking the first successful military coup in Central America in over 16 years. Congress appointed Roberto Micheletti to serve the rest of Zelaya’s term, which ends in January. The coup took action after Zelaya disregarded the Supreme Court’s ruling and Congress’ vote against holding a referendum he was pushing that would allegedly extend his rule.

For many, this signifies both a disruption in democracy and hope, as sad memories resurface of military dictatorships that once dominated Central America. In Nicaragua Zelaya met with nine leftist nations who agreed to remove their ambassadors from Honduras until Zelaya’s return, and will reject all new diplomats from the replaced government. Government leaders all over North, Central and South America are reacting to the coup, with most siding with Zelaya.

Thousands of protestors surrounding the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa were met with tear gas and shields. Armed forces set up roadblocks to the capital city and the coup has temporarily shut down all media outlets. However, most of the city experienced a typical — albeit cautious and tense — Monday, with most businesses open and operating.

James Goller from Viaventure reported to V!VA Travel Guides that tours and tourist services have remained unaffected, but will notify us of any updates.

By Joanne Sykes, V!VA Travel Guides

Taking an online quiz to find out which religion you practice might not seem like the best path to spiritual refinement, but finding out that I am firstly a secular humanist and secondly a neo-pagan led me to a truly enlightening experience.

Every solstice, between June 20 and 24, the sacred Inca sun festival of Inti Raymi springs forth across the Andean valleys of Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, in honor of the sun god Inti. In 1572, an edict by Spanish Viceroy Toledo, banned the celebrations for being pagan and contrary to the Catholic faith. This served only to force the ceremonies underground and today it is the second biggest festival in South America. Although festivals are scattered through the continent, Cusco boasts the largest crowd, where thousands upon thousands pour into Sacsayhuaman, the ruin site set atop the city.

Inti Raymi comes from Quechua meaning “resurrection of the sun”, thus marking the beginning of a new year. The Inca emperor, Sapa Inca, was worshiped as a direct descendant of the sun god, Apu Inti, the son of Vira Cocha, creator of civilization. The Emperor would offer Aqha - chicha (an alcoholic drink of fermented corn) to the sun and the high priests would offer llamas as a sacrifice in thanks for an abundant crop and to ask for successful crop next year. Some friends and I went along to a ceremony near Ibarra in the Northern Andes of Ecuador and witnessed a festival as alive today as it ever was.

We ’supported’ the celebrations from a stone viewing house on the edge of a ceremonial circle marked out by colored flags: red in the east denoting the rising of the sun; black in the west, where the sun sets and the moon rises; white in the north, for temperance; and yellow in the south for warmth and life. On the opposite side of the circle were the chorus and a very large drum, on which beat incessantly the hands of many men. The dances, through which Inti is honored, were highly ritualized, with each participant knowing their function and all dressed in swathes of red, gold and white. We had turned out in our best makeshift sun-worshiping apparel and were glad we had made that last-minute effort. We were definitely lacking feathers, as the chiefs wore as elaborate headdresses of feathers. Both men and women wore skirts to symbolizing their inner circle and so as to not break the connection with Pachamama, or Mother Earth.

Despite the first starting around 7.30am, the sun was already beating down on the dancers, who, in-keeping with the tradition, had not eaten or drunk anything for four days. At the end of the first dance we were invited to join in by receiving the sacred chanupas, or pipes of the dancers. The pipes, representing a connection to the sacred tree and to mother earth, ‘contain’ the soul of the dancers and by taking the pipes we carried their life in our hands. As the dancers rested, our role was to smoke, ‘in good conscience and with a clean heart’, all the tobacco, thus proving our reverence for the natural world. Out of respect for the dancers, we had not drunk anything while watching the ceremony, and smoking a whole bowl with a dry mouth under the blaring sun was not an easy task, made even more difficult by the worried thoughts in my mind of what would happen to the soul of the dancer if I couldn’t finish it!

Because it is believed that taking photos can ’steal’ a person’s spirit, we respected this and, to be honest, who needs camera film when the very vivid memories of this once in a life time experience are permanently etched on all our minds? This was most definitely a neo-pagan solstice celebration not to be missed.

Been to Chile? Hurry and enter to get your photo published on the cover of our Chile guidebook (and win $100)!

V!VA Travel Guides is still accepting photos for our upcoming Chile travel guide. The deadline is July 1st, so that means you still have one week to submit your photos! Enter by going to our Flickr Contest Page. (Also check the page for rules and guidelines.)

Even if your photo(s) don’t win the coveted cover shot and cash, they still have a chance to appear inside the travel guide. Second and third-place winners are guaranteed a spot inside the book!

V!VA Travel Guides continually runs contests for its guidebooks. Check out our Photography Contests page for more contests and countries!

Mexican government officials issued a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch Monday morning for the Western coast of Mexico, prompting officials in the popular resort town Acapulco to prepare over 120 emergency shelters and urging residents/travelers to stay indoors. Tropical Storm Andres, formed just yesterday, is currently situated 120 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo off the southwestern coast of Mexico. However, Andres is picking up speed and strength, and forecasters fear it may develop into a hurricane within the next few days.

TS Andres is currently moving north to northwest, tracing the coastline, but even the slightest turn north could result in coastal contact. Even if Andres never reaches land, the tropical storm will bring heavy rain, strong winds and high waves (12 to 15 feet high) — including deadly rip currents. Residents and travelers to the Pacific South should be extra cautious and stay indoors until further word from officials.

