Santiago

Santiago is surrounded by huge Andean peaks and is the most picturesque city I have ever visited, only beating Vancouver because of the amazing architecture to be found throughout the city. 

Due to the number of earthquakes Santiago has endured you often see old style colonial buildings with modern buildings built next them where the previous building collapsed or was badly damaged. Walking around the backstreets of the city many stunning buildings can be seen.

We visited Mercado central which is a fish market just outside the city centre where you can also eat freshly caught and prepared seafood dishes, and the restraunt owners haggle with each other for your custom. The food is delicious!

You can also buy a Completo (highly recommended) which is a hot dog with avocado, diced tomatoe, mayonaise and sometimes saurkraut all for the bargain price of around 45 pence, delicious and a total bargain!! 

Mercado central fish market

Telefonica tower

Old and new

The view from Cerro Santa Lucia in the centre of Santiago, aka the heavy petting zoo due to the huge number of amorous couples to be found lurking on benches and in bushes!

The bottom of Cerro Santa Lucia

The best completo's in all of Chile come from this stall!! All for the price of 45 pence!!!!

The most beautiful backdrop for a city apart from the smog, photo taken from Cerro Cristobal a huge park/hill near to the city centre

Lots of melted candles at the top of Cerro Cristobal next to a huge Mary statue and accessed by the shadiest gondola I have had the pleasure of riding in.

One of the many intricately adorned buildings

Palm lined street

Parque National Huerquehue

Volcan Villarrica

Huge spires jutting out from the surrounding mountains, About two hours later we walked through the area where all the boulders come crashing through the forest shattering huge trees like twigs! 

Walking near the top of the tree line on the way back from the thermal springs to the park entrance.

One of the 4 thermal baths, this was the really hot one 90 C

Algae growing in the hot pool

Parque National Huerquehue is situated near to the Argentine border amongst the lower hills of the Andes and is without doubt the most magnificent area of forest and mountains I have ever seen with my own eyes. Not only is it stunningly beautiful but it has very few visitors making it a very tranquil and magical place.

Our first few days we stayed at the National park campsite and were camped next to a lago, that you could swim in, drink fro and fish in, although the fish didn't seem too bothered about eating any of my elaborately created hook set ups or spinners!

We then decided to trek to a thermal spring on the far side of the park, this took us through mile upon mile of the most pristine forest composed of Southern Beech (Nothofagus) and Monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) full of woodpeckers, innumerable insects, and Aguilas (Large hawk) as well as puma's which we were not fortunate enough to see, though Sarah swears something growled at her!

After a night wild camping we walked for three hours to the thermal baths for a well deserved beer and sit in the pools and river.

Trekking through Pristine untouched old growth forest

Monster Monkey Puzzle

Taking a breather on the trek to the thermal springs.

Araucaria forest

More Araucaria

One of the eight pristine Lago's in the park

One of the many monster trees

A nice waterfall for cooling down in

Lizzy the lizard on my fishing log

Kingfisher, more likely kingstickcatcher!