Nick Knowles in South America

The second part of Nick Knowle's exhilarating South American adventure is set in the beautiful Chilean lake district. Chile is a land of volcanoes and in the shadow of the mighty mount Osorno, Nick takes to the icy blue waters to try out the relatively new sport of hydrospeeding, essentially bodyboarding on a fast-flowing river. Nick launches with infectious enthusiasm.

At a seaweed processing plant Nick discovers how in Chile, the longest country in the world, people are finding ingenious ways to harness the sea's bounty in the fight against climate change. Seaweed makes biodegradable plastic, nutrient-rich food supplements and even cattle fodder which reduces methane emissions. All this, and fast-growing, low impact, and readily available. What's not to love?

In coastal Puerto Montt, Nick heads to a rustic bar to discover Cueca, a traditional type of music and dance that is being reclaimed by the Chilean people after it was tainted by the notorious dictator, General Pinochet in the 1980s.

On the mystical island of Chiloe Nick delights in ginormous mussels, his contribution to a special meal. Curanto is the oldest form of cooking in Chile in which seafood is sizzled over hot stones in the ground and layered with aromatic leaves, leaving the meat and potatoes perfectly steamed in the salty haze.

At one of the island's UNESCO-protected wooden churches, Nick meets a white witch who shares some of the local superstitions with him. He moves to take part in La Minga, a local tradition in which the community pulls together to complete tasks too big for one alone. Nick is given the terrifying job of man handling two huge bulls to get them to shift a shed across the farm.

Finally, he visits the local library that is on a boat. He meets the woman responsible for bringing a love of reading to children all over the islands with her floating library. He leaves Chiloe with a rejuvenated sense of community and a deep respect for the people who call Chile their home.