San Pedro de Atacama - Part 2 - Lakes, volcanoes and asado

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Did I mention in the previous entry just how stunning the scenery is here?!

We took a whole day tour to explore the “Lagunas Altiplanicas” including several small villages and the enormous salt lake. Okay, so it’s not the Salar de Uyuni, but it was very interesting to see and the flamingos were cute. The salt formation is very different to what we expected. Uyuni is smooth and gleaming white whilst the Salar Atacama is rough and dirty looking as various minerals erupt from the rapidly evaporating surface.

Up in the hills (up to 4,300m amsl) we were constantly in awe of the ever beautiful scenery. To walk by a lake flanked by 2 volcanoes is quite an experience and definitely a highlight of our entire time in South America.

The two villages we visited differed greatly, one with stone built houses, the other with adobe constructions. We were treated to an impromptu performance of haunting songs sung by some of the villagers. It was a very special moment for us all.

We returned exhausted to the hostel only to find that our new found Chilean friends were having an asado (barbecue). Pepe had been to buy a goat and he even had to walk into the field to select his dinner! It was cooked for an eternity and we were constantly told it needed an hour more, but finally (1130pm) it was ready. A wonderful feast ensued. To wash down the food there was copious amounts of beer, wine, pisco and even whisky. At around midnight we went into the village plaza so that other hostel guests could sleep! The police came and moved us on after about an hour so we found a spot under the night sky where at around 2am the police moved us on again! Rather than chance a third warning (or jail?!) we decided to call it a night.

That led to a very restful final day in Chile. Our friends had to extend their stay as they didn’t fancy the long drive back towards Santiago!

And so our time in Chile draws to a close. Next up is the city of Salta in Argentina which should become home for the rest of this year.

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Photos

The Volcanic Lakes
Awe inspiring beauty

Camposino singing.
A haunting melody echoed through the hills.

The old church
Beautifully whitewashed on the outside with a ceiling inside made from cardon (cactus).

The Decapitator
See the small head in his hand!

Security
5 locks, do they have problems here?

Toconao
Another village church

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
or the museum curate anyway!

Comments

[Abbey]

Are you going to teach in Salta? Ah... the life.