My love affair with Latin America started back in 2020 when I spent several months working on various cattle and bull ranches across Argentina. Despite being brutally cut short by a certain pandemic, my time there gave me a firsthand taste of Argentina’s rich ‘Gaucho’ culture, making a lasting impression on me that I carried through to my Spanish studies at the University of Exeter.
In 2022 I had the opportunity to open the door to South America once again, this time for a much longer stint. For a whole year I lived and worked as an English teacher in a university on the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the historic port city of Cartagena. It was also during this year that I learnt Portuguese before embarking on a solo trip around Brazil to put my language skills to the test.
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Q&A with Humphrey
What’s the best local dish you’ve tasted?
It’s tantamount to a crime to visit Brazil and not try a churrasco. Although its translation into English is simply ‘barbecue’ it’s so much more than that. Waiters walk around carrying large stakes on which some of the most mouthwatering meat is skewered. Catch their eye and they will come over to your table and carve off as much as you like. While this is not perhaps ideal for vegetarians, Brazilian food doesn’t come any more local or tasty than this.
What’s your most vivid travel moment?
During my last visit to Argentina, I was fortunate to be in the mountainous town of Cachi in the north of Argentina during the town’s festival in commemoration of their patron saint San José. I got to witness the procession of over a thousand horses and riders down the narrow cobbled streets of the town, all of whom were dressed in their tradition ‘Gaucho’ outfits. The festival was an amazing exhibition of the fusion of European Catholic traditions with the indigenous ones of the local people that are still so strong to this day.
Where would you love to travel next?
Nicaragua has been at the top of my bucket list for quite some time now. I’ve absolutely adored my travels to Central America before and Nicaragua remains the one that I’m most keen to tick off. Sandboarding down the blackened slopes of the Cero Negro volcano is a particular draw for me.