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CHILE THE LAND OF THE ANDES, PISCO SOUR AND EXTREMES
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Welcome to Chile...
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The Chilean numberplate
Chilean money, the peso ($), which comes in the form of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 denominations. At 2006 exchange rates $1000 = £0.95. |
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The road down into Chile, 20 of the 39 hairpin bends to descend down from the El Christo del Redeemer border crossing tunnel into the lush green countryside of Chile. |
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SANTIAGO
Palacio de Moneda (the Money Palace)
There is some stunning architecture in the centre of Santiago with a strong european influence.
Bernardo O'Higgins, the Liberator. In 1818, Jose de San Martin and his Ejercito de los Andes (Army of the Andes) marched from Argentina into Chile and liberated Chile from the spanish occupation. Bernado O'Higgins, the son of an irishman and was placed in charge of the new republic. His name is found in every city and there are roads named after him
La Chascona, the Santiago home of Chile's Nobel prize winning poet
Pablo Neruda. The film Il Postino was written about Pablo's life when he escaped to Italy from the persecution of 'the caravan of death, Pinochet's reign of terror when all artists, musicians and any radical thinkers were imprisoned or killed. |
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VINA DEL MAR
Vina del Mar is a holiday destination for many Santaigans
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VALPARAISO
The beautiful and colourful port city of Valparaiso is perched precariously on over 40 hills. All the buildings constructed on the hills have to have earthquake resistance measures implemented. There are weekly tremors and there are more devastating earthquakes every 5 to 10 years.
In 1818, Valparaiso's population was barely 5000 but the demand for Chilean wheat pushed the population upto 100,000 by 1880. The heydays ended in 1906 when an earthquake caused major devastation and in 1914 the Panama Canal was completed and the necessity for the port lead to a decline in importance. |
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Valparaiso has a very bohemian atmosphere with new artistic graffiti popping up everyday; artists roam the streets, sketching beautiful multicoloured buildings perched high on ravines; music wafts down to the little allies that weave their ways between the houses; musicians wander the cobbled streets and even the gas canister man plonks out a tune to call out his wares. The old area of Cerro Conception became a UNESCO world heritage site in 2003. |
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Alexis and Greg undertook a week Spanish crash course in Valparaiso to do awith Amada and Arturo.
Valparaiso has 14 funiculars that allow people to travel up and down the hills without trawling up and down the stairs. The oldest was constructed in 1882 and leads up to the oldest quarter of Cerro Conception. |
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Dining in the vinyard! The owner of the Saavedra vineyard allowed us to camp in his vinyard overlooking the Andes. A couple of bottles of wine lead to one of the most beautiful sunsets.
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VILLARICA AND PUCON
On the border with Chile and Argentina are 3 snow capped volcanos. Villarica and Pucon areas are all ski areas with fantastic chocolate shops and mountaineering places.
There is a traffic light and siren system in place to indicate whether to move away from these still active volcanoes. If the local hotsprings start warming up... get out quickly!
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The Beast waiting patiently for us to complete all the necessary temporary import documents at the Lanin National Park border between Argentina and Chile. |
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The Beast went in for a service in Temuco where they replaced all of her oils and bled the brakes. |
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The snow and lichen on the Argentinean/Chilean border
Huasos - the Chilean horsemen |
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CHILOE
Chiloe is an island located off the south of mainland Chile. The Chilean government attempted to give the island to the British in the 1800s, but luckily they were turned down.
Chiloe has an unique architecture in the area that consists of wooden tiles protecting the housing.
Each tile is individually attached.
Sixteen of the churches on Chiloe are designated as UNESCO world heritage sites.
The island's capital of Castro has houses built on stilts, some of which are translocated by dragging up the hill to a new location as their foundations get washed away.
The Pan Am Highway. A road that runs for 22,000 km from Anchorage in Alaska to...
...Quellon in Chile. It passes through 12 countries uninterrupted except for 30km in Columbia in an area known as the Darien Gap. |
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CARETERRA AUSTRAL
The Careterra Austral. The Southern Road.
The Careterra Austral runs from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins.
General Pinochet comissioned the construction of the road in the 1980s as part of the plan to stop the invasion of the Argentineans in the southern territories.
The Beast on the Careterra Austral
Termas de Amarillo
Cycling the Careterra Austral - Nick and Nif |
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TORRES DEL PAINE
Torres del Paine, the towers of Paine a stunning mountain range with lakes of brilliant turquoise glacial melt water |
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TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Tierra del Fuego is split into two countries - half is Chile and the other half is Argentina.
The Magellan Straits. The most dangerous stretch of water in the world. It was discovered by Magellan in the 1500s as a thoroughfare to the Pacific ocean rather than travelling south around Cape Horn. Hundreds of ships have been shipwrecked along this stretch of water. |
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