| From John Risley... "These pictures were taken in December 2005. My trip started in Santiago, Chile. After recovering from jet lag I traveled by bus to the town of Pucon located about 500 kilometers to the south in the Chile's Lake District. Surrounded by lush conifer forests and volcanoes, Pucon is a popular tourist destination for backpackers, kayakers, and rafters. From Pucon I traveled further south by bus to Chiloe Island. Major towns include Ancud and Castro. The scenery reminded me very much of the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. After a short bus and ferry ride back to the mainland, I flew from Puerto Montt to Puntas Arenas located close to the southern tip of the country. A few hours by bus north from Puntas Arenas is Parc Nacional Torres del Paine. This was truly the highlight of my trip as I hiked up and down canyons to get spectacular views of towering mountains and beautiful turquoise colored lakes. After four days in the Park I flew back to Santiago for a night before my long flight back to the U.S. While in Santiago I had the opportunity to take pictures of the Presidential Palace, which was bombed by the Chilean Air Force during the Pinochet coup on September 11, 1973. In front of the Palace is a statue of former President Salvador Allende. While taking a photo of the front and back of the statue I was approached by a well-dressed elderly man who began angrily shouting at me in Spanish for several minutes. I would have loved to know what he said. Although I could tell he was definitely not an Allende supporter. After 35 years Chile is still a very polarized society and Presidents Allende and Pinochet remain extremely contentious topics." |
Images Copyright © Lowell Greenberg