Hot and cold in San Pedro de Atacama

Next Stop: San Pedro de Atacama (April 28-30, 2011). The after effects of the terremotto's consumed on our last night in Santiago lasted well into the next day, the day we were to fly to higher altitudes in the north of Chile. (Great planning on our part.) We flew from Santiago (elevation of about 520m) to Calama (elevation of about 2400m). Thankfully we didn't feel any altitude sickness. We were told that it would not be worth our while to spend any time in Calama, so we took a direct transfer from the airport to San Pedro de Atacama (1 1/2 hours). San Pedro is a dusty little town made up of adobe (red clay) buildings. It's a popular destination due to the amazing landscapes and sights in the vicinity. For us, it was also our gateway to Bolivia. There is so much to do in San Pedro, you could easily spend a week...and a small fortune. 

Saw: We woke up at 3 am for our tour to go see the El Tatio geyser field located within the Andes mountains at 4,200m above sea level. To say that it was bitterly cold would be an understatement. It was F-ing freezing! Our guide said it was about -10C but it felt colder to me. While whimpering in the van, trying to muster up the courage to go out into the cold to see the geysers up close, I thought to myself "did we really come to South America for this?!". Once I regained feeling in my fingers and toes, however, I did come to appreciate these natural wonders. They are a sight to behold at daybreak, with their huge columns of steam shooting up into the cold air. 

Breakfast egg boiled in
the geyser  pools

I look awfully chipper, but between takes there was a lot of swearing and whining.

          

Vicuna

On our way back to San Pedro, we stopped in a little town...and by little, I think there were only about 6 people living there. The main attraction was this quaint white church on a hill. By now the day had started to warm up and by afternoon it was positively hot. It is incredible how drastically the temperature in this region changes from morning to night.

Later in the afternoon, we made a trip to the Valle de la Luna "Moon Valley" named for its moon-like landscape. Oddly enough, the rocks expand during the day in the heat and contract at night when it gets cold. Believe it or not, we could hear the sound of them moving in little cracking and popping sounds. It was very peculiar, like it was a living thing. 

Do you see what I see?

We're in there somewhere

Stayed: Hostal Candelaria, San Pedro de Atacama. Mario (the owner) and his wife were so friendly and welcoming. It was a great place to stay and, in my opinion, this place wins the "Best bed in South America" award. 

Ate: No, I did not eat this man, I ate what he was preparing on the BBQ, anticuchos de vacuna. (Beef kabob). Delicious street meat...scratch that...desert meat.