Exploring the Desert: Argentina to Chile to Bolivia

¡Hola!

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back at it.  To catch everyone up, I’ve been from Argentina to Chile to Bolivia in the last three weeks.  I’ll post half of my adventures and leave the other half for a few days later...

Salta (Argentina)

In Salta, I said goodbye to Argentina.  I believe the most interesting site in this city was my visit to Alta Montaña (High Mountain) archeology museum.  In this museum, I saw three Inca children who were completely mummified due to the cold temperatures and the rich soil of the Llullaillaco volcano (6,700 m or 22,000 ft).  The Incas sacrificed the most perfect children to act as mediators between the Incas and their gods.  There was a girl struck by lightning, a young woman, and a small boy.  I saw the boy.  Each three months, the museum rotates which child is on display to help preserve them.  

Apart from this, I climbed a lookout point for a great view, ate tiny empanadas (meat-filled bread either fried or baked), and tried humitas (a sweet corn treat wrapped and baked in its husk).

From here, I debated on whether to continue directly to Bolivia or to make a side trip to Chile’s Atacama desert.  I chose the desert.

San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)

Viewing the universe

The moon via telescope

As some of you may have heard on Facebook, my favorite part of San Pedro was an astronomy tour in the Atacama desert.  It took three nights of waiting for the clouds to clear up, but I made the tour.  We traveled on a night bus (10:30 p.m.) to the observatory and learned about the stars, the constellations, the movement of the sky, etc.  We also looked through ten telescopes to see nebulae, Saturn (complete with rings!), Mars, galaxies, the moon, etc.  I took a cool photo of the moon via one telescope.  Afterward, we joined the astronomer for hot chocolate and a Q&A session.  

Geysers at high altitude
I also went on a tour of the Tatio geysers at about 4,200 m or 14,000 ft.  This trip could have been spectacular, but the bus got stuck in the mud at 6 a.m. in 0 C/ 32 F weather.  Despite this and having to wait for another bus to rescue us, I

The geysers at sunrise

enjoyed the experience.  We viewed the geysers (nothing like Old Faithful!), ate breakfast (complete with eggs boiled in one of the geysers), and went swimming in some natural thermal baths.  I didn’t want to jump in a first because it was freezing outside, but eventually acquiesced as the group (from Chile and Argentina) convinced me.    

The main problem was that I wasn’t 100% accustomed to the altitude and returned from the trip with a massive headache, which I slept off that evening.  The good news is that I had no problem with altitude after this.

The last adventure in San Pedro was Laguna Cejar, a salt sinkhole, similar to the Dead Sea.  We literally floated on the lake without trying because the concentration of salt was so high (40%). 

Laguna Cejar - Salt Lake

Jean and Ashley in San Pedro

I met a few fun people as well:  

- A lovely woman from Ireland, Jean, who had been traveling South America for three months.  She also is a frequent couch-surfing host, so I have someone to stay with if I make it back to Ireland.  We shared a hostel, a dinner, and some time in the city.
- Two fellow stargazers, Ida and Aaron, from Holland and the US, respectively.  We enjoyed the tour and went for dinner in a very authentic joint.

Uyuni (Bolivia)

The Uyuni Salt Flats

The crew with Bolivian guide, Abel

In Bolivia, the largest salt flat in the world (Salar de Uyuni at 11,000 sq km or 4,000 sq mi) was created when a few lakes dried up about 11,000 years ago, leaving layers of salt and water.  The only means of touring this area is a three-day tour in a 6-7 person jeep over rocky terrain at high altitude.  It was absolutely spectacular and well worth the gamble of being in a jeep with people you don’t like and/or listening to Bolivian music for three days.  Luckily, I traveled with a group of vegetarian girls from Canada and Britain (19-22) who didn’t mind having a relatively “old” person in their jeep.  I ate veggie food the entire time, celebrated one of their birthdays with them, and listened to general gossip about singers and celebrities.

Here are some of the highlights, but the scenery is best shown via photos:

- Welcome to Bolivia - On entering the border, I had to go to the bathroom.  There was an old broken down bus for us to go behind.  Classic.  The driver told me that I’d have to get used to it and that Bolivia is different from Chile.  Nice.
- Visa for Bolivia - US citizens must have a visa to enter the US.  At the border, they wouldn’t give me a visa, so they put my passport in an envelope, gave it to my chauffeur, and made him sign for me and carry it.  Needless to say, he did not want to be held responsible for it and so gave it back to me during the journey.  I gave it back to him at the nearest town and I paid my dues to the Bolivian government ($140 or 945 bolivianos).
- Lake full of flamingos - A beautiful rose lake covered with flamingos.
- Train cemetery - A slew of trains abandoned after the mining industry collapsed.  It was the main transportation vein from Chile (the Pacific Ocean) to Bolivia.
- Rock explosion - Variety of rock formations created by volcanic eruptions, among them are a turtle, a condor, and a tree.

Next:  More photos from my Uyuni trip, Potosi, Sucre, and my life in Cochabamba.

Saludos,
Ashley

Laguna Blanca

Near the Thermal Baths

Flamingos at Laguna Colorado

Geysers in Bolivia