Atacama

So this past weekend a group of eight or so of us went to the Atacama Desert, although we ended up splitting into two groups for most of the time (due mostly to inability to reach each other by cell phone in the desert). Basically the Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world and is located in northern Chile, as well as Bolivia (but we stayed in Chile, near San Pedro de Atacama). This trip was by far the most expensive I've been on so far but well worth it and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Friday we went on a tour of the Laguna Cejas, which is three times as salty as the ocean, and thus you can float in it. Next we went to see the Ojos de... (I don't remember), which are two identical, circular lakes right next two each other (for this they are called "ojos"- eyes). Finally we watched the sunset from a lake/salt flat. It's a lake during the winter and a salt flat during the summer, and as it is spring right now it is in the process of evaporating and very gorgeous.

Saturday in the morning we went to the Termas de Puritama, these thermal pools that are the perfect temperature and very pretty and clean. In the evening we went to Valle de la Luna, probably the most famous site in the area, where you can see the sunset reflect off the Andes Mountains, which change color due to the minerals in them. Unfortunately my camera was running out of batteries that night, so I don't have as many pictures as I otherwise would have. I will try to steal some from Dipika.

Sunday morning we woke up at 3:00 am to meet our 4:00 am tour for the Geysers de Tatio. They are two hours away and at their peak activity at 6:00 am (when it is also -10 degrees Celsius). But they were amazing- like a whole field of Old Faithfuls. Afterwards the three others swam in the thermal pool nearby. I just went in knee deep because I didn't want to have a wet bathing suit afterwards. Next we saw a bunch of vacunas, one of the two varieties of wild camelloids in Chile, roaming the desert. They were once endangered because their wool is incredibly fine and impermeable and their meat is cholesterol-free. Now they are protected and no longer endangered. Afterwards we went to a small pueblo where Native Americans live. They own 600 llamas (one of two types of domesticated camelloids in Chile- other is alpacas), which they live off of (meat, wool, tools). They sell llama skewers (also cholesterol-free) and goat cheese empanadas. They were both delicious!!

The next morning we went sandboarding in Valle de la Muerta. Basically it's like snowboarding except that you rub wax on the bottom of the board and slide down the sand dunes. It was a lot easier than snowboarding since a) it doesn't hurt if you fall and b) you don't have to leaf down the mountain because you don't get that much momentum anyway (although it was definitely still a thrill).

On the way back to Conce I got a taste of the US as Gilmore Girls came on the TVs and next to me was seated a man from Oregon who has lived in Chile for the past 15 years. We discussed our excitement about Obama and our views on how many of his promises he will deliver on (especially health care given my interests and energy given that he is an exec at an energy/tech company in Santiago, although about to retire and buy an organic farm near Conce). It was actually my first time ever having an extended conversation with someone seated next to me on a plane, and it was quite interesting. I always remember my grandma did this a lot, and I think maybe now I'll try it (although there is definitely something immediately bonding about meeting someone from your country in a foreign country, so I don't know how well this would work on domestic flights).

Overall this past weekend was absolutely amazing. The scenery was so gorgeous, and we met a lot of interesting people since pretty much everyone there was a European tourist (about 1/3 British, 1/3 French and 1/3 German). I also realized that I have lost sooo much of my French from being here. Everything I wanted to say in French came out in Spanish, just like the opposite used to happen when I started studying Spanish. I am scared to go to France now because I certainly wouldn't want to lose my Spanish- the language I will certainly need more in the future. We'll see though. It's not like I wouldn't want to go to Paris. Anyway, you'll note I got kind of overzealous with the camera at some points since it was so gorgeous. Hopefully you won't find my pictures boring. Enjoy!