San Pedro de Atacama

Simply because I am on the second long bus ride of the day, I am going to devote an entire blog to my last few days in Chile and some random information that you might not find interesting but I enjoy. More specifically Day 54-55 in San Pedro de Atacama.

Now before I get started, understand that the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar place on the planet (yes the poles are in fact deserts and the ice/glaciers that are there are actually snow that has been collected and compacted over thousands of years; just take a moment to think about the global ramifications if we do nothing to stop them from melting; including rising sea levels, changes in oceanic temperatures which is predicted to bring an ice age to Europe thus inducing a worldwide refugee crisis; can we please stop this “climate change doesn’t exist” nonsense NOW? Rant over). Anyways, the Atacama Desert falls in the middle of a double rain-shadow, meaning that moist air from the Pacific is blocked my the Chilean Mountain Chain and air from the Atlantic is blocked by the Andes, making it the driest place in the world. With a simple burst of bad luck, I was there when it was raining. Let’s just say, the town’s dirt roads and grass roofs are not well prepared to handle rain. I arrived at my hostel to buckets in the doorway and a lack of power; this continued over the next three days.

Despite the rain, I was determined to see everything I possibly could in the time I had allotted in this touristy pueblito. I rented a bike and headed towards the Valle de la Luna. I was prepared to have a long journey out there but it was only a fifteen minute, mostly flat ride from town, however once inside the National Reserve the flat paved roads I came in on quickly turned into steep sand dunes mixed with a little bit of gravel. When the lady at the park entrance said 800 meters (half a mile) of downhill, it didn’t occur to me that I would also have to do 800 meters of uphill. I wish I could say that I rode my bike all the way to the top but my legs, that haven’t exercised in almost two months, wouldn’t carry me there so I did a fair bit of walking. On the way back, on one of the downhill stretches, my tires got sucked into the sand and next thing I know, I have flipped over my handlebars and am laying on my back; nothing more than a scraped elbow and some bruised pride. The views were amazing; with the storm the sky was a magnificent purple contrasted by the orange of the sand dunes. Even though I have said this too many times to count by now, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Completely empty spaces, free of all plant and animal life.

My second day in San Pedro I boarded a bus with 34 other people to see some incredible things. First we visited a flamingo reserve (yes mom, it did smell); our guide was telling us that flamingos love to eat and will often spend more than thirteen hours a day feeding, I instantly thought me too. They are also filter feeders, meaning they draw water into their mouths then filter out the little sea monkey creatures for food. We stopped for breakfast before heading to Piedras Rojas, salt flats that are surrounded by red volcanic rocks that look like they were transported directly from outer space. Our third stop was cancelled due to weather but on our way back we stopped in a small village where I coincidentally got to feed a llama. All I am saying is these creatures are misunderstood and are actually moderately terrifying.

We returned to the city, where I packed up all my stuff again and prepared for my overnight journey to the northernmost city in Chile. Upon arrival in Arica, I switch terminals, hopped in a taxi and soon was speeding towards Peru. This border crossing was perhaps the worst of my entire life; an hour wait outside in the hot desert sun, only to be hit on by the customs agents. Besides these two annoyances, I made it across the border without problems and am now on my way to Puno, a Peruvian city on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the entire world. I am halfway through the eight hour journey and am already kicking myself for not taking a rest in between bus trips. However, there is some on board entertainment: the lady next to me is illegally transporting whisky (and I am assuming other drugs) so the police have boarded our bus numerous times to interrogate her and take her bags. Very interesting to watch.

Wish me luck over the next few hours as my bus climbs higher and higher into the mountains, as the air gets thinner, and as I die slowly of boredom.

Besitos.

(I can't get the pictures to upload properly so excuse the lack of cool and awesome photos)