Category: Uncategorized

Punta Arenas is on the edge of the Strait of Magellan.  It defies an easy definition, as it is a combination of both grand, as well as ruddy.  Prosperity during the wool-boom allowed people to built some fairly impressive homes and mansions.  It is a relaxed and friendly place.  This tiny city is also known as the entry to Antartica.  It is surrounded by almost impenetrable forests, impassable mountains, and endless fields of ice.  It also happens to have one of the most unique cemeteries I’ve ever seen.  Looks at the pics and see if you don’t agree.

Took another break today to horseback ride in what began as a very scenic ride through this beautiful land. At a latitude of 50.8 degrees south, Ushuaia is The most southern city on Earth.  This city of 50,000 is the staging point for most of the Antarctic expeditions.  It is one of the fastest growing cities in Argentina.

The town is rustic and natural, but many of the homes are painted in pastel colors in order to brighten things a bit.  In winter the temps are well below zero and the sun rises only briefly.  The towering mountains surrounding this city rise to an altitude of 6,500 feet from sea level quite dramatically.  The city is very clean and crisp.

Now back to the horseback ride.  It began with a steep climb along a narrow path to what was a great vantage point for panoramic photos.  The shots taken (see below) show the harbor town and the surrounding majestic mountain peaks, as well as the pitch of the slope.  Unfortunately for one rider in our group (who was a very experienced equestrian) it ended shortly after those majestic views.  He was one rider ahead of me when his horse became spooked.  The horse jerked unexpectedly throwing the rider off.  It happened so quickly that I had difficulty processing it for a moment.  He flew up in the air and dropped like an anchor to the ground.  His body at first appeared lifeless.  Another rider, who had prior experience as a medic came to his aid.  As it turns out the unlucky rider suffered a minor concussion, some neck trauma, and a severely broken wrist. His hand swelled almost instantly to the size of a small balloon.  On a selfish note, needless to say, it was a major buzzkill.  I held on much tighter after that. I also decided that this would most likely be my last ride on a horse.  So in this city, the southernmost on earth, a few firsts and lasts for me took place.  See pics below.

 

 

I have now spent more than four days in these fjords.  Absolutely breathtaking views and scenery.  It has been over two days without seeing any other human life or evidence thereof. Sandwiched between the tranquil valleys of the Lake District and the ice fields of Patagonia, Chile’s southern coast consists largely of heavily forested mountains, some of which rise dramatically (6,000 feet) from sea level. This area is assessable only by sea.  The weather has been everything from great to really wet and always cold.  Air temps have ranged from 35F to 45F.  The glaciers are just spectacular.  These glaciers have been dated to be approximately 30 million years old.  Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of freshwater on earth. The last glacial period lasted 15,000 years.  Interestingly, computer models are able to forecast that the next ice age will occur in 50,000 years.  The major caveat in this forecast is the effects of global climate change.

In 1961 this merchant vessel ran into some bad luck, not to mention an underwater rock formation.  Thirty-five souls went down or drowned in this unfortunate event.  If you look closely you are able to see its hull gradually being taken back to the sea.  There have many such incidents in the fjords over the years.  Just thought it was interesting.

This morning I find myself in the Chilean Fjords and will be for several more days. These places are only accessible from the sea. There are no airports, nor any roadways connecting to the mainland. Only a very few of the fjords are inhabited. Moreover, there is very little wildlife. The only wildlife found here either swims or flies.

The tiny port village is called Chacabuco and is ringed by snowcapped mountains. Being this at an extreme southern latitude on the planet, snow falls almost all year long. You’ll notice the fresh snow in many of the pics attached.

Patagonian ice sheets plunge to the sea and that area provided me the opportunity to see the Giant Condor (although not lucky enough to get a pic). This bird is endangered.

I took the day off here in order to enjoy some white water river rafting. Just an outstandingly clear day to raft. From this area, otherwise known as the gateway to the Andes you could see three volcanos; one of which is active with periodic lava flows. The one pictured below happens to be dormant at this moment. Its name is Villerica and rises over 9,000 feet. Only 60 miles to the east is the Argentinian border and the Agentinian Andes.

The Lake District has many rivers as well. The one we were rafting on is called the Petrohue. Since it is now the end of summer here the river was running low. Consequently, the rapids were in the 3-4 category. Earlier in the beginning of summer they range in the 4-5 category. The 3-4 were perfect. Only one dude in our raft was ejected and had to be pulled back in.

