Andes from the Panamericana

In central Chile

---

October 4th 2006
We´d heard lots about the Panamericana (or Ruta 5), the major highway that runs roughly parallel with the Andes for much of the length of South America. So, after a couple of days of eating dirt, at Linares we decided to test ride some smooth tarmac. And smooth it was! Although the speed limit is 120 kilometres an hour here, the lanes are wide, and there is a clean, smooth shoulder, and hardly an ... read more

South America » Chile » Biobío

---

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its ind... ... read more