Our travel journal of South Amerika
Santiago de Chile, 12th March 1998
With pleasure we report about the first stage of our world tour – South America.
We are already on our way since eight weeks and have visited different areas of South America. The first stage was Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina – with a temperature of 30 degrees. A real test after leaving behind a very cold Switzerland. The people here are very calm and composed and everything functions very well.
Further south in this beautiful country the landscape changes completely. We are met by a steppe landscape with different animals – lamas, foxes, hares, ostriches and a large variety of exotic birds. Further on we can observe "the growing glaciers" of Moreno and the Grey in "Feuerland". The furthest southern part of Feuerland. Here we are greeted, for us, normal conditions – it snowed.
After this "could - shock", our journey continues to the norh of this continent to Brazil and tropical areas. Our journey takes us to the water - falls of Iguazu.
Arriving In Rio de Janeiro we take the opportunity to dive into the sea at the world famouse beach of Copacabana - temperature 32� degrees.
It is exacktly as one sees in pictures and films: "White beaches and beautiful women in very ting bikinis......."!
In Salvador de Bahia we experience the Carneval the native people - mostly dark - skinned, with music and dance.
The next stop on our programme is a trip on the river Amazons – course Peru – the governing climate here – heat and very high humidity – which is for us a little difficult to cope with. here we see a very large variety of birds species, for example – parrots and water birds. From the safety of the boat we are able to observe crocodiles (they are called alligators here) leguane, dolphins and fish. We had the possibility to visit the indios a simple and contented historical people.
Further on we arrive at the high Andes, a mountain chain that passes through most of the South American continent from north to south. The only means of travel that is possible here, for passengers and freight is the railway. At a height of 4'000 meters there is no pass or roads. Wild mountainous landscape and rapid running river "nature pure" Here we learn our limits as "low area living race" then our body circulation has problems.
The traces and signs of the Incas accompany us from Matchu Pitchu and the forbidden city. In Peru over the Titicaca Lake to La Paz in Bolivia.
We now arrive in Santiago de Chile, the capital of the same named country, and experience a large city and are pampered here with beautiful parks, in which we can enjoy wonderful strolls and the Chilenisch cuisine. The current event here was the election of ex dictator Pinochet to life – long senator, which was accompanied by dangerous demonstrations.
We will now continue our journey to Australia in the South Pacific.