A van took us to San Pedro de Atacama, a hip and dusty town in the Atacama Desert. It bears a homely resemblance to Santa Fe, at the same altitude and with mostly adobe brick construction. Because of the local geology and desert landscapes, there's a jumping tourist industry and some very good restaurants.
The Atacama is known for being one of the driest places on Earth, but parts of it are green and thriving. San Pedro is an oasis fed by two rivers flowing from the Andes.
We stayed in a nice little hospedaje where the shower head immediately fell off when I touched it. No importa, the hot water still comes out and this is the sort of thing you just roll with when traveling.
There are two ways to see the sights here: go with a tour, or rent a car and follow the tour buses. For a change, we chose the former, and in the afternoon went to the nearby Moon Valley.
Alluvial deposits from mountains to the south alternated with ash from volcanic eruptions in the Andes to create a stark landscape interwoven with salt deposits.
The control center for ALMA, the world's largest radiotelescope, sat in the distance. The antennas are in a high valley beyond.
The following day started at 5 a.m. as we headed to the El Tatio geothermal field. At over 14,000' elevation, it was very cold and I noticed the "oxygen hunger" symptoms of mild hypoxia.
Judy tried to warm up in the fog from a fumarole, and we both heated our toes in the hot springs. Most of the pool was just lukewarm, so we didn't get in all the way.
Back on the road, there were vicunas, which are, along with guanacos, one of two wild cameloid species in South America. They're smaller than llamas or alpacas (domesticated) and can run very fast.
Shortly after, we spotted two Andean foxes beside the road, one quite young.
Also got a good view of the Laskar volcano, which had a major eruption in 2005.
The Putana wetland is nestled high in a valley and is a stopping place for local and migratory birds, including the Andean goose.
The government introduced llamas here to see if they could thrive, which they did. The llamas can be seen all across the region. They're festooned with yarn by their rancher owners as part of a ceremony to give thanks for the gifts of the llama--wool, meat, and as a pack animal.
Heading back, we discovered that the saguaro cactus has a close relative in the Andes. The wood is actually used for construction, and can be seen in the roofs of some local churches, like the one above in the town of Socaire.
The following day, we were up early again to see flamingos at the salar, or salt flats. Flamingos migrate to high altitudes in the summer.
Their mouths and bills act as strainers to filter out brine shrimp from the salty waters.
Flamingos share the lagoons with birds like this little plover and the avocet.
We motored up the altiplano to see lagoons at near 14,000'. First, we stopped at the village of Socaire, where they raise quinoa, fava beans, and corn on terraces, like the Incas.
Our guide, Francisco, showed us some of the local medicinal herbs, like rica rica, which is good for the stomach.
Judy worked her uncanny magic again by wanting to see a rhea, a South American relative of the ostrich. And then two of them crossed the road.
Beside the road was this little viscacha, a rabbit/chinchilla-like rodent perched on a rock wall.
Some breathtaking vistas on the way.
Aguas Calientes is a vast lagoon nestled in the mountains.
The Miscanti lagoon covers 15 square kilometers.
Next to it the Miniques lagoon.
Retuning to San Pedro, we stopped at the town of Tucanao, where they were having a wine festival and the local bomberos, or firefighters, were doing some fundraising.
On our final day in San Pedro de Atacama, we toured Rainbow Valley and saw petroglyphs that were carved 400-1400 years ago by the indiginous Atacameno people. They have lived here for 12,000 years. It reminded me of the Pajarito Plateau around Los Alamos where I worked and the Anasazi petroglyphs. |
| llama, maybe pregnant |
 |
| fox |
 |
| viscacha |
Our guide, Emiliana, said that though no one really knows what this is, it might be a crocodile image. Though there are no crocodiles in the Atacama, a tribe from the Amazon once invaded this area and might have brought the knowledge.
Along with monkeys.
Rainbow Valley is a fantastic mix of colors. The red is iron oxide, the grey/white is gypsum, and the green is epidot, which we also see where we live.
Some intricate crystals in the rocks.
There are a few inhabitants. This is the only type of lizard in the Atacama.
Next, we're off to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the biggest salt flat in the world. It's more remote than Chile, so will be out of touch for a few days.
No comments:
Post a Comment