Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

Most English speakers have at some time in their lives heard Donovan sing “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” but how many knew what such a man did? The woman in this video talks about a musical family that used to play the sinfonía, and indeed this is the Spanish name for the hand-crank organ known as a “hurdy gurdy.”

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

La Vela is a small town in the state of Falcón, on the northwest coast of Venezuela, where every December 28th Los Locos [“The Crazy Ones”] arrive wearing colorful and elaborated costumes. The whole town becomes a party, with businesses closing and people dancing in the streets. It’s a tradition that could be in any magical realism novel and that desperately struggles to not fall into oblivion.

Let's visit the Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that was formerly a theater and was declared by National Geographic the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

Let's hear some anecdotes and learn a bit more about the history of the Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires' most breathtaking and famous bookstore.

Manuel Lucas, Technical Director of the Estepona Orchidarium, introduces us to this beautiful botanical garden for, among other things, the cultivation and exhibition of orchids.

In the world of orchids, there are between twenty-five and thirty thousand species distributed throughout the planet, and at the Estepona Orchidarium, you will find many of them. Let's see what Manuel Lucas has to say about their vast diversity.

Hostel Veranera in Estepona, Málaga, is a charming hostel that attracts a lot of tourists and digital nomads of all ages due its reasonable prices, communal atmosphere, and Andalusian essence.

Fermín attends a plant fair at the Estepona Orchidarium, where he asks some botanical experts to talk to us about some interesting and exotic plants.

Now we'll hear from a representative of "Begonias y más" [Begonias and More], a company that specializes in Begonias and other exotic plants, who will tell us, among other things, about a Begonia named after a famous Star Wars character, as well as a cactus with the nickname "mother-in-law's cushion"!

Annya shares a bit about her background in flamenco and what she feels makes it unique among other art forms.

Araceli Garcia, a flamenco student in London, England, explains a bit about her history with this enticing dance and what it means to her.

Henry Gomez, owner of the "MS Records" recording studio, shares his memories and what a lifetime spent as a music producer in Imbabura, Ecuador means to him.

Ireland is one of the most important producers and exporters of seafood. People in Europe depend on it to obtain delicacies such as salmon and sea urchin.