After teaching in Arequipa for 6 months I decided it was time to take a vacation. And although Ive been living abroad for the last year and a half I still feel like I need to do something adventurous, something worth talking about. I mapped out a route through Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay... all by bus. Ill be traveling over the next 6 weeks and if budget allows it hopefully an entire 2 months. I know I turned to a lot of different peoples blogs to find out how to get to and from one city to the next, but I'm not going to focus on that. I'm here alone finding myself and searching for excitement. This will be what blogs are... an outlet, a way to talk to the outside world when sometimes we feel like were the only ones in it.
The trip from Arequipa to San Pedro de Atacama took nearly 24 hours. It was fairly easy and I actually didn't run into any problems. Thankfully my Spanish is conversational. I don't know how people can travel without speaking the native language. Arriving in San Pedro was mystical. The whole city can be explored on foot, walking along dirt roads, passing tour agency after tour agency. The streets are filled with backpackers from all countries. The city has a very bohemian feel with incense flowing out of shops and tie-dye clothing blowing from the doorways. My hostel was perfect. It had a quaint courtyard filled with hammocks and a big kitchen that was always occupied by at least 10 people making lunch or dinner. It truly is a backpackers paradise. I met people from Israel, France, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and all over Chile. Its interesting to think your only going to know someone for a few hours, yet you already have so much in common just through traveling.
I stayed three days and actually could have spent another 2 weeks there. The first day I took a tour through La Valle de La Luna. I admit I only wanted to go because of how amazing the name sounded. It turned out to be whimsical, a Valle enclosed by salt mountains covered in a thin film of burnt orange clay. There were three different types of salt and tons of stalagmites and stalactites. The salt crushed under your feet as you walked and if you stopped and listened you could hear the cracks and creaks of the mountains breathing. We stopped along the Atacama desert to watch the sunset. It was breathtaking as the sun set drawing the clouds down with it turning the sky into deep oranges, pinks, purples, and blues.
The second day I took a tour to Laguna Cejar, a lake which salt content is comparable to that of the Dead Sea. The sand of the oasis was salt that crunched under your feet when you walked. Once in the water, you could raise your arms and legs and still be floating. It was hard to turn over onto your stomach because the lake would just want to flip you right back over. When I got out my body was covered in a white salt residue and anything I touched would then have a salt coating on it. We visited two other small oasis' Ojos del Salar and then to a giant salt flat. It was pure magic, a place I insist on going back to someday. When first approaching it looked as if the other groups were walking on water. Everyone in the bus was silent knowing our minds were playing tricks on us but not knowing how. It wasn't till we were parked and were getting out of the bus that we realized it wasn't water but SALT! An illusion that can only be created by Mother Nature herself. Crunching along the flat the illusions continued when taking pictures. If you stood behind someone it looks like you were standing on their head! A truly mysterious place that has to be seen to be believed. The evening finished with Pisco Sours and another breathtaking sunset amongst new friends.
The third day I took a tour to Lagunas Altiplanicas through Salar de Atacama and into Laguna Chaxa, a national flamingo reserve. There are three types of flamingos there, Andean, Chilean, and James from the highlands. Again we crunched through a winding path of salt crystals and stones in this mesmerizing desert. Our next stop was to Lagunas Miscanti and Miñique. Its amazing that in one of the most arid deserts there are so many magical havens. The brush in the desert is every color from rich chocolates and espressos to sandy nudes and warm tones of yellows with shadows of sea greens and everests. The hills are dotted with violet wildflowers and appear to change to pinks and oranges when the sun shines on them like some kind of magic trick played on us by Her. Its spectacular to see these giant Lagunas of brilliant blues which seems to be floating in the mists of nowhere. San Pedro... a stop surly not to be missed by passerbys.
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