Chile Land at The End of The World
Whether you live in North America, Asia or Europe and choose to travel as far away from your home as possible,
your destination will be Chile.
For centuries, explorers, scientists, travelers, and lately Bankers and economists been fascinated by this narrow strip of land. Squeezed and isolated by the high Andes to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atacama desert to the north, Chile has developed a unique flora.
Darwin was amazed by it, especially by the plants found on the Juan Fernandez archipelago. Here is where he first started elaborating his theory of evolution of the species. He made a special trip inland from Valparaiso to see the groves of Chilean palms. These palms are probably the largest in the world. It takes this tree over seventy years to bear its first fruit, the size of a marble the world’s smallest coconut.
When you do visit Chile be prepared to be surprised, amazed—awed.
From just north of the Tropic of Cancer, Chile extends to the frigid tip of South America and the turbulent waters off Cape Horn. The distance is over 2,800 miles, however, its width rarely exceeds a hundred miles.
If you look at a map produced in Chile, you will see that Chile reaches to the South Pole. To keep this territorial claim alive, Chile maintains an Air Force base on King George Island in the Antarctic and its navy deploys its ships on the Drake Passage for search and rescue operations.
During the Tertiary period, in a cataclysmic event, the Andes Mountains rose out of the sea creating an incredibly jumbled topography. Evidence of this, are marine fossils found high in the Andes.
Over fifty international flights a day land in Santiago, but we will start our Chilean journey in the northern seaside town of Arica where a large lump of rock dominates the town and you will find a church designed and built by Eiffel—yes, the same fellow who built the tower in Paris.
Heading inland, we follow the Lluta river. In this area, the oldest mummies have been discovered dating from 6,000 BC! From lack of a better name, the waaay pre-Inca people are called the Chinchorros after a place were some of their artifacts have been found.
Geogliphs (giant depictions of animals laid out with stones on the slopes of hills) show vicunas, llama and guanacos. This is pre-Inca artwork. When heat waves rise, the geogliphs appear to move.
We find these in many places of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. While the bottom of the valley is dotted with fertile farms, the desert here only allows sparse bits of rough grass. This supports large herds of cameloid guanacos and vicunas.
We reach Lake Chungara. At 12,000 feet elevation it is one of the highest lakes in the world. We also see Volcan Parinacota one of the many perfectly conical volcanoes in this country.
Pink flamingos bark and grunt, they are not only pretty but noisy. At this altitude the temperature can go below freezing in a matter of seconds. All you need is a passing cloud. Fat-looking (coot-like) taguas also share the lake
At night the temperature drops well below freezing.
The rocks that surface in this plain are covered with moss, which the locals harvest for fuel. This moss grows at a rate of less than a millimeter in ten years. Thus a chunk of moss ten inches high is over 2,000 years old.
Now, let’s hop onto a flying saucer and head south (the locals keep reporting UFO’s). Most people here are Aymara or Quechua Indians.
As we head deeper into the Atacama desert we enter the driest place on earth. Rain has never been recorded here.
When one walks in the desert, even on a warm day, one’s nose feels cold as our breath evaporates. When the wind stops, the silence is absolute. Nothing can live here unless it’s near an oasis.
The ground is mostly nitrates. Sometimes one sees green hills. This betrays high copper content in the rock.
Near the town of Calama, we find Chuquicamata, the largest open pit mine in the world.
In the bars of Calama one recognizes prospectors by the color of their skin. It’s nearly purple. The UV radiation from the sun is extremely strong.
As we leave the Atacama, the terrain becomes wrinkled and chaotic. Here, it rains a little and in November the desert blooms.
As we approach Santiago, the terrain and climate change. Central Chile enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean weather.
A large, fertile central valley extends for 500 miles.
Encased by mountains on both sides, this valley has become the fruit basket to the world.
At the head of the valley lies Santiago, a huge metropolis with six million inhabitants. Despite its size, it is considered to be among the top cities for quality of life.
Gardens, parks, plazas dot the city. Trees line practically all streets. Almost everywhere one goes, there are small patches of something pretty. Chile has a lot of leafy evergreens. It is mainly imported trees that shed their leaves in the winter.
Santiago’s architecture is meant to dazzle and one finds lots of sculptures. Art is displayed everywhere, including the Metro stations.
The sharp increase in urban vegetation (an antismog measure) has attracted a lot of birds, which previously could only be seen outside the city.
Parakeets flock outside my balcony in the mornings and hummingbirds are frequent visitors.
The Andes reach their highest elevation northeast of Santiago. From the city one can see the snowy peaks of El Plomo and Cerro Altar (over 17,000 feet).
This is as far south as the Inca Empire reached.
Founded in 1541, Santiago is one of America’s oldest cities. There are still a few houses and churches left from the early period.
Chile’s present day population is 90% of European origen, about 60% Spanish and important German, English, Croat, and Arab ethnicities.
The further south we go, the country becomes more wooded. Pumas abound in the mountains and huge condors soar overhead. It should be noted that there are no poisonous snakes here.
The forests are rich with unique trees The araucaria being the best known and the Alerce is the oldest living thing on earth.
The copihue, a large bell-like red or white flower grows wild in the forest. The strawberry and the potato come originally from southern Chile.
Lakes and picture perfect conical volcanoes dot the landscape and are the favorite tourist areas.
As we go further south, we enter Patagonia where the Andes literally drop into the sea forming a long archipelago of over two thousand islands. Orcas, dolphins and sea lions are found in large numbers and huge penguin colonies abound. Off the coast is the home of sperm, humpback and blue whales.
In Laguna San Rafael, you will find the sea level glacier nearest to the Equator at the equivalent latitude of Paris or Boston.
If you are not yet amazed, there are over 2,000 volcanoes in Chile and at least as many hot springs, many of which have hotel accommodations.
This country with its crazy geography is a favorite destination for adventure travelers. Rafting, kayaking, trekking, horseback trips are offered in a variety of areas.
Let’s not forget the great Chilean wines—Salud, amigos!
