Although there is a lot of talk and excitement in the global media about the strength of Brazil’s economy, I am often told by Brazilians “Don’t forget, this is a third world country!”. This is usually said while they are bemoaning a woe of the city (traffic jams, poor public transport, etc) that they assume is absent […]
Title got your attention didn’t it? Well sorry to disappoint, but the thighs I’m referring to belong to chickens. The word Coxinha [co-SHEEN-ya] means little thigh and this is the name of one of Brazil’s tastiest and most popular snacks. The Portuguese word for snack, lanche [lansh], originated from the English ‘lunch’ but at some point […]
In early July 2010 I found myself in Fortaleza in the state of Ceará (just up the coast from the tip of Brazil’s pointy nose). I had made my way by river and overland from the border with Colombia in the north but Rio, my final destination, was still a long way off. And after almost of […]
Four months before I left London (back in 2009) I started taking weekly Spanish lessons in preparation for a five month trip to South America. My teacher was Ivette, a lovely Chilean woman and although 16 lessons isn’t a lot, she managed to get me to a reasonable standard so that when I arrived in Argentina I […]
When I was young I used to look at the map of the world and want to grab South America in my left hand, Africa in my right, and push them back together. It would be satisfying wouldn’t it? One of the legacies of the slave trade is that the people who now live so […]