24 hours after leaving Valparaiso our bus pulls up in San Pedro De Atacama. The town is made up almost completely of adobe (mud and straw) houses and the setting sun turns everything an amazing pinky-orange. Although in the middle of the desert and made of mud the town is immaculate. If Disney World had a Mexican theme it would look like San Pedro. There is no litter on the streets, the dogs have bows round their necks, the street signs are carved wood and neat, square little mud huts are over flowing with fizzy drinks, ice creams and llama cuddly toys.
Alex and spend our first morning booking all the excursions we want to do. Every other building is a tour agency and we have to shop around for the best deals. During the hottest part of the day we sit in a shady court yard with fresh lemonade, bread and guacamole (ordered in my best Spanish) until its time for our first activity - sand boarding! Our instructor, Sebastian, meets us in the main square and we pile into jeeps for the bumpy ride into the desert. The hardest part of sand-boarding is climbing up the sand dunes. The next hardest part is going down. Sebastian gives a long talk on technique and how to fall over correctly but wind is blowing, whipping sand in my face and I don't catch much of it. Fortunately sand creates a lot more friction than snow and its actually difficult to go fast. After a few runs I have sand in my boots/ears/nose/hair but I manage to go down without falling over.
After two hours of tramping up the dune I'm exhausted and looking forward to the next part of our excursion - drinking pisco sours whilst watching the sunset over Moon Valley. Because of the altitude, 3000ft, the air is thin and I'm out of breath just walking on the flat, let alone a steep rocky hill but the views, and the icy pisco sours, make it worthwhile. The moment the sun sets it is freezing and we all hurry back to San Pedro for an amazing dinner at a local restaurant Sebastian takes us to. Three courses for 3500 pesos (£4), a glass of wine for £1000 pesos, live music and an open fire.
The next morning we're up at 4:00 for a 2 hour drive into the desert to watch the sun rise over the geysers. It is minus eight outside the bus and it feels just as cold inside, so I get no sleep on the way. We make it to the geysers just before the sun rises over the mountains, but only just. I have the good idea of standing in the steam to warm up, until our guide reminds me that I will just get wet and therefore colder. I try my best to appreciate the 40 or so steaming and bubbling holes in the ground, but it is just so cold that all I can do is hop from foot to foot desperately watching the sun creep further and further towards me along the valley.
A few people from our group swim in near by man- made hot pools, but the thought of having to get changed and then get out of the hot water into the cold air puts me off and I go for a walk to the near by mirror lake, which is boiling hot and perfectly clear.
On the drive back to San Pedro we see wild vicunas, flamingos, llamas and chinchillas. Now that its warmer, and lighter, I begin to appreciate the mountains, lakes, cacti and general desert-ness. At about 11:00 we stop at an abandoned mining town for lunch, where now just two people live selling jumpers and llama kebabs to tourists. I don't try one but promise myself that I will when I'm less tired and more hungry.
Back in San Pedro I sleep all afternoon before going to buy wooly socks and thermal leggings for my next trip into the desert, which is tomorrow and will last for three days, taking me all the way into Bolivia, where apparently its even colder.
Alex and spend our first morning booking all the excursions we want to do. Every other building is a tour agency and we have to shop around for the best deals. During the hottest part of the day we sit in a shady court yard with fresh lemonade, bread and guacamole (ordered in my best Spanish) until its time for our first activity - sand boarding! Our instructor, Sebastian, meets us in the main square and we pile into jeeps for the bumpy ride into the desert. The hardest part of sand-boarding is climbing up the sand dunes. The next hardest part is going down. Sebastian gives a long talk on technique and how to fall over correctly but wind is blowing, whipping sand in my face and I don't catch much of it. Fortunately sand creates a lot more friction than snow and its actually difficult to go fast. After a few runs I have sand in my boots/ears/nose/hair but I manage to go down without falling over.
After two hours of tramping up the dune I'm exhausted and looking forward to the next part of our excursion - drinking pisco sours whilst watching the sunset over Moon Valley. Because of the altitude, 3000ft, the air is thin and I'm out of breath just walking on the flat, let alone a steep rocky hill but the views, and the icy pisco sours, make it worthwhile. The moment the sun sets it is freezing and we all hurry back to San Pedro for an amazing dinner at a local restaurant Sebastian takes us to. Three courses for 3500 pesos (£4), a glass of wine for £1000 pesos, live music and an open fire.
The next morning we're up at 4:00 for a 2 hour drive into the desert to watch the sun rise over the geysers. It is minus eight outside the bus and it feels just as cold inside, so I get no sleep on the way. We make it to the geysers just before the sun rises over the mountains, but only just. I have the good idea of standing in the steam to warm up, until our guide reminds me that I will just get wet and therefore colder. I try my best to appreciate the 40 or so steaming and bubbling holes in the ground, but it is just so cold that all I can do is hop from foot to foot desperately watching the sun creep further and further towards me along the valley.
A few people from our group swim in near by man- made hot pools, but the thought of having to get changed and then get out of the hot water into the cold air puts me off and I go for a walk to the near by mirror lake, which is boiling hot and perfectly clear.
On the drive back to San Pedro we see wild vicunas, flamingos, llamas and chinchillas. Now that its warmer, and lighter, I begin to appreciate the mountains, lakes, cacti and general desert-ness. At about 11:00 we stop at an abandoned mining town for lunch, where now just two people live selling jumpers and llama kebabs to tourists. I don't try one but promise myself that I will when I'm less tired and more hungry.
Back in San Pedro I sleep all afternoon before going to buy wooly socks and thermal leggings for my next trip into the desert, which is tomorrow and will last for three days, taking me all the way into Bolivia, where apparently its even colder.
I think you must be a most interesting person to travel with because you see so much. Thank you! Luv Murv
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