Blogs from Atacama, Chile, South America - page 5

Geo: -26.346, -70.6243La Serena - Antofagasta would have been 1200km, way too far to ride in one trip, not to mention the tiring winds that hit you hard as a motorcycle rider...I decided to stay one night in this trucker town...Eating...Sleeping...and getting the hell out of there....Goodbye Chanaral, you will never see me again...Encountered a pack of wild dogs in that town who try to bite my leg...Encountered some not so nice Chileans with knives...Ciao bello... read more

Our last excursion in the Atacama Desert was to the salt flats, and some of the lagoons in the area. Although the first stop was supposed to be for swimming in Laguna Cejar, there are several species of flamingos living there currently, so we went to Laguna Piedra instead to swim. This turquoise colored swimming hole has seven times the amount of salt that you find in the sea. The result is that you feel like a cork bobbing in the water. LOL! The contrast between the very blue water and the white salt shells that have grown on the edges is remarkable. These shells are hard, and sharp, and when you get to the edge and look down there is water underneath them, but they have grown on the surface, and extend into the water. ... read more

Our next stop, also named by the same priest, was Valle de la Luna. This unearthy landscape is now a protected national park, and even picking up stones is forbidden. We went into one canyon which showed the results of the flash foods of the previous February. Apparently, they had more rain in one day than they had had for the entire month the previous year. Parks were closed, streets were flooded and here, in the desert, the rushing waters had carved complete new areas of the soil. The main attraction here was a cavern. The entrance was through beautiful small canyon like passage ways, and then we entered the cavern. Pitch black and barely seen through the flashing lights spread through the group, we crawled through passages too low to walk straight, climbed in some ... read more

After the Salt Flats, we crossed the Chile border into San Pedro. After 1 month in Bolivia, I was exited as I had heard that Chile was very similar to European countries, and I was definitely ready for some tar roads and supermarkets, and Fridges so the drinks are cold (non-existent in Bolivia!) There was 2 Australian guys on the bus, who had been told the same and was looking forward to it also. When we drove over the boarder, it was a little disappointing as it looked exactly like Bolivia maybe a different sign or two. Those who have been to a theme park, picture the section they often have the log rides in like The Wild West etc, this area is exactly what the town of San Pedro looks like! It is completely a ... read more

I've spent the last 2 months going between Chile and Argentina as I head north to Bolivia. My last weeks in these countries included some time in Salta ( minus the salt )and 4 nights in the Atacama desert in Chile ( plus the salt ) where it's dirty, gorgeous, hot and cold all at once. Salta was my last stop in Argentina, a pretty white city surrounded mountains. I only had a couple of days here and the first day I was sick (flu) so just checked out the town. I went to a really good museum which told the story of the inca children. This is my recollection of the story from what I seen, so don't hold me to the facts. The inca children were discovered by archaeologists only recently (1999) at the ... read more