Boca Juniors football club from Buenos Aires are renowned for having some of the most passionate supporters in the world. Every other Sunday during the season, the concrete stands of Boca’s La Bombanera stadium reverberate in a riot of noise and colour. Now the passion of their fans has transcended the stadium, and some are taking their affection to the grave in one final act of support.
The streets of Argentina’s capital are filled with the barks, whines, yelps and smells of dogs. With a healthy proportion of the city’s residents occupying apartment buildings, the logistics of keeping large breeds content and healthy are sometimes problematic. It is for this reason that the sight of professional dog-walkers (paseaperros) is common on the roads and avenues of the metropolis.
Ushuaia, the last town at the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego, quickly became just a tiny bright spot behind the stern. The MS Hanseatic was heading south, towards Antarctica, towards the cold. In the coming three weeks, she would steer us through the icy waters that surround the Antarctic Peninsula, on to South Georgia, and finally the Falkland Islands.
Traditionally, carnaval is a period for people of the Catholic faith to let their hair down and enjoy the vices they are going to be giving up for the 40 days of Lent. Nowadays the religious roots of carnaval are arguably taking more of a back seat, meaning that carnaval typically extends well into the Lenten period. It is not uncommon for festivities to take place throughout the first three months of each new year. See carnaval celebrations in Argentina, Brazil and Boliva for the complete experience.
Arriving alone and under cover of night at the bus station (which is never the nicest place in Brazil to be), I began to think I had committed a grave error. Little did I know that in Florianópolis (or Floripa as it’s affectionately known by locals) I would find some of the nicest scenery, best beaches and friendliest company in all of Brazil.
In the far northwest of Argentina’s vast territory lies the sparsely populated, seldom visited province of Catamarca. Remote Antofagasta de la Sierra, 500km north of the provincial capital, is about as far from Buenos Aires, literally and figuratively, as you can get.
In the Winter of 1972, the dictatorship of Lanusse was slowly losing its grip on power, and protests by left-wing organizations, trade unionists and students were becoming more and more frequent. The calls for elections and a return to democracy were getting louder. Under this backdrop a daring prison escape by political prisoners took place, after which the country would never be the same.
Nothing whets an architect’s whistle quite like a new style to practice. Over the last few years winery design has boomed, capturing the imagination of A-list architects around the world.
Uruguay is a country full of contrasts. From the diamond rings and Chandon of Punta del Este, to the dry and dusty estancias and gauchos in the north. It has a capital city that feels empty and acres of countryside that are home to more cattle than people. But to experience the complete contrast of this forgotten country, you need to visit the small colonial town of Carmelo on the south-western coast.
2008 marked the 26th anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas conflict. The war, although short-lived, continues to weigh heavily on the Argentine conscience. However, the dispute over the islands did not begin in 1982. The territory has been a source of bitter tension since its first sighting by Europeans 500 years ago.
Setting aside the jingoistic proclamations of both sides, what is the true story behind the islands? Who discovered the archipelago and who settled there?
