Pan Am Chile. Well the bridges of anyway.

We have now completed the ride from Puerto Montt to Santiago on the Pan Am, averaging 100km days. Our speed and distance traveled has doubled since leaving patigonia so now we feel like we have got some traction on the globe and have made some real progress. A few days off near Pucon allowed us to relax check out the local show and for Ben to attempt to summit the vulcan. In a few days we will leave chile behind only to return for our flight back to NZ. There is only one small hill in the way the 3500m pass to Argentina and the Mendoza wine region {mt cook is 3700ish} so we will be higher than ever before.



Vulcan Villarica the morning of the climb



The beginning of the walk looks a little windy but it will get worse

Can you see anna sunning herself on the beach in villarica

Me and 300 others attemp the summit only to be turned back by gale force winds 500m from the top, our guides were the most in control and just had us sit behind a rock for a while, others were running around panicking shouting and girls were crying, pity my small camera was stolen otherwise there was some good pics and vids of the wind blowing others over and having to use their ice axes to stop getting blown away.

Lautauro, where the phase I do not speak spanish does not work but we did end up sleeping on these kind folks lawn instead of in the middle of the fair that was going on in the park where we were going to camp

Yellow on a grand scale

We only sleep under the best bridges, good morning view



The beasts of burden that beat us to the top of the hill. We should have asked for a ride.



Pan Am to the left and rail to the right

At the top.

We thought we had been on the pan am for a while but Los Angeles already we must have missed something

Salto del Lajas {waterfall at Lajas}

Upside down arch, quite common on the railway here

Yellow is big in this region



One of the more elegant rail bridges



Funicular or steep tram to the top of the hill in santiago

Not a bad view from the top

Statue at the top overlooking Santiago