In the Americas with David Yetman

Belize is English-speaking and differs in its history and culture from the rest of Central America.  Its origins are British, yet it retains the heritage of its many Maya residents and is proud of the African roots of the Garifuna people. Belize also has complex archaeological sites, vast tracts of intact rain forest, and a rich marine life.

The explosion of craft beers has created a widespread interest in how beer is made.  A beer festival in Tucson, Arizona, leads us to some brewers and sends us on a quest for the origin of what makes beer different-hops.  Nearly all our hops comes from around Yakima, Washington, where we follow the annual harvest. We sample as many products of hops as possible.

An hour or so distant from Panama's burgeoning capital and its great
 canal, a broad landmass juts into the Pacific Ocean.  The Azuero
 Peninsula is home to traditions, landscapes, and people different from
 those of the capital and its suburbs.  Residents of Azuero celebrate
 what sets them off from the rest of Panama.  And they are huge fans of
 baseball.

In Patagonia, the Andes harbor forested lakes and towns of European design, never far from the arid, windswept steppes. All roads lead to Bariloche on the shores of Lake Nahuel-Huapi, the crown jewel of Route 40. It's best seen from a sailboat. Secluded and apart in the mountains, Mapuches, who resisted conquest, struggle to retain their culture.

The Wind Rivers are Wyoming's largest mountain range, 100 miles long. With massive peaks, the Winds shelter the wildest country in the lower 48 states. Host David Yetman visits sites where Shoshones left examples of their art and fought off settlers. He views scars of mines and ghost towns, then plunges on foot into the wilds of the Winds.

In Brazil's dry northeast, Ceará has its strange and varied traditions.  In the sertão, the inland bush, cowboys join an odd rodeo, while on the coast fisher men's wooden boats are little changed over the centuries.  The state houses Brazil's most important religious shrine, its last lace-weavers, and a startling array of tropical fruits.

Bogotá, Colombia's capital high in the Andes, is chilly and huge. It's the sophisticated cultural, political, and economic center of the nation. A long flight to the south, Leticia on the Amazon, is small and isolated, accessible only by boat or plane. Host David Yetman boats upriver to visit an indigenous group adapting to changes on the great river.

Argentina's remote Route 40 follows the base of the Andes from the extreme north to the far south.  Along the way it meets the old wine capital of Mendoza, now famed for its Malbec. Farther south Ruta 40 penetrates the northern reaches of Patagonia, a windswept cold desert. To the west lie the incomparable Andes and massive volcanoes.

The state of Oaxaca is Indian country, and its landscapes the most diverse of any Mexican state. Host David Yetman samples food in a traditional Zapotec market in the high valleys, navigates among crocodiles in mangrove swamps on the coast, and joins in the harvesting, drying and roasting of coffee in the cloud forest.

Shantytowns in Río de Janeiro are part of Río's history.  These favelas rise steeply from the ocean far up the hillsides.  Bereft of municipal services, they have rich cultural life and social organization, and are home to the artistic and dramatic talent for Brazil's main cultural contribution, Carnaval in Río. Host David Yetman visits favelas and their residents.