Chile, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego

Chile is not only the longest country, at almost 4300 km, but also the narrowest, at just 180 km. It is home to the driest desert, the highest geyser field, and the largest glacier area in the Southern Hemisphere outside of Antarctica.

Valle de Luna, Valley of the Moon, is located in the Atacama Desert near San Pedro de Atacama. The landscape is characterized by salt and sand formations.

Valparaíso sprawls across numerous hills, known as cerros. To traverse these hills, funicular railways were built. Currently, ten are still in operation. Until 1913, Valparaíso was a renowned port city that boosted the country's economy. Santiago de Chile is only about 115 km away. With the completion of the Panama Canal in 1940, Valparaíso declined in importance, and it wasn't until 2003 that its historic center was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Salar de Atacama (salt flat) is located in the east of the Antofagasta region. Its surface forms a hard, rough layer of salt contaminated with desert sand. Flamingos inhabit the area, along with a small bird, about 10-15 cm long, that hopped in front of my camera (I haven't been able to identify it yet; I'm leaning towards a wheatear. I ruled out a mountain chickadee, as it doesn't occur in the Andes).

The saline Lagunas Miscanti y Miñiques lie below the volcanoes (Cerros) of the same name at an approximate altitude of 4140m.

The El Tatio Geyser is located in the highest geothermal zone. A distillation plant for extracting water from the geothermal area stands here; don't forget, we are in a desert region.

Vicuñas are not domesticated in the wild like alpacas, for example. Both belong to the humpless New World camelids... the world is so colorful ;-))

On our journey to southern Chile, we often encountered farmers who harnessed their oxen in double yokes (the term is related to subjugation). This is the oldest method (dating back to 3500 BC) of harnessing large draft animals in pairs. Castrated oxen are usually used, as they are calmer. In the harness, they can barely move their heads.

Puerto Varras, the heart of the lake region, the penguin colonies, the seagulls and cormorants.

Punta Arenas, the southernmost major city in the world (Ushuaia/Argentina can claim the southernmost point of human settlement in 2005), is the gateway to the Torres del Paine.

The national park, with its mountains reaching up to 3000 meters, glaciers, and lakes, translates to "Towers of the Blue Sky." Its landmark is the three needle-like granite peaks.

Grey Glacier is an impressive glacier in Torres del Paine National Park. It calves into Lago Grey.

Common inhabitants of the park, and accustomed to the presence of humans, are the gray foxes. This trip took place in 2005, when Michelle Bachelet became president and helped the country implement social reforms in education and healthcare. She championed gender equality by promoting women's rights. Today, Chile is the leading exporter in South America and tends toward a moderate political stance, which also brings a degree of stability.

What we've been told repeatedly is that Germans are stereotypically similar to Chileans, and Argentinians are supposedly more like Italians. Well, if that isn't a reason to raise a glass! :-))