Wow the Andes! We were picked up by our guide for a day trip to the Andes.

We were fine until about 1800 metres when the 20 odd hairpin bends got to us so we had a pit stop and we're greeted by a very companionable ...stray dog


After a nice chat with Pepe "le peu" we carried on above the tree line - things were getting seriously high with spectacular views a camera can't capture.

Finally, 60 hairpin bends later, and a 2.5 km altitude climb, we arrived at 3000 metres above sea level in amongst the Gods and their messengers - the condors.  Those magnificent  creatures circled above, one of them must have had a wingspan of 2 metres

Mum stayed at the ski lodge -the dot in the picture on the right

while kate and I took the chairlift to the top of the field. What a view.

in 1954 some local ranchers found a perfectly preserved "mummy" body of a small boy in the snow in the mountain (behind Kate).. He had been sacrificed to the gods 500 years before (100 years before the spaniards arrived). His body had been preserved in the perpetual snow and is now preserved at the national museum.  Poor little tacker.

We also saw wild horses and mules on tHe hillsides and Kate would like to add - (for Al's sake), some macho wild rancheros riding horses down the vertical slopes. They certainly did look like the real thing!

The mountains do make ours look like small bumps. We were pretty exhausted and mum has done amazing things on 4 hours sleep. We've put her to bed and are having sisterly chats by the pool over 'piscos' - the national drink! We're pretty pisco'ed!  Tomorrow we awaken at 2:45 to fly to Punta Arenas (end of world) to then make the bus trip (erg) to Torres del Paine - where we get more 'piscos' - yay!

Kate's beading by the pool.  Much like twisting. But cooler.  And requires academic capability.