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New from Bradt, South America: an Anthology of Travel Writing is an enchanting scrapbook of personal narratives from travellers in arguably the world's most exciting and varied continent. Comprising both historical accounts (by famous figures) and contemporary articles or blogs (many by well-known personalities), this deftly curated collection of fine travel writing conveys the sense of excitement and awe that characterises explorations of a very special part of the world. Ever since South America was 'discovered' in the fifteenth century, the continent has played upon our collective urge to travel and explore. Across eleven chapters featuring twelve countries, some of the world's most famous destinations star: the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, cloaked by cloud forest; the Amazon jungles; the Argentine pampas with its gaucho cowboys drinking yerba mate tea and eating plate-sized steaks; the wildlife wonders of the Galapagos; the Andean mountains; the big skies of Patagonia; and, at the foot of the continent, the fabled Tierra del Fuego.Authors of the carefully curated group of stories include seminal figures of the past such as Charles Darwin and W.H. Hudson, modern-day TV personalities like Simon Reeve and Kate Humble, and acclaimed writers including Matthew Parris, Hilary Bradt, Stephen Moss and Adrian Phillips. Their styles differ markedly - from light and comic pieces to weightier, more reflective articles - as does the subject matter: there are cities and wilderness, wildlife and eco-tourism, exploration and exploitation, food and drink, backpacking and hiking, books and art, gauchos and their horses, adventure and misadventure.Learn who risked being mistaken for a condor's lunch, and how to drink the bitter tea known as yerba mate. Go in search of the world's rarest hummingbird or test how far you would travel to eat Argentine steak. Launched to complement publication of the new centenary edition of the legendary South American Handbook, Bradt's South America will delight and inspire anyone who has ever journeyed through Latin America - or has longed to visit while remaining in the comfort of their armchair....
List of contents
Introduction
Celia Dillow
Chapter 1: Argentina
From Far Away and Long Ago: A Childhood in Argentina by W H Hudson
From Bad Times in Buenos Aires by Miranda France
From Angels with Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina by Jonathan Wilson
Primal Dream – a Long Way to go for the Perfect Steak by Emma Reed
Looking for Antarctica by Janette Van de Geest-Van Gruisen
Chapter 2: Bolivia
From A Writer’s World: Travels 1950–2000 by Jan Morris
An Old Fashioned Bookstore in La Paz by Julia Hammond
From Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia by Shafik Meghji
The Hotel Paris: a Story by Jonathan Lorie
Chapter 3: Brazil
From Travels on the Amazon by Alfred Russel Wallace
From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt
From Brazil by Sir Michael Palin
From Taking the Risk by Hilary Bradt
Chapter 4: Chile
From Journal of a Residence in Chile by Maria Graham
From A Long Way South by Sara Stewart
A Wild, Rolling-eyed Beast of a Route by Adrian Phillips
Ruta del Fin del Mundo by Sheila de Courcy
The New Superstars by Steph Dyson
Chapter 5: Colombia
From Thunder and Sunshine by Alastair Humphreys
From On a Wing and a Prayer by Sarah Woods
Soledad by Dom Tulett
In the Glare of El Dorado by George Kipouros
I Fell for a Duck in the World’s Greatest Country for Bird Watching by Kate Humble
Chapter 6: Ecuador
Pre-Colombian Art in Ecuador and the Surprising Question it Asks by Abi King
Wildlife Watching in the Galápagos Islands by Lyn Hughes
A Birders’ Paradise by Stephen Moss
Chapter 7: Guyana & Suriname
From Three Singles to Adventure by Gerald Durrell
Discovering South America’s Forgotten Corner, a Land of Walking Trees and Evil Spirits by Emma Thomson
From Traveller’s Cookbook: South America by Ben Box
From Wild Coast: Travels on South America’s Untamed Edge by John Gimlette
Chapter 8: Paraguay
From Zoo Quest in Paraguay by Sir David Attenborough
From Tropic of Capricorn by Simon Reeve
Ghostjar by James Lowen
Chapter 9: Peru
From Inca Land: Explorations in the Highlands of Peru by Hiram Bingham
From Taking the Risk by Hilary Bradt
From Backpacking and Trekking in Peru and Bolivia by George Bradt
Fireworks at Midnight by Rachel Henson
From Inca Kola by Matthew Parris
Chapter 10: Uruguay
From Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
Uruguay is Inviting by Celia Dillow
From Uruguay by Tim Burford
Chapter 11: Venezuela
From Traveller’s Cookbook: South America by Ben Box
From The Condor and the Cows by Christopher Isherwood
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
About the author
Edited by Celia Dillow
