The Andes Mountains

The Andes Mountains are a beautiful range that just about spread from Argentina to the Pacific Ocean in Chile. There is virtually no flat land. The picture on the right was taken in a tiny town on the way to La Serena.

This was one of my favorite places to talk with the local residents. It was a small and quaint place that rarely saw strange faces, let alone a tour bus full of US students. The people here seemed very kind and eager to talk to us in Spanish.

In this area, distance is measured in hills. So the young girl that I was speaking with said I was "a few hills from Argentina." When I asked about her family, she said her grandmother was from 2 hills that way, her grandfather 3 hills that way and when they met, they were 1 hill in that direction. As a native to the mega-flatland of Indiana, I was fascinated.

Now back the mountains...as we moved farther north towards La Serena, the climate made some interesting changes turning from temperate to desert. Seeing the snow covered cordillera behind cactus was a peculiar scene at first from the bus. None-the-less, beautiful. And once we got to a dam, overlooking a lake...oh, my goodness. Standing in 80 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, when you just came from 35 degrees 6 hours ago, and looking at snow capped mountains...Wow.

Note: The "stripes" in the photo posted above are cloth protectors to shield the vineyards on the hills from the whipping wind that can destroy the grapes. There are vineyards all over central Chile, and as you might have guessed, there is a lot of fantastic wine. :)