EDGE New York City

A whirlwind tour of this bustling Brazilian city reveals a feast for the eyes - from gorgeous men and women to world-class museums and shopping that will require an extra suitcase for the flight home.

An Ecuadorian judge recently banned a pastor from politics for a year and fined him $3,000 fine for anti-gay comments during his campaign for president.

With a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, verdant forests, shimmering lakes, and a dramatic coastline, Chile possesses landscapes of breathtaking beauty, all basking in a climate that’s nearly an amalgam of the wine regions of California and France.

Ranked as the number one travel destination for 2012 by the New York Times, Panama beckons visitors with the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal, stunning landscapes, and indigenous cultures.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Health is beginning to shut down the country’s "ex-gay torture clinics", which claim to be able to ’cure’ homosexuality.

With a concentration on American craft beers from the realms of international, small, and landmark producers, La Cerveceria introduces South American tapas with sharp Peruvian influences to the bustling Bowery.

Set on nearly 100 acres along the shores of the Señoret Channel in Southern Chile, the 57-room soon to be LEED-certified Singular Patagonia, resurrected by fourth generation relatives of the plant’s founders, pays homage to the factory’s thriving past.

I was fascinated by my friend’s description of his native Brazil, specifically the city of São Paulo where he grew up. He talked glowingly of the gay culture and the massive Gay Pride celebration that occurs annually-one of the largest in the world.

Ecoventura’s environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition vessels in the Galapagos allows guests of this visionary small-ship travel company to experience the Galapagos from as many land and water perspectives as possible.

"Iguazú" means "big water" in the language of the ancients - and apparently, when Eleanor Roosevelt glimpsed the massive Argentine waterfalls, she murmured, "Oh, poor Niagara." Check out the photos from one of the planet’s miraculous wonders.