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November 26th 2014
A South American Odyssey
In March 2014, Sandra and Andrew Milne-Skinner set off on a trip to South America, which would take them to Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

In a fascinating, illustrated talk they described their experiences and showed us breath taking views of a continually changing landscape.

Travelling as far south as Punta Arenas, less than 1,000km from the South Pole, they passed through the Central Valley and the Lake District of Chile. They travelled to places as high as 4,500m and as dry as the Atacama Desert. A romantic highlight was the experience of bathing in thermal pools by starlight. Sailing through the Patagonian Fiords, whales and dolphins were spotted as ice floes surrounded the ferry. Wild swans were seen on waterways created by the 2010 tsunami and our travellers left Punta Arenas as another tsunami threatened.

Sandra and Andrew experienced geysers and smoking volcanoes and fought for breath climbing the steep cobbled streets of La Paz. They sailed on Lake Titicaca and walked the ridge along the Isla Del Sol, believed by the Incas to be the birthplace of the world. Travelling across the Altiplano, over the La Raya Pass at over 4,000m above sea level, they descended into the sacred valley of the Incas. Here several impressive Inca settlements perched on steep hillsides were visited, among them the famous Macchu Picchu.

The journey ended in Lima, where from the beach in Barranco they watched surfers braving the vast Pacific waves.

We thank Sandra and Andrew for allowing us to accompany them on this fascinating odyssey through an ever changing landscape, with many interesting highlights.

Lynne Hilber

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