[sam h]

Bruiser,

It all just depends upon what you are looking for. Going to Peru would be cool because Macchu Picchu is amazing and Cuzco (the city from which you access MP) is a nice place to hang out for a little bit of time. Lima is not really that interesting.

If you just want to spend time in a Latin American city, a good bet is Buenos Aires. You also could combine BA with a trip down to Patagonia, which is supposed to be spectacular.

If you want to go somewhere that is the most interesting from a political and social perspective, then go to Venezuela. Caracas is kind of a dump, but there are plenty of other nice areas in the country. I spent a month there last summer and can give you some good info on beach towns as well as a couple other cool places if you want.

Finally, if you just want the best nature/beaches then go to Costa Rica. There are several really spectacular national parks and beach areas. It's just not a very interesting place from a social or political perspective.

A dark horse might also be Bolivia. There are some incredible hiking/other outdoor activities to do there and it is also very interesting politically right now with the likely victory this Sunday of Evo Morales in the presidential election, who is nominally a socialist, of indigenous descent, and wants to legalize coca plant production. Needless to say, the US is not too happy about him.