San Pedro de Atacama - my last stop in Chile.

22-27 December 2010

   The Atacama Desert, in Northern Chile, is the driest and most arid desert in the world. It is near the border to Bolivia and Argentina, and is surrounded by some truly spectacular scenery. I chose to come here mostly for acclimatisation. Bolivia has the world highest everything (ok I exaggerate), and from here I go up and up and up. The world health organisation suggests taking a break between 2000-2500 metres, so here I am at about 2400m.
  There is an incredible lot to see here, and most of it requires taking a tour or hiring a car. I got a package of three tours for $40, which I thought was pretty good value. I will dedicate a blog post to each tour.
   San Pedro itself, although it's been here since pre-colombian times, is really a tourist centre now. It's dusty streets are lined with accommodations, restaurants, tour agencies and souvenier shops.

On the afternoon of my second day I decided to walk three kms to some ruins. A motorbike stopped and the rider offered me a lift, He took me to a cave past the ruins first. The cave was completely dark inside where we walked with his phone torch and a headlamp for 50metres.... me all the time hoping this man only had good intentions and wondering if I was crazy or just too adventurous. It all turned out fine. Next he dropped me off at the ruins.... which weren't as impressive as the view (here). Oh, and that's a hotel.

What the? I read this and I get "do not put rubbish in bin". Which possibly explains the street litter problem.

Walking back to town I had to give way to the goats and sheep that were being herded.

Notes:
Accommodation: Hostelling International (member) $12
Buses: Iquique-Calama-San Pedro de Atacama $32

The Geysers, San Pedro de Atacama, Peru

24 December 2009
   The tour company was to pick me up at 4am, so this was to be a long day as I had another tour in the afternoon/ evening.... little did I know just how long of a day this would be! Add to this the fact that I don't believe I slept at all prior to my early start. This was because the majorly sunburnt heavy built German girl in the bunk above mine tossed and turned all night long with her discomfort and the bunk beds shook and rattled each time like a ship being tossed in a storm at sea. For this I blame the hostel for having such unsuitable beds, and between the 2 tours I moved.
   When the guide came to pick me up she told me to go back and get more clothes, it would be -3 up at the Geysers.
   Geyser Tatio, we were told by the guide, is the highest Geyser field in the world, but apparently it isn't at all. It does however have over 80 active geysers, and is the largest Geyser field in the southern hemisphere. (Wikipedia). It's always Spectacular to visit a Geyser field, and while watching the sunrise at 4321m you get really cold. I appreciate that she sent me back in.
   I also took a swim in the thermal waters, and then we visited a typical Andean Indigenious village.

A geyser firing off.

Bubbling up.

El Tatio Geyser field

The Thermal baths

A river through the desert... with Giant 'water-fowl ' type birds with bad attitudes

(apparentlly they have sex annually for 5 seconds)

A Machuca house, strangely like the miniture house I made from clay in high school art (which mum kept for years). My version didn't have a straw roof or solar panel or cross on the roof.

Laguna Cejar, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Afternoon, 24 December 2009  
I had doubts about going to Laguna (Lake) Cejar, I'm about to cross the world largest Salt pans, and there will be more lakes, and I've been to Lake Ayer in Australia when it had water in it (happens about every 10 or so years), but this tour turned out to be a superbly fun tour.
   We had the same guide, from LaYana agency, that we'd had for the Geysers, she was brilliant.
   First we visited Laguna Cejar, a salty lake (more salty than the dead sea?) so you can easily float. I was first in... the latinos took more coaching. Next was 'Ojos de Solar' or Eyes of the salt pan, 2 water holes where the water comes from underground. You had to jump in, 3 metres down, then swim out. The guide said no-one got Pisco Sour unless they jumped in. I was first in. I thought I'd had to drink the bottle on my own, but one of the Brailians was a little put out that a woman went first and so he went next, and others followed. It was so cold it that water.... but at least it got the thick salt off.
   Next was Tebinquiche Lagoon, currrently dry and a big white expanse. It was a fun photo place.

No-one needs to mention how white my legs are compared to the Latinas.

Laguna Cejar.

Not a great photo, but I was first in. Ojos de Salar.

I'm like tinklerbell!

Drinking Pisco at sunset with the tour group.

 After such a long day, they all decided we should go out for a Christmas Dinner, at 11pm. And I was the only native English speaker... tired, hungry, and trying so hard to comprehend.

Valle de la Luna y Valle de la Muerte, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

25 December 2009
   Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and Valle de la Muerte (Valley of Death) is the sunset tour that everybody does. it's the cheapest. But for me it was the most disappointing, mostly because we didn't have a guide, just a driver (and other groups had both)... the agency I booked with ran this tour themselves. I wish I'd booked with LaYana, I'd have had the same great guide again.
   I can't tell you much about it.... we didn't get told much. Here's the pictures.

Paragliding - My first and last time.

Sunday, 20 December, 2009.
Oh, the Paragliding was fantastic! But couldn't somebody have reminded me that I get motion sickness prior to the bus ride up the hill? Nobody even mentioned motion sickness prior to that. It was a tandem ride and I really thought I was going to throw up mid air and my handsome pilot, behind me, would have copped at least the stench, if not more depending on my ability with a bag mid air. At least when I grabbed for the bag he had the sense to calmly and promptly land us on the beach. And he, who just does paragliding as a weekend hobby but is clearly a paragliding addict, then suggested I take classes in Paragliding, because then, as pilot I'd be in control and probably wouldn't be sick. Ha.Ha.
   Iquique, way up on the Northern Coast of Santiago (I think 1,875kms North) is considered to be one of the top 10 Paragliding locations in the world. I'm sure there are technical reasons for this, but scenically it's truly fantastic as well. First you launch off the big hill behind the massive sand-dune that I already mentioned, the sand-dune that has so impressed me! Then you fly up and up and over the sand-dune, then over the city, to land on the beach. This usually takes 25-35 minutes, mine didn't linger as long.
   I am really glad I did it! I have no inflight photo's... looking at a camera would have made things worse.

Ready to Paraglide!

Other people paragliding.

Notes:
Paragliding, Tandem $70