Monica+V

Date: Februrary 7, 2009

Weather: The weather is almost always hot and humid here in Lima, Peru.

I think the current warmer than normal temperatures can be partly blamed on the population explosion here since 1925. The city that once held only 176,000 has now reached 6 to 8 million, that many people create a thick cloud of smog that coats the horizon and contributes to global warming.

Lima, Peru

Date: February 8, 2009

Weather: Cooler in the mountains due to the higher altitude.

Traveling the Andes mountain range the vegetation is mostly sparse due to restricted water. The plants include Mesquite, cactus, scrub and fodder grasses and eucalyptus plans and other desert vegetation. The vast montana, on the other hand, contains a rich collection of trees, plants and jungle vines, such as Mahogany, Cedar, Rubber and vanila plants and lots of exotic flowers.

Andes Mountains

Date: February 10, 2009

Weather: I have now arrived in Chile. It is summer here from December to February - the weather is quite nice.

The landmark described in the 1925 entry is most likely the Valley of the Moon located in the northern part of Chile. Chungara Lake, another beautiful sight in northern Chile has a volcano at it's base. The lake is the 29th highest lake in the world. As beautiful as it is, the water is not safe to drink.

Valley of the Moon Chungara Lake

Date: February 17, 2009

Weather: This entry is from Santiago where the average temperature here is 82 degrees. At night it goes as low as 57 degrees.

It is dry here in the summer with only .07 inches of rain expected during the summer months creating a dusty dryness. In the winter months, smog and air pollution get trapped within the Central Valley. There has been little progress since 2000 to clean up the air pollution problems of the area. The copper mines are dumping waste unfiltered into the Mapocho River. There are laws against dumping agricultural sewage and untreated waste into the river, but they are loosely enforced. This is a big difference from the 1925 picture of the area.

Mapocho River, Santiago, Chile