For further information and updates on Andres and other tropical storms, visit the National Hurricane Center.

Global warming may be claiming a lot of things, but there’s one ice queen (well, king) who’s not going down without a frigid fight: Perito Moreno.

Located in Los Glaciers National Park, this Argentine glacier is named after the Patagonian pioneer Francisco Peritoi Moreno, and like the explorer after whom it’s named, this glacier is an expert — on evading global warming’s grasp, that is. Advancing an average two meters (6.6 feet) per day, Perito Moreno is one of only a handful of Patagonian glaciers not retreating. Actually, amazingly enough, this glacier has stayed virtually the same for over a century. In a strange sort of antarctic exchange, Perito Moreno loses building-sized chunks of icebergs at nearly the same rate of its very growth of new ones, thus enabling equilibrium.

Every so often the glacier, nearly 30 km (19 miles) in length, intrudes upon and halves Lago Argentino, causing a dam to form. The water from the Brazo Rico side surges over 30 meters (100 feet) above the lake before its pressure finally shatters the glacier holding it back, resulting in a radical rupture. These ruptures occur at irregular intervals, with the last occurring in 2008, but this only encourages curious travelers to try plotting their Patagonian peek of the dynamic glacier. Occurring much more often, as often as every few minutes, is the spectacular cracking-off of massive chunks of iceberg, emitting an eery yet amazing roar as they slowly sink and melt into the lake. There are observation platforms and tours to visit this exciting daily event.

Intrigued? Check out our page on Perito Moreno to plan your glacial getaway to Argentina’s Patagonia.

The social media bug is spreading faster than swine…but could it invite intruders? How much is too much when it comes to sharing information?

That’s what one Arizona couple is wondering. After “tweeting” (on Twitter) some time-sensitive details of their trip to Kansas, Israel Hyman and his wife Noell — the married owners of the social media savvy IzzyVideo — came home to a robbed nest.  According to AP, the only valuables taken were video equipment, leading Hyman to suspect his tweets tipped off the burglars.

Most people use Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. to interact and socialize with friends.  They narrow the web from world-wide to friend-focused, thus forgetting that circle can not only be penetrated, but capitalized on.  People broadcast their plans and ponderings daily — even hourly. Indeed, social networking sites are a wonderful vehicle for self-expression, and at their height can catapult innovations, ideas, campaigns and causes. However, when any of us click that mouse, we inevitably leave a trail, and we forget someone might be searching for cheese — our cheese. Although everyone’s safety should be cared for, business-owners and those of higher social status/money should be particularly cautious, for their posts may turn prey.

Although you can’t prevent everything (and everyone) on the web, there are ways to help control which spiders crawl to yours. Restricting profile access is one of the simplest — and most effective– ways to protect yourself. If you plan to rant and rave while roaming the globe, it might be smart to increase your privacy setting during that time.

What do you think? While wandering the world, how do you stay social media savvy AND safe?

A four-hour shootout late Saturday claimed 18 people — including two soldiers — in the popular resort town of Acapulco, leaving tourists in nearby hotels shaken and scared. The bloody battle was ignited Saturday evening after Mexican soldiers responded to an anonymous tip about a group of armed men gathered around a mansion along Avenida Rancho Grande, a particularly dangerous street that splits low and high- income neighborhoods.

Upon arrival soldiers were met with gunfire, grenades and heavily armed men. A four-hour shootout ensued, killing 18 and wounding nine soldiers. Over 3,000 shots were fired, and authorities seized a massive mix of weaponry, which included over 40 guns, several grenade launchers and thousands of various caliber ammunition. Several high class cars were also confiscated, including a Mercedes Benz. Inside soldiers found four men, reportedly Guerrero state police officers, bound and without shirts. Although authorities have yet to identify the gunmen, the sophisticated weaponry and expensive cars parallel drug cartels. However, no drugs were found at the scene.

Acapulco has long been a tourist hotspot in Mexico for both local and international travelers. Despite a slight decline in travel due to its urbanization in recent years, Acapulco still ranks alongside Cancun and Mazatlan for most popular Mexican destinations. Tourism in Mexico has already suffered this year due to its swine-flu outbreak

Friday marked a bloody end to a violent clash between police officers and 2,500 Indian protestors who had set up a highway roadblock in Bagua, Peru.  The AFP, along with Bagua Mayor Mayor Luis Nenez Teran, confirms 16 dead — nine police officers and seven Amazon Indians. However, the number is likely rise, making it the bloodiest protest in decades.

Violent fights broke out after police attempted to break up a protest made up of some 65 Indian tribes who had set up a roadblock of tree trunks and boulders in protest over President Alan Garcia’s decrees that had lifted restrictions on oil, mining and wood harvesting in the Amazon.  The tribes have been boldly fighting the decrees, stating it directly threatens their historic land and culture.  For the last two weeks passionate protestors have invaded airports and set up blockades on major roads and riverways. Amazon tribe leader Alberto Pizango states:  “We are natives demanding respect for our territory and environment.”

Police managed to clear the road, but protestors broke into mobs, looting and setting fire to several government buildings, and attacking the local police station with firearms. Mobs have scattered throughout the city, and Bagua officials are anxiously awaiting reinforcements to help end the bloodshed.