It has been sunshining in Santiago for 3 days now and another 2 days anticipated. I can see why people say I will fall in love with this place in spring. It changes so much when the sun is out rather than the grey dreary winter we´ve had for so long.
I rode out to a place called El Cajon del Maipo which is basically the valley where the Maipo river comes down from the Andea Cordillera. It was so beautiful to be out on the road, a pale blue snow melt river winding along beside me, with steep steep mountains on either side. It amazes me how new the earth looks here compared to the ancient landscape of home. Australia is such an old part of the earth, weather beaten and erroded. Here the earth is so young, the mountains feel like they are being pushed up into existance in front of your eyes.
I rode out to a place called El Cajon del Maipo which is basically the valley where the Maipo river comes down from the Andea Cordillera. It was so beautiful to be out on the road, a pale blue snow melt river winding along beside me, with steep steep mountains on either side. It amazes me how new the earth looks here compared to the ancient landscape of home. Australia is such an old part of the earth, weather beaten and erroded. Here the earth is so young, the mountains feel like they are being pushed up into existance in front of your eyes.
The road I was on eventually takes you to the Chile/Argentina border and although I realise it was not going to be smart to get too close to the boarder, I was surprised at how soon the road started to clim and take you into the mountains. Within about an hour of winding roads I was well amongst what they call the Pre-Cordillera (foothills). I would have loved to have gone a little further than I did but I decied to turn around when the road started to get really bad. There were pockets of snow in every corner and shadow and the patches of ice on the road were getting too big to ride around. There were little trickles of stones falling almost constantly from above where the snow was melting and the earth relaxing. These started to REALLY worry me when the stones weren´t just egg sized anymore, they were more head sized. It gave off this delicious smell of fresh earth which was both exhilirating and terrifying all at once.
Just before I turned around, I stopped at a disused tunnel that was still visible from the road. You can walk through the tunnel if you want but you do so at your own risk and without a torch it was almost pitch black and I was too chicken. But coming around to the other side there was memorial to someone called Willy. It seams to be the norm here that if someone passes away on a road or public place, they set up commemorative little shrines and over time people start to pray to the deceased and attribute blessing and good luck to them. This shrine had blue wind mills all over it like it was fair day, and it was very well organised with a guest book for people to sign (and the old ones for people to read) in a perspex box. It was rather strange really, more than these things usually are.
Just before I turned around, I stopped at a disused tunnel that was still visible from the road. You can walk through the tunnel if you want but you do so at your own risk and without a torch it was almost pitch black and I was too chicken. But coming around to the other side there was memorial to someone called Willy. It seams to be the norm here that if someone passes away on a road or public place, they set up commemorative little shrines and over time people start to pray to the deceased and attribute blessing and good luck to them. This shrine had blue wind mills all over it like it was fair day, and it was very well organised with a guest book for people to sign (and the old ones for people to read) in a perspex box. It was rather strange really, more than these things usually are.
Last thing I did before heading home was stop for a country style meal. Entree of artichoke bases, main of Pastel de Choclo, and bread with lots of yummy pevre. It was so so good!!!
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