F
rom one spectacular National Park the
Anthonys travelled over 300 mile northwards to the 6 National Glacier Park and the adjoining Lake
Argentina. This beautiful lake, which has the largest body of water in the whole country, is now a World Heritage site and much visited by tourists from around the world. At the edge of the Lake is an ice field with a chain of glaciers, the smallest of which is 22 miles long and 2 miles wide and 210 ft high. Tourists – including the Anthonys – spend time fascinatedly watching for great chunks of ice shearing off the glaciers to come crashing into the lake – a most magnificent sight.
F
rom Tierra del Fuego, the Anthonys flew on the last leg of their South America od-
yssey to Chile and in particular to its capital Santiago. Chile, following the Andes as it does, is 2,700 miles long, but only 110 miles wide. Given its extreme length, Chile has a great variety of climates, from very cold, to pleasantly warm wine-growing areas, to the searing heat of the Atacama Desert. Add to which are the strength of the winds which blow continuously, so strong in some parts of the country that ropes are often laid along the streets of villages and towns.
H
owever the Capital, 7 Santiago, and Chile’s largest City was founded in 1541
by Spanish conquistadors and named in honour of St James. The city lies1,706 feet above sea level and nestles between two mountain ranges with a pleasant mild climate all the year round. In 1817 under the leadership of the exotically named 8 Bernardo O’Higgins, son of the Irish born Chilean Viceroy, Chile declared itself independent and O’Higgins its first president. The Presidential Palace was built shortly afterwards. Santiago prospered during the 19th century, and became centre of an expanding Railway system. By the 20th century Santigo was a modern urban city, but it was also a peri- od of the growth of poor urban areas on the edges of the City, and from the 1920’s there were a series of insurgents and short lived dic- tatorships. In 1970 Salvador Allende became president, whose left wing views led to a
collapse of confidence in Chile, Allende was deposed by the dictator 9 Augusto Pinochet in 1970 and Chile was subject to great repression, with over 3,000 dead or missing. Pinochet was overthrown in 1990 and democracy restored. Sine then Chill has prospered becoming the country with the highest GDP in South America. Currently Chile has a population of 15 million, including 5.6million who live in Santiago. 45% of the total population of Chile are of Spanish, especially Basque, descent.
T I
he Anthonys were in Chile to witness nat- ural wonders, but thank goodness they
avoided one of the greatest natural events in Chile’s history, when on 27 February 2010, Chile was struck by an earthquake, the fifth largest ever recorded at the time. More than 500 people died. But the country responded quickly and many were saved as were 33 miners trapped in a silver and copper mine.
n their tour of South America’s natural won- ders and urban delights the Anthonys had
travelled thousands of miles – but they had enjoyed every inch of their way – and so did we at the Club’
Story supplied by Mike Horrigan and Dick Palmer
Colin Anthony & President George Larkey
44
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