San Pedro de Atacama: The Desert

Finally freed from the city of Jujuy, we crossed the Paso de Jama at more than 4,250 meters above sea level (nearly 13,000 feet) into Chile and arrived in the much anticipated San Pedro de Atacama. We should have been more concious of the fact that it's in Chile, but we went in with an open mind. Problem one: The only two ATMs in town were out of order and we had NO Chilean pesos. The day was unbearably hot, but not before long the sun set and the temperature dropped dramatically! We spent the afternoon exploring town with our new found friends, Andi and Kirsten, Santiago students from Austria and Germany, and checking out the laundry list of super expensive excursions. The next morning we woke up early, met Andi for breakfast, rented bikes and sandboards on our own, and rode to Valle de the Muerte (Death Valley) to test out our skills. I was just hoping that sand hurt less than icy snow! When we arrived, Aaron set his sights on the highest mountain peak around for the longest and most enjoyable ride down. This is how I was conned into climbing a mountain of sliding sand for over two hours in desert heat!

Finally smiling at the top!

Problem two: Sandboarding is just not fun! Unfortunately, it does not matter how steep a mountain you find, sandboards stick to the sand and you remain immobile. After loads of wax, Aaron got a decent run in and I got a few sand slides that ended with sand in more places than I care to remember! We biked back to town and quickly returned our useless sandboards. After a quick bite and much needed clean-up, Kirsten met up with us, rented a bike and we all headed out to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). We were hoping to catch the sunset, which was rumored to be a spectacular sight from the valley. First we hit up the caves, formed from hardened sand and salt and then we trekked on to await the sunset.

Crowds awaiting the sunset

Problem three: Sunset overrated and we had to bike home in the dark. After way too much bike riding for one day (and a sore tush), I was in no mood to ride home. The only thing that made it worth it was the incredibly clear starry night in the pitch black valley. Back in town, the four of us decided to go on an excursion to the geisers the following morning. The bus picked us up at 4:30 am and we headed to the geiser park. Problem four: Time of day + altitude = bitter freezing cold. Our guide explained the formation of geisers and walked us around the park. Unfortunately, these geisers do not erupt like those at Yellowstone. You can litterally walk right between and around them. They spray up about 3-5 feet at most, but release plenty of hot steam!

Erupting geiser... see it?

After a chilly breakfast outside in geiser park, our tour took our freezing little tired selves to the hot springs. We couldn't wait to get in! The natural springs were beautiful and had little waterfalls that connected the pools. Problem five: THE HOT SPRINGS ARE NOT HOT!! When we finally got back from the tour, we were ready to bid Atacama farewell and once again leave Chile!