Life around the world of South America

A day around the world: school, food, homes, games, weather and getting around, in real places.

4 to explore

Watch Life around the world Cable car commute in La Paz, Bolivia La Paz sits in a deep canyon, and its neighbor El Alto sits on the high plain above. Since May 2014, cable cars run by the state company Mi Teleférico have carried commuters between them and across the city. By 2025 there were 10 colored lines in La Paz and El Alto, about 33 kilometers long, and in 2024 the company carried 78.7 million passengers on its lines.
Watch Life around the world Floating reed islands of the Uros, Lake Titicaca In Puno Bay, on Lake Titicaca, Uro families live on islands they build from totora, a reed that grows in the lake's shallow water. Blocks of tangled reed roots form the base, layers of cut reeds go on top, and families keep adding fresh reeds. In 2013, Peru declared the Uros' knowledge of totora part of the nation's cultural heritage.
Watch Life around the world Fog catchers of the Atacama, Chile Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, yet thick sea fog called camanchaca drifts over its coastal hills. Fog catchers, tall nets of fine mesh, collect the tiny droplets, which drip into gutters and flow downhill to tanks.
Watch Life around the world River boats from Manaus, Brazil Manaus, a city of about 2.3 million people, sits where the dark Rio Negro meets the muddy Solimões. Rivers are the main way to reach most towns in Amazonas state. Big wooden boats called recreios carry passengers and cargo for a day or more, with hooks for hammocks, while fast boats called expressos cut the time.