The Andes, near Santiago Chile, 20 April 2016

Today was our first regional trip with Fernando, our guide and driver, visiting today the districts of Farellones and Yerba Loca in the Andes mountains immediately behind Santiago. The city doesn't present itself that well on arrival, as the motorway tracks the river Mapocho which flows into the central city and also seems to function as the tip, at least in its outer reaches. This combined with the river bank slums is off putting but the city improves into its centre which sports a centre of leafy avenues and some fine buildings. But our regard for the place grew quickly. The proximity to the Andes and their great height means they loom over the city which is quite something. From anywhere you can look east and they are there as a ridge line floating above almost any building. The nearest ranges are close to 10,000 feet with the next ranges (not visible from the city) being close to 20,000ft, so they are formidable. They hang in the air like a snow capped curtain. We also greatly like the people they are very sombre, but amiable. Walking in the streets they make little noise and the traffic doesn't blast its horns or show much impatience. But the people are chatty and seemingly always engaged in friendly and unhurried conversations. There are a lot of young people being a student city, who are very refreshing, sporting their own dress code and endlessly greeting each other with hugs and enthusiatic welcomes. We headed out pre dawn and reached the slopes in about 45 minutes, so they really are close. Santiago is an arid basin beside the Andes but also with another block of mountains separating it from the coastal regions. It gets less rain than Alexandra so is genuine desert, cacti and all. The mountains which look smooth and weathered from the city, turn out to be rougher and steeper. We tracked into narrow valleys and wound up ridges, stopping occassionally to look around. The cactus shrubland on the slopes was foreign to us but nicely teeming with birdlife. First up we found a hummingbird, then many more including woodpecker. We spent most of the chilly morning exploring up these windy climbing roads, until the sun came out and we saw our first condors, both sunning themselves on high cliffs and also flying the ridges as the day warmed up. Fernando reminded us their size is deceiving unles you are close and thay they have a 3 metre wingspan which is basically our dining table including the very broad wing shape, plus those long fine feather extensions that the birds manoeuvre so that they soar without any apparent adjustments. It was certainly a magestic sight with their imposing wing platform and slow circling. The dry steep slopes also had red mistletoe flowering which was an attractant to hummingbirds but also a large golden bumblebee which we very much hope was THE Chilean golden bumble bee, the largest species in existence. I could have spent a lot more time chasing them with the camera, as they were sunny little orbs of gold and so spectacular mussing in the red mistletoe blooms. We continued climbing the winding roads and topped out at nearly 3,000 metres, where the shrubland was well gone and rocky fell fields of herbs and snow tolerant shrubs grew. On the way and high up we had the exceptional thrill of finding several Horned Owls, snoozing in poplar trees planted beside the road. They are a large owl, 18 inches apparently, decked in a heavy coat somewhat like a down jacket. The birds were exceedingly groggy and occasionally opened one or more eyes by way of lifting, with difficulty, their large drooping eyelids. Underneath, large yellow orbs regarded the world balefully. Then whatever disturbed them passed and they would subside back into sleep. We could see their massive talons - these birds can dispatch a live rabbit or hare no problem. As with everything else we couldn't stay there forever, so we dragged ourselves on and away. Our highest point on the road had us a bit breathless when we walked and scrambled the slopes around the vehicle. Meanwhile great expanses of upland extended around us in all directions, with rock fields and occasional icy peaks pushing up, in some cases, to close to twice our altitude. It is certainly marvellous to be at altitude and see this wild landscape both around and soaring above you. We headed home and after 10 hours on the road were too stuffed to go restaurant tracking, plus with a 6 am start to consider we ate something in the hotel and fell into bed.