The uncrowned kings and queens of the Andes…

They are everywhere, lazily grazing the short savannah-grass, staring indifferently at passing cars. They crowd the lowlands in large herds, they appear on the highest peaks just like that. They even block the roads whenever they feel like crossing, or just want to emphasize their superiority.

I already love them, with their long eyelashes and funny faces. As soon as you see them, you know they definitely belong here, in the Andes. They feel the mountains as nothing else, they fit in the landscape like a key in a lock.

I bow my head and kindly ask for permission to disturb their land. They nod, lower their eyelashes and run-walk-hobble away on their long legs, fluffy tail in the air.

— This post is one in a serie of posts on Torres del Paine in the Andes, the eight wonder of the world, where I spent an incredible weekend after my week of fieldwork in Punta Arenas. —