This region is named for its 12 biggest glacially carve lakes. There are dozens of smaller ones as well. Stream fishing is awesome here.

Since I was unable to have my camera in my hands while rafting (because of the paddle) I missed some very amazing photo opportunities.  That was the only bummer of this incredible experience.

Not much room between the high cliffs and the sea, but Valparaiso does qualify as Chile’s third largest city with a population of 200,000 people. The only two larger metropolitan areas are Santiago and Concepcion. There are two very different and distinct sections to this city. The first is the modern coastal stretch that skirts the bay, and the other is much larger. This area is much older and comprises most of the neighborhoods and residences. This area is known as Valpo. Valpo and these neighborhoods cling delicately to the cliffs and hills, which rise abruptly just a few hundred yards from the shoreline. This is where I spent most of my time. Each hill is like an individual neighborhood laced with beguiling twisted streets and loads of commissioned and non-commissioned graffiti. (see pics)
There are 16 operating funiculars. A funicular is a very steep cable car. These take people from the seaside almost straight up the mountainside to the neighborhoods. Some are at such a steep incline that they are more like elevators. (See pics) Up in these charming neighborhoods I found great little restaurants and cafes. The graffiti is also quite remarkable. (See pics) Once at the top there are commanding views of the coastline.
Since much of the land around this city is very fertile, the fruits and vegetables are plentiful. The open air market is evidence of the bountiful land surrounding this area. (See pics)
Santiago, Chile’s capital city is approximately 2 hours east by automobile.

Iquique (pronounced ee-KEE-kay) is a port city in northern Chile. It lies on the Pacific coast and is part of the Atacama Desert. This area receives less than 2 inches of annual rainfall. The city developed in the heyday of the saltpeter mining in the Atacama desert in the 19th century. Interesting enough, it was a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population. It was ceded to Chile as a result of the War of the Pacific in 1879.
Today it plays home to surfers, hotels, resorts and casinos. Located in a golden crescent of coastline, it is among the best beach resorts in Chile. The big draw is the surfing. Consistently large swells are enjoyed be many surfers year round.

This is the most enigmatic giant ground drawings (geoglyphs) in South America.  It is best seen from a several miles out at sea.  I saw it fairly close (about a few miles to a few hundred yards.)  It is etched into a sloping mountainside at Pisco Bay on the Peruvian coast.  The figure resembles a candlestick; thus its name “The Candelabra of the Andes.”  It is about 600 feet long and is visible from 12 miles out at sea.  It also is located in a place that receives less then one-half and inch (or 1 cm) of rain annually.  The prevailing winds come from behind (the south).  Thus it is protected from wind and rain.  It remains today pretty much the way it was over 2 millenia ago.

Archeologists have found pottery nearby which has been carbon dated to 200 BC and part of the Paracas Culture. Its purpose and symbology are in doubt, however one theory is that is was dug as a marker of some sort.  Some archeologists say it is merely a trident.  It was discovered in 1860.  There is also a theory that it is related to a similar symbol found in California’s Cleveland National Forest.  The archeologist associates the two candelabras in this way: The ancient inhabitants of Peru voyaged to California to collect Jimson Weed and other hallucinatory drugs.  The archeologist believes the symbol resembles the Jimson Weed itself and served as a navigational aid.  Hallucinatory drugs were widely used by these peoples in ceremonies and rituals. Please note that the hallucinagens were not used as navigational aids, just the symbol of course.

This experience was as though I was in a live National Geographic Magazine. So many varieties of birds. The ones I was lucky enough to see (and in great numbers) included the Peruvian Booby, Red Legged Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Peruvian Pelican, Guanay Cormorant, and the Humboldt Penguin. I also witnessed an amazing sea lion habitat. There were beaches where the sea lion give birth. There were rocky beaches where the older (male only) sea lions hang, and plenty of young sea lions on the rocks.
This place is the Galapagos Islands of Peru. Totally protected to the point where no humans are permitted to step foot on the island or the surrounding rocks. I took all my pics obviously from my launch.
The sea lions were the most fascinating. Here’s some info of which I was unaware.  Their gestation period is 11 months and all sea lions are born from January to March. Since I am here in March I was able to see many babies. (see pics) The female usually gives birth to only one baby per gestation period.  In the rare event that two are born, the mother must kill the weaker one since she can only feed one per birth. So rather than have the one unfed baby suffer she will kill the weaker baby.  I found this fascinating.
All the wildlife here feeds from the sea. There are no Orcas of sharks in these waters. Thus, these sea lions usually die of old age.