It's a beautiful day on the shores of Lago Todos los Santos. The sun is shimmering off the clear water and the blue and green mountains ringing the lake in the distance look almost too perfect, like the picture on a postcard. The shore is covered in dark volcanic rock, and I spot a sudden flash of color as I pass one of the larger boulders.
I freeze and then slowly tiptoe forward, camera at the ready. Staring back at me from the top of the rock is a tiny lizard, speckled blue-green scales standing out as a bright spot of color against the dark rock. I move closer, and the lizard backs away behind a tuft of grass. I circle around the rock and he scurries back to the other side. We chase each other in slow circles for a few minutes until I've taken my fill of photos, and then I turn away and head off down the lakeshore, leaving my new friend to his sunbathing.
Back at the hostel, I hop on my computer, eager to learn more about the creature I just saw. My research tells me that Chileans refer to this creature as lagartija esbelta or tenue. English speakers call it a jewel lizard.
