Hola a todos!
Sorry for the delay in my post about recent travels, but I JUST GOT A COMPUTER TODAY. Seems like something trivial, but it is honestly very difficult to be a student in a foreign country, as well as communicate with friends and family here and back home without one. Never underestimate the privilege of 1. Your own computer to use whenever your heart desires and 2. a trusty wireless connection. Needless to say, I’m VERY grateful that after over a month, I finally have my own computer and life can go back to being (somewhat) normal and hopefully a lot less stressful.
Speaking of a stress-free existence, I was fortunate to spend last week relaxing and exploring with some close friends in San Pedro de Atacama (aka the driest desert in the world). We decided to be adventurous and economical and opted for the 24 hour bus ride from Valparaiso to San Pedro instead of flying! In reality I don’t have problems with long periods of time on buses, but our journey was extended even further when about two hours from Antofogasta (our last major stop before San Pedro) our bus broke down in the middle of the desert. That’s right folks, the middle of absolutely no where. It was like a scene from a movie; couldn’t really believe it was happening, but honestly it wasn’t as awful as it sounds. Although we didn’t get back on the road for a good five hours or so, while we waited for the mechanics, my friends and I got to explore a beautiful part of the desert we probably never would have without this minor setback. We also saw our first desert sunset that night and got the most amazing glimpse of the desert sky filled with stars before we piled back on the bus on our way. Honestly, I think it was a blessing we could all get off that bus and get some fresh air for a while.
During the week, we got to see some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life. I can’t write everything we did because we had a lot of adventures and I don’t want to bore you all BUT here are some of the highlights of the amazing things we got to see while we were there!
Day One: Leguna Cejar, Los Ojos, y Leguna de Piedra. Leguna Cejar has more salt than the Dead Sea, meaning it is very easy to float and just relax in the water (if you can get over the freezing cold temperature that is). The water was so incredibly concentrated with salt that we ended up leaving the water appearing even whiter than before! The experience reminded me a lot of the time I jumped into Lake Superior off of a cliff and instantly felt a piercing chill encompass my whole body. Mix that with the saltiness of the ocean (times about ten) and there you have the Leguna Cejar experience. Later that day we went to two other lake sites: Los ojos (fresh water holes you could also jump into) and Leguna de Piedra (one of the most recognized sights of San Pedro). At Piedra, we got a chance to hear stories from our driver, Ricardo, who was also indigenous (I miss the part of the story where he told us which indigenous group he is from). He talked about his beliefs and how the earth is something alive and conscious of what is done to it. He also explained how mountains are like gods and how it is necessary to cherish and appreciate the earth instead of reaping all of the resources it has to offer without thinking of the consequences. Such an interesting man to listen to and I wish I had the opportunity to discuss this more with him. At this sight we also saw another amazing sunset before heading back to the hostel to enjoy a lovely birthday dinner for my friend Anastasia!
Day Two: Valle de la Luna, Valle de la Muerte, walk through a desert canyon-esque place and the most amazing sunset of my life! This was probably my favorite day in terms of tours just because everywhere we went felt like we were on a different planet. Valle de la Luna is filled with salt, giving it a white appearance and making it look somewhat like the moon (hence the name). Valle de la Muerte was this vast expanse of mountainous ridges made up of gorgeous colors that contrasted beautifully with the blue sky. After exploring these two valleys and walking through another canyon place, our guide took us to the top of a cliff to watch what was the most breath-taking sunsets I have ever seen. It was one of those sights you can try and capture with a camera, but eventually you realize it’s a much better use of your time to put the lens cap on and just soak it all in with your own eyes. So incredibly blessed to have been there to see such a beautiful sight.
Day Three: Geysers de Taito. Once again another incredible sight. We woke up at four am in order to get to the geysers before the sun came up so that we could see them at their strongest moments/in the best light. We got to eat breakfast in this beautiful place tucked between some more majestic mountains and later some of us were brave enough to take off all our warm layers and test out the luke-warm waters of the thermal pool. It was one of those “I’m 20! Why the heck not?” moments, however I hope to never be that cold again my life. As I was chilling in my bikini in the steam, a woman literally walked pasted me covered head to toe. We are talking hiking boots, long pants, a winter parka, a scarf wrapped around the lower half of her face to meet up with her sunglasses, a hat, and to top it all off she was wearing a hood. I am not even exaggerating and it really was that cold, but it was such a fun experience, and who gets to bathe in natural waters surrounded by mountains in the beautiful morning light everyday? Definitely not everyone, so it was well-worth the goosebumps. Later that day we also got a chance to try llama meat (yes, I did try it and it was pretty tasty) however I immediately felt a sense of guilt and shame (as well as overwhelming enthusiasm) when we passed by the first llama herd of the trip! I could hardly contain my excitement and it took a lot of will power not to leap from the van and frollick through the mountains with those majestic creatures.
Day Four: Salar de Atacama y Los Lagos Altiplanos. What more can I say about the beauty of this country? Without getting too redundant I will just say we started off the morning in a nature reserve for flamingos and then made our way up the altitude towards los Lagos Altiplanos. Gorgeous mountains. Beautiful lakes. Magnificent birds. And only one of us got altitude sickness so yay!
Apart from the tours, I had an amazing time relaxing, reading in hammocks, cooking, playing copious amounts of chess, strumming the guitar, and getting to know an amazing group of people that much better. I could not have asked for a more perfect week away from the chaos of Valparaiso, however after a smooth 24-hour bus ride return, I have to admit it was refreshing to see el puerto (the port) and feel like I was coming home from a great adventure. Next week, we head up in the same direction (although not as far) with IFSA to explore el Norte Chico and La Serena. Can’t wait to keep exploring all that this breath-taking country has to offer!
I hope all is well with you, wherever you may be in the world.
Ciao y besos
Up From Below 