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1994

Chile (Center) - South America

Bec
2004-09-20 17:19:06

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/>The border formalities leaving Chile and entering Argentina were surprisingly efficient for South America.

On the bus I met Mara who was going to Mendoza to buy parts for her car over the weekend. This young lady was a successful entrepreneur running a courier service in Santiago. From a modest beginning with one bicycle that she rode herself, she built-up an on-going business with dozens of motorcyclists working for her.

That a woman could succeed as well as she did was a good point for Chile, it would have been unthinkable in many other South American countries.

On the western side of the Andes, the mountains were generally composed of dark coloured granitic rocks while the eastern side offered breathtakingly beautiful views of delicate pink sedimentary rock peaks.

Mendoza
When the Spanish first crossed over the Andes to come here in 1550 they found a fertile, artificially irrigated valley worked by the Huarpe Indians who had learned technology and arts from the Inca.

Villarrica
After almost two weeks in the Santiago area I used the excellent Chilean busses to move south, stopping on the way in Chillan and here in Villarrica

Lago Villarrica
I found that the Lake District looked very much like home. There are no volcanoes in Quebec and the mountains are not as high but there are lots of lakes and the land is similarly wooded. The climate is also similar, our summer months, June, July and August, are very much like January February and March here.

Also, the abundance of lumber has led to building wooden houses in both places. This wooden house near Lago Villarrica would not be out of place in the Laurentian mountains near Montreal, some 9000 kms due north of here!

Valdivia
I found Valdivia to be a laid-back place with friendly, easy to meet people. A happy bunch of locals were drinking beer, dancing and having a good time on a sunny Saturday afternoon in this floating restaurant taken from the bridge over the Valdivia river.

Valdivia's site has everything going for it. Its two rivers join into a large estuary that closes down to a narrows just before flowing into the Pacific. The Spanish built forts on both sides of the narrows at Corral and Niebla to control the access to what looks like a great natural harbour.

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