Smoggy Cities, Snowy Mountains and Spectacular Sunsets

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So after a 16 hour flight from Sydney with a transit stop in Auckland we arrived in Santiago, Chile. A horrendously polluted city which has a constant layer of smog over it blocking any view which there might be of the Andes.

We enrolled on a Spanish course for a week and we are now fluent in Espanol. No not really. Although surprisingly for the first time James can remember Anne is better than James. Therefore Anne has to do all the talking as James has given up!! Although James did take a fancy to one of the Spanish teachers called Catty! On the Friday evening we went to Riv a pub to watch Catty's brother play in a band - he wasn't that good. Anne struggled to drink the enormous shots of rum (at least a quad with a dash of lemonade).

On the weekend we went to Vina Del Mar on the Pacific coast. We hoped to escape the smog but no such luck. This is supposed to be the place where Chileans come and sunbathe. However it was freezing cold and no amount of persuasion was going to make us get in the water. We did see pelicans though. Our culinary delights consisted of an empanada (Chilean cornish pasty) and the most spectacular ice cream you could ever hope for - Two giant scoops bathed in a chocolate coating.

A bus journey back and we had a further three days of Spanish (no Catty this week though) and then got ready for our first proper trip into the Andes.

We got a small rickety metrobus to a small village called El Volcan and then hitched in the back of a mining truck 12 KM up the valley to the Refugio Lo Valdes. The place was very friendly and welcoming and even spoke English.

There was only one other lady staying in the hotel that night.

The following day we walked up a small steep valley at the back of the refugio up to the snow line to just over 3000m. There were some dubious scree slopes which needed crossing. above some huge mining air vents. We had reached around 2800m when James wanted to get over 3000m. So we set off up a very steep snowy slope and rather pointlessly turned back at 3000m. The snow was starting to get hard and icy - making James nervous.

Another night was spent in the refugio eating good food. Our plan was to do a three day backpack deep into the Andes over the next few days. We set of in good weather and even saw our first condor flying high above us. After a very long walk we still hadn't reached the glacier which we were going to and as it was well above the snow line we camped at 2800m on some scree. After an exciting and windy night we awoke to perfect blue skies. We left the tent and set off up the remaining hill to the Morado glacier at around 3200m. We were the only ones for miles and after ploughing through knee deep powder snow after a further two hours we eventually reached the glacier (Anne had lasted only about 30 seconds trail breaking through the deep snow and so by the time we had got there James was knackered). The hanging glacier was huge and the lake at the base was frozen solid and was very spectacular.

After walking back to the tent we continued down with all the gear and camped on a muddy site at the join of two roads. Had fantastic sunsets and saw more condors.

Next day we walked to some hot thermal springs at Banos Colinas which were in a spectacular setting overlooking the mountains and volcanoes. After a swim for over a hour we retraced our steps back to the refugio where we spent a further night eating excellent food and drinking camenere wine (a grape which was thought to be extinct until 10 years ago).

Yesterday we got a very cramped bus back to Santiago after hitching another lift in a truck.

Today we are looking for a Chilean plug, birthday card and have to pay for the bus which we are getting tomorrow down to the Lake District. Also have put our clothes in for a wash!!
Anne is starting to smell!

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Photos

Santiago sky line
From Cerro San Cristobal overlooking the smog filled city.

Typical spectacular Santiago sunset
Because of all the smog you get brilliant sunsets like this one from Cerro San Cristobal

Sunset at Vina del Mar
Again thanks to the smog from Santiago

James in the low Andes
Taken looking down the Lo Valdes valley

James at the 3000m mark
Getting increasingly nervous as the snow was turning to neve.

Start of our three day hike
Big volcano in the distance

Sunset at our first camp
The glacier is over the ridge towards the sunset

James filming at high altitude
The glacier was reached after two hours of struggling through deep powder snow.

Looking back towards the tent
Taken looking back towards the way we had climbed. The tent is somewhere down there.

Hot themal springs
Not a bad backdrop for the swim!

View from the refugio
Our view for our final night in the Andes (for now)

Comments

[Macaya]

Chile
Chile is spectacular!!!!! Nice travel!!!!!!