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Nick Dall
Nick Dall left his native South Africa after completing his studies, and found himself teaching English in Mendoza, Argentina. What was originally a one-year plan ended up being a lot longer. This allowed him to overland from Peru to Patagonia and see everything else in between. On the way he learned Spanish, spent six months in La Paz, Bolivia, caught lots of trout and developed a bond with Latin America which just won't give.
Most Recent Posts:
Film review: “Even The Rain” (2010)
Even the Rain is at once a deeply political message and a gripping tale. It tells the story of a Spanish and Mexican film crew who are trying to make a movie about the truth behind Colmbus’ arrival in the new world; the ugly truth about Spanish exploitation of the Indians. The irony of the [...]
Four key ingredients of Andean cuisine
The Andean region is characterised by high altitudes, low rainfall and bitter winters. Not only does this make it hard to grow crops, but it also results in a hungry populace. Here we look at four cornerstones of the Andean diet, with a particular focus on Peru and Bolivia. Potatoes The potato was first cultivated [...]
Day Trips from Buenos Aires: Tigre, the Paraná Delta and the Tren de la Costa
Buenos Aires is a huge city, and many tourists only end up seeing the central districts of San Telmo, Palermo, Recoleta and La Boca. Fascinating though these neighbourhoods are, sometimes I feel the need to escape the city and I take the slow train up to Tigre. Tigre is located 17 miles north of the [...]
Understanding South America through its History of War
It pays to know at least a little bit about the history of a place before you visit it, and wars are a good place to start. They shape fortunes and borders but they also form memories and national grudges. Here are three post-independence wars in South America that are still important today. Falklands War [...]
Poor Niagra! Visiting Iguazu Falls
When Eleanor Roosevelt visited Iguzau Falls she is reputed to have exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” and it’s easy to see why. Gravity and immense quantities of water are always irresistible allies, but at the Iguazu River on the Brazilian and Argentine border they achieve a sublime chemistry which is unrivalled anywhere on the planet. Although they [...]
Film review: La Nana (Chile 2009)
I watched La Nana (The Maid) knowing nothing about it or its reputation. I was enchanted by the performance of the lead actress and by the humorous script (the same things, I would later learn, that have enchanted audiences around the world) but I was also reminded of the extremely well-drawn class divisions in Chile. [...]
Four Latin American blockbusters worth watching
Ever since I lived in Argentina, I’ve had a thing for movies from or about Latin America. I haven’t watched everything, but I have watched a lot. Here’s a list of four that have achieved global success. I’ll do a blog post on four lesser-known films soon. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) This tells the story [...]
Three questions arising from One Hundred Years of Solitude
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. The first line of One Hundred Years of Solitude encapsulates not only a book, but also a nation, a continent and a literary movement. Think about it. The [...]
Day Trips from Mendoza, Argentina
I lived in Mendoza for two years and I went on countless day and overnight trips. Here are three of my favourites. Aconcagua / Alta Montaña circuit Mendoza is located on a desert plain, 2300ft above sea level. Aconcagua, which at 22,841ft is the highest peak on the continent, is only two hours away by [...]
Where to Visit Pre-Inca Ruins in Peru
On my first visit to Peru my girlfriend made me promise that we wouldn’t do any high-altitude touring. We’d been living in La Paz, Bolivia for the six months prior to the trip, and she had been apuñada (suffering from altitude sickness) for much of that time. Obviously this meant that we missed out on Machu [...]
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