San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Downtown desert.

The Atacama Desert has been top of my list since we left Torres del Paine. It's an unworldy, arid wonderland which offers hugely diverse and unusual scenery and geography. Not only that, it's also the driest and one of the highest deserts in the world. San Pedro is but a tiny blip in this enormous wilderness and has become the undisputable tourism capital of the region - the 'downtown of the desert', if you like.

The 24 hour bus from Santiago wasn't all bad. It was actually quite comfortable aside from a noisy group of Americans, no food and only getting one stop. Seriously, one stop?! Fortunately we had snacks with us but there's only so much chocolate you can eat before your body starts demanding real food. Our one and only stop was in a seaside town called Antofagasta, (what a name!), 19 hours into the trip. Judging on building height and transport quality it sure felt like a measly mining town. However, this shanty-esque mess is the second biggest city in Chile, believe it or not. A lack of food options and no wifi for the Louis Vuitton final didn't make hangry Richard any less hangry so I had to rely on my beloved ability to sleep anywhere, passing the remainder of the the journey unconscious and uncomplaining.

I did briefly awaken to panic when one of the passengers discovered his bag has been pinched in Antofagasta. A cheeky blighter had snuck onto the bus while we were stopped and, after failing to pinch somebody else's bag, proceeded to his and left the poor American without his credit cards or electronics. According to the bus drivers, this happens all the time yet they still let ticketless strangers on during a stop (and fail to warn anybody). We had our bags with us this time but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't previously taken that same chance myself. Never again!

We arrived in the dark to find a very dusty and sleepy San Pedro. The lack of streetlighting combined with the absence of people made us feel a little uneasy as we nervously proceeded down what might be hyperbolically described as an alley fit for murder (daylight would later relieve these nerves). But our signless accommodation turned out to be a lovely homestay - albeit freezing (as with every other hostel in San Pedro) - and we were the only guests to a friendly young couple for our entire stay. Bueno!

Daylight brought the true San Pedro to shine as well as some much needed warmth. Tour agencies occupied every second building which were more often than not constructed of mud (adobe to be specific) and straw to a surprisingly high standard on occasion. Dust, however was an unavoidable problem lining every uncleaned surface as well as the inside of my throat and lungs. Beer, as you would expect was the best cleaner of the mouth and throat. There's not much to do in San Pedro itself and getting to the natural attractions proved difficult if not impossible without booking a tour. Cat and I were both absolutely gutted that we couldn't get to the Geysers of Tatio due to snow-induced road closures - the first of what would be two disappointing closures. Instead, we managed to hire some quality bikes for one afternoon and visit Valley of the Moon (see next footprint) and we did eventually succumb to the less appealing Thermas de Puritama (hot pools) tour. Said 'tour' was actually just transport but even at an extortionate price it was still cheaper than the next best option (a cab). Don't even think about calling me a wimp for not biking - you try biking through a desert!

The hot pools were surprisingly natural and consisted of a series of nine pools linked by a river of hot water. The further downstream you went the cooler they became, thanks to the frosty temperatures of the valley in which they lay. By frosty temperatures I mean there was snow on the ground and by hot pools I mean warm pools (max 33°). The icy air and ground made getting from pool to pool somewhat torturous and it's fair to say that neither the Eskimo nor I made it lower than pool five. The atmosphere however was fantastic (waterfalls and all) and full immersion in the water was enough to keep the shivers at bay - just. A thoroughly enjoyable dip at 3500m above sea level if you ask me. Breathing at such altitude was noticeably more difficult to San Pedro and just a taste of what was to come.

We also managed to solve the mystery as to what on earth 'Rica Rica' is. It had been appearing on menus increasingly often in all kinds of dishes. In my naievity I had assumed it meant 'delicious delicious' based on extrapolation of a single 'Rica' which does indeed mean 'delicious' when used in a food based context. Turns out it's actually a plant with astonishing healing powers (or so the locals say) and - hands down - is the most delicious smelling herbal shrub I have ever encountered. Muy Rica.

Speaking of muy rica, the Chilean 'menu del dia' has been our number one lunch and dinner choice if we're not cooking or eating on the run. From anywhere between $7 to $16 you can get a starter, bread, main, dessert and a drink (occasionally wine, or if you're really in luck - pisco sours) to wash it down. The choice is usually limited but the quality is always surprisingly good. San Pedro however, delivered a blow below the belt with it's food prices which forced us to have a few very simple meals between splurging on menus. We should have expected it, we are in a desert after all and there's no competition until you hit Calama over 100km away. Duh.

Our second disappointing, snow-induced road closure was the main road from San Pedro to Uyuni, Bolivia. Part of my desire to visit this place was to witness the amazing colours of the salt lagoons (laguna Colorado in particular) and other stops in the Bolivian Southern Altiplano. Upon inquiring about the three day 4x4 tour to Bolivia, we discovered heavy snow had closed the main route and forced us to take an alternative northern route which by-passed several highlights. I'll be sure to cover that in more detail in an upcoming post!

Also, findpenguins has just allowed me to caption my images so I'll have to begin the painstaking process of going back and doing so over some 90 odd footprints. Ugh.Read more