The Torre Monumental AKA Torre de los Ingleses (the clock tower in the photo on the first page of your site) wasn't " a gift from British commemorating 100 years since the May 1910 revolution in Argentina" It's actually a structure raised by the donations of the British expat community in Buenos Aires to commemorate the centenary of the May 1810 revolt. The interesting aspect to it is that it sits within a couple of hundred metres from the Malvinas War memorial, also in your photo but unidentified. Historical irony writ large.

I had a look through your sections on Brazil and whilst I can appreciate that you only had the most fleeting visit via cruise liner, most of your 'advice' seems culled from the hackneyed tropes of the tourism biz and oft-repeated, paranoid, saws from fellow cruise enthusiasts, some of which are both misleading and risible. As an example, I'd suggest that should you ever visit Rio again and spend more than a few hours there, see how many people are actually carrying and using mobile phones. It's easier to spot the ones who aren't. Actually there's a handy, if by no means foolproof app, that provides updated safety advice on some of those unnamed and unspecified neighbourhoods you seem so nervous about. The bad news is there has been a real and tangible drop in security in some of the places you think became safer after the Olympics.

I did love the bit about "speaking Portuguese if you can". I suppose that's a useful tip, albeit a blindingly obvious one, at least in terms of amenity, communication and generally enjoying your stay. Certainly polite but as safety advice, it's a bit daft. You should probably know that the average gringo can be spotted by a native a mile off, even if they aren't draped with cameras and clad in knee length socks and sandals. Your gait and demeanour will give you away well before you open your trap and even then most Brazilians can accurately spot their fellow countrymen's origin by accent, so spot the gringo is child's play.

I shall warn my wife, carioca da gema that she is, to hide her jewelry, apparently it has been making her a magnet for crime for years.

Cabs are safer than the Metro? Do tell, did you actually use the Metro in Rio?

"Remember if you take the bus, the language is Portuguese, few if any drivers will speak English. Be sure to know the bus route, as many busses[sic]will enter into the unsafe favelas."

Pretty obvious you didn't take a bus whilst in town either. I'm dying to know which bus routes ply the morros. Millions of moradores are too. They'll be thrilled to know there's a public transport link they were blithely unaware of.

I did have a wry chuckle with your description of Paraty "Still relatively unspoiled by too much tourism". You must have visited an entirely different Paraty to the one I know. In the summer months it's usually swarming with tourists including thousands that swarm off the cruzeiros. One of the most twee tourist traps in the country.

I'd love to know what wag told you that Santos was called the Venice of Brazil, that was very droll. I've heard of Recife being described as the Veneza brasileira but pretty much only as tourist marketing hype. Maybe the cruise lines' marketers recycle the term depending on where they are? The typical term in Brazil is esgoto , sewer or drain rather than canal btw. I suppose City of Drains is somewhat less romantic.

Sorry to harp and equally sorry to read of the dengue but, if your blog is as popular as you say it is and approved by Mr Bezos to boot, then you probably owe it to your readership to either do a bit more research or perhaps refrain from giving 'advice' on somewhere you have spent bare hours in. Spouting second hand nonsense is less than helpful. Someone out there might just take it seriously.

Oh and should you ever come for reveillon again, try experiencing it on the beach. You have no idea what you have missed, it's fun and I' here to say I've never been robbed or pick-pocketed.

Enjoy your travels!

 When driving from Winnemucca to Lee Vining, would you suggest to drive through the National Forests south of lake Tahoe or is this detour not worth it?

I'm guessing your asking about Hwy. 395?????
IMO, it's well worth the detour, the scenery is stunning after Topaz Lake, incredible wide open mountain country. Only adds about 20 miles and 1/2 hour overall from Winne.

Probably the best way is to continue down I-80 to Fernley and take Alt.95 and continue southwest on Hwy.339-208 to Hwy.395 and Topaz Lake.After Topaz you start climbing into Walker Canyon, that's where the fun begins......you'll love it.

By the way,  Bodie Ghost Town is along the way,  turn off about 10 minutes south of Bridgeport. Pretty neat place if you have the time and are into things like that. www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509

I'm definitely no expert on Las Vegas, the times I have stayed I just show up and get a place on the strip, usually the Mirage. Like the location and they seem cheap/reasonable. I will call about an hour before arrival and book.
Always bring my cooler full of beer to the room, they laugh at me but I don't care, don't pay the bar prices and don't gamble. I'll just walk around the strip and enjoy, no one has a problem with my beers, many folks use cups, like from a fast food joint, for cocktails. 

I load my gear-cooler on the dolly at the front of the motel and flip the keys to the truck to the staff, have no idea where they park it and head in.
 At check out I give the front desk a half hour notice or so, bring my stuff down and the truck is waiting for me. 
Kind of cool to be treated soooo good especially after camping for several weeks. Funny we look like desert dirt bags on arrival, no one cares-it's Vegas!
Yes, I tip them arriving and leaving, like 5 bucks.

I've always stayed on a weekday. In the summer you should not have any issues. Probably a good idea to check out a couple motel web sites and get an idea of prices and what motel works for you guys, surprising a wide range of prices. Get a few phone numbers so you can call in advance.
Think they are all pretty similar in rooms and gambling.
They probably do run good deals, lots of competition in that town but not sure. 

If this feels too cramped, I could alternatively just spend 6 days in CDMX and 5 days in OAX with a couple day trips from each spot to mix it up.

The best surfing is at Punta Zicatela, at the far southern end of Zicatela, and also at Playa Carrizalillo, on the opposite side of town. Some times of the day, the waves at Carrizalillo can be super crowded w/ people in surf classes. The hike around the headlands from Punta Zicaltela takes you to beautiful deserted beaches, but you can't do it exactly at high tide.

With only 11 days, the collectivo between Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca does seem like an outsized use of time. It takes around 7 hours, so you're talking most of a day, and they don't go overnight. So the OCC overnight bus is probably a better option.

If you decide to skip Puerto Escondido there really are plenty of day trips you can do from CDMX. Like Tepotzotlán to the north, or the similarly named but different town of Tepoztlán, south of the city. And same is true from Oaxaca. There are various day trips or half day trips you can do, to Monte Alban, to Mitla, and to Hierve El Agua, among others.

.... to comment on a).... if you have your own hired-car 'a)'.... looks best.
However, dependent on public transport there are two likely awkward bits in you plan, 1). getting from Imlil to Oulad Berhil on the N10, the low frequency interesting 'chicken-run' bus service across the Tizi-n-Test Pass. and 2). getting from Tafraoute to Ighrem across the high mountain road. Low numbers of passengers for these routes make for infrequent grand-taxi trips.

At 1) weather might also be a factor, this road is closed at times of bad weather with a barrier, keep this in mind. The Auto-Route westerly road (N8) to Agadir with a westerly aspect, well equipped road crews and lots of heavy traffic is the most reliable route into the Sous Valley.

At b). see above for the Tizi-n-Test Pass. The climate south of the High Atlas Mountains is always milder than farther north. best to have a flexible plan, prepare to make late changes as you go dependant on weather forecasts. Agadir and the seaside villages nearby and farther on the Atlantic are a safe bet for warmer weather.
There's been snow-falls and cold weather in the north this month, while westerly Sous, the southern provinces and Atlantic coast are pleasant, it's Winter-time in Morocco, where ever you go have the right clothing. In the Desert areas it gets very cold at night too.

There and back to Cairo in one day is about 10 hours of driving and that is not counting the hours you will be sat in Cairo manic traffic, so not for me. If i was going to do it, there are organised trips sold from Hurghada, also ones with overnight stays. Or take a very early bus and a late one back.