Chile
With its entire western coast made up of the Pacific Ocean and its eastern borders made up of the impassable Andes mountains, Chile has
a maximum width of only 265 miles. Running north to south, Chile begins at Tierra Del Fuego and stretches about 2,880 miles in length all
the way to Peru and Bolivia, making it the longest country in the world. I've been to Chile two times so far, the first trip I visited the
southern Patagonia area mainly to see to the national park Torres Del Paine. Currently I am in the beginning of my second trip, so far
having visited only Santiago. If things work out I'd like to visit the Atacama area in the far north, also known as the driest part of the world.
Chile - Baby Birds In A Tree In Patagonia
Chile - Glacier In Patagonia
Chile - Fjord Waterfalls In Patagonia
Chile - Fjord Waterfalls In Patagonia
Chile - Fox In Torres Del Paine
Chile - Ice Filled Lake In Patagonia
Chile - Guanico In Torres Del Paine
Chile - Glacier In Patagonia
Chile - Sorreno Glacier In Patagonia
Chile - Guanicos In Torres Del Paine
Chile - Reflection Of Torres Del Paine
Something else I did while traveling in Patagonia is take a boat trip
up and down the Fjords. The next two pictures are of the many
waterfalls that can be seen along the way. The mountains, waterfalls
and turquoise water all combine to give spectacular views.
This area of Chile is heavily populated with wildlife. Above are some baby birds that I found living in a rotted part of a
large tree. On the right, a fox can be seen standing in front of a snow capped mountain. This fox was with a pack of
3 other foxes who were passing by and seemed used to humans.
Above are some guanacos in the national park Torres Del Paine. This was one of my favorite national parks in the
world and enjoyed it by simply sitting for hours watching the guanacos. In the first picture, the guanaco on the right
appeared to be the leader of the pack. He was definitely the biggest and would chase the other ones around,
sometimes biting their hind legs. The right picture shows a lone guanaco walking with a huge snow covered
mountain in the background.
On the upper right is a
picture of the Torres Del
Paine mountains being
reflected in a lake. The
other two pictures show
another popular glacier
to visit in Patagonia. The
top picture was taken
from the distance, and
you can notice that on
the right there is a small
waterfall from the melting
ice. The large picture on
the right is zoomed in on
the glacier itself.
Chile Travel - For more information on Chile, visit http://www.willgoto.com/244/1/categories.aspx
Chile Links
Chile - Santiago High Rise
Chile - San Francisco Church
Chile - Plaza De Armas
Chile - Plaza De Armas
Chile - Flower At St Lucia
Chile - St Lucia In Santiago
Chile - Statue At St Lucia
Chile - Santiago View From St Lucia
Chile - Santiago Subway
Chile - Santiago Subway
Chile - Santiago
Chile - White House In Santiago
Above is a Panoramic view of Santiago Chile, one of South America's safest and
most beautiful capitals. Santiago is located right in the center of the country, and is
famous for its tall buildings such as the high rise apartments seen to the right.
Santiago is also one of the most modern cities in South America along with Sao Paulo Brazil and Buenos Aires
Argentina. Currently under construction in Chile is the Costanera Center which will include commercial space and
several towers, one of which will reach 980 feet making it the tallest structure in South America. Above are two
photos of Santiago's subway system that is used to transport the areas nearly 6.5 million people. The subway here is
very cheap and efficient, but surprisingly it was the cleanest one I've ever used.
Chile's capital was founded by the Spanish Conqueror Pedro De Valdivia, who arrived to the area in 1541. Soon
after his arrival, fighting began between Valdivia and the Native Americans living in the area. The battle was a victory
for Valdivia, who finished it by conquering the small hill known today was St. Lucia, and later used this same location
to officially found the city of Santiago. Today St. Lucia is a very popular place to visit in Santiago, and has dozens of
memorials, parks, and vantage points throughout the hill. On the left is a photo of a large fountain which is near the
main entrance to St. Lucia, on the right is another photo of a viewpoint further up the hill.
These two photos taken above are also from St. Lucia. The hill of St. Lucia is very rocky and steep that is covered
with unique plants and many memorials. On the left is a strange flower I saw growing off of a tree branch, on the right
is an unmarked statue of a soldier that surely must be dedicated to those who helped defend Santiago.
The church seen on the left is known as the church of San Francisco, and is considered to be Chile's oldest building.
Though severally damaged numerous times in earthquakes throughout its history, the church has always been rebuilt
from its early days in the 16th century to the major earthquake of 1960. Inside is a museum providing lots of history
and artifacts from the church. In 1998, San Francisco church was also labeled a world heritage site.
Above are photos from Plazas de Armas in Santiago. Plazas de Armas are found in many South American cities and
are their downtown square, usually surrounded by government and religious buildings. On the left are two policemen
on horseback with the main cathedral in the background, on the right are shoppers and tourists going about their day.
The rest of these pictures are all from the southern part of Chile which is permanently covered in snow and ice; you
can tell immediately it is quite different from the northern part. I visited this area known as Patagonia in their
summertime. On the left is a photo of the Sorreno glacier, one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. You can
see how it looks like their was a rush of water coming down that mountain when it suddenly froze.
Chile - Santiago Mall
Chile - Santiago Mall
Chile - Vina Del Mar
Chile - Bird In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Castle In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Church In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Restaurant In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Vina Del Mar
Chile - Sea Rocks In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Vina Del Mar
Chile - Homes In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Me At The Beach In Vina Del Mar
Chile - Me About To Down A Margarita
The purpose of my second trip to Chile was to climb South America's highest mountain of Aconcagua located a few
hours away in Argentina. After the climb I returned to Santiago to do some shopping with a friend I made and went
to Santiago's nicest district. On the left you can see its almost like entering an amusement park, with signs pointing to
the different districts and attractions. On the right is the main area of the shopping district known as Acrauco.
Two other things I had planned after climbing Aconcagua where pretty simple, one was go drinking, and two was to
visit the beach. On the left is me celebrating by drinking a margarita, on the right is me entering the water in Vina Del
Mar, from almost 7,000 meters to 0 meters in only a few days!
Above on the left is the main river and downtown Vina Del Mar just before it leaves the city. On the right is the main
street called Valparaiso, where all kinds of restaurants and exotic shops are found.
Vina Del Mar definitely reminded me of a beach town in California, but unfortunately my day in the sun was lost
because of overcast skies that also kept the weather pretty cool in the low 60s or 20c. Above you can see hotels and
other large buildings directly on the beach, where you can also find some small casinos. On the upper right is a photo
of some of the steep hills that are held up with huge concrete walls and have houses going all the way up.
And finally from Vina Del Mar, some flora and fauna found living among people in the city. On the left is a type of
bird that I found living in the trees along the city's main river. The seaweed of course was found on the beach.
Something that took me by surprise was the architecture
of Vina Del Mar. Almost every building in the city seems
to be unique. There are castles, buildings designed to be
like ships and boats, and futuristic looking buildings as well
all across the city. On the upper left is a photo of a church
that I thought looked like a sand castle. The real castle on
the upper right is located high up on a hill, and was one of
several others. The restaurant on the right had an Africa
theme, and was just one of many unique shops and
restaurants in the city.
Your name:
Your email address:
Your Country:
Comments:
Post a question or add a comment about traveling in Chile.