Walking on Mars

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Hola desne San Pedro de Atacama mi amigos!!!

These blogs are coming thick and fast now - I only have 11 days before I fly back to London from Rio, and I reckon this will be the second to last blog before I go home. I have no intention of spending too long in a dingy internet cafe when I have Ipanema and Copacabana beach outside waiting for me in Rio!

I have spent the last week travelling around of the most unusual landscapes I have ever seen, from Uyuni in Bolivia to San Padro de Atacama here in Chile. It really has been like spending time on another planet, the scenery has been so surreal. I read that NASA used this part of the world when they were testing their probes for their expeditions to Mars - the terrain here is the closely resembles that of the red planet apparently.

The Salar de Uyuni and it's surrounding area resemble something out of a Salvador Dali painting, with salt plains that go on as far as the eye can see, bizarre rock formations, steaming geysers, and shimmering lakes of salt and sulphur speckled with pink flamingoes.

I arrived in Uyuni a day before Bolivia's Independance Day celebrations - the town was decked out in red, gold and green, and bands were practising in the main plaza ahead of the main celebrations the following day. It really was a desert town, with low mud coloured buildings and dusty unsealed roads. I went to the Minute Man pizza restaurant in town on my friend Angela's recommendation. It's run by a Texan guy and is obviously the place for the tourists to eat as the place was choca-block with gringos! I must admit though the food was amazing - and eating a salami, fennel sausage, green pepper and portabello mushroom pizza in a one-horse town like Uyuni was indeed luxury!!!

I met up with my fellow travellers the following day for our three day trip across the desert. Matt 1 and Claire were two doctors from Dorset who were on a month vacation in Bolivia, Simone and Irene were two Italians from Turin who had finished Uni and were spending three months travelling in South America, and Matt 2 was from London but had been teaching English in Quito, Ecuador for 6 months. I was the only person crossing the border into Chile at the end of the trip at Laguna Verde - everyone else was going back to Uyuni. Our driver, Taio, loaded all our bags onto the roof of his jeep and instructed us all to get in. We were joined by a cholita called Josie (who looked a bit like Anita Flores from the wrestling), who was going to do the cooking, and her little boy Jorge (who was a right little tinker!).

First stop was a small village called Colchani on the edge of the salt flats with a bizarre little museum. I was used to these "tourist stops" by now. You pull up in front of a load of dodgy market stalls selling you llama hats and gloves and spend 10 minutes while someone is expected to buy something! At least this market had some ashtrays and ornaments made of salt, which made it a bit different! I paid 50p to go into the museum - which consisted of two small rooms full of "sculptures" made of salt. Matt 1 and I wandered around trying to guess what they were meant to be. There was a big one on four legs that could have been a llama or a lion - or maybe a big dog...we weren't 100% sure! Another one looked like the Sphinx in Egypt to me, but Matt wasn't convinced, thinking it might be another Wonder of the World like Christ the Redeemer in Rio. The whole place looked like the bloke who did the sculpting had popped out to lunch and left everything half finished. It was all very strange!

Back in the jeep, and the next stop was the salt flat itself. It really was a weird feeling driving along this flat uniform brilliant white landscape. There were no roads of course, and there must have been a dozen other jeeps full of tourists (all keeping their distance) scuttling along the salt in the same direction, like some mad road movie. At 10,582 km², Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. It is massive. You really have to see it yourselves to appreciate it's massiveness. All you can see - anywhere, in any direction - is the deep azure blue of the desert sky, and the brilliant snow white surface of the salt flat. Nothing else. We took some silly pictures involving running into the distance and "balancing on people's hands", and involving a tube of Pringles (cheers for the tip Danny!!), and were off again.

We stopped for lunch at Isla Pescado - an "island" in the middle of the salt flats absolutely crammed with various shapes and sizes of cacti (I hope that's the right plural!). It was another bizarre setting, with cacti growing over 10 metres in the air on this rocky shard of land jutting out of the salt. I inevitabely went for the "cactus/willy" shot (thanks again Dan!), being very careful I did not get too close to the prickles! After lunch we had around 40 minutes to kill - cue a game of five-a-side footy with jumpers for goalposts on the saltflats!! It was great fun but hard work running at altitude (we were still something like 3000 metres above sea level) - you will all be pleased to know I have lost none of my silky skills! After playing on grass and astroturf, salt was a new surface for me, and the ball runs away from you quicker than a sandy pitch at Paddington Rec!

We stayed the night at San Juan. This really was a one horse town - nothing was open, and if I saw a buffalo skull and tumbleweed floating down the dusty deserted streets, I would not have been surprised! Luckily Simone and Irene had a deck of cards, and after a delightful chicken dinner cooked for us by Josie followed by tea, coffee and biscuits, we whiled away the rest of the night playing Scopa (Italian for "Sweep" - great game!).

The next day was a day full of lake visits. They really were spectacular. We stopped off first to see Volcano Ollagua, which is apparently still mildly active. The scenery around there was so impressive - crimson coloured volcanoes topped with snow peppered the horizon, while orange sand and red rocks stretched out ahead of us in all directions, with the odd cactus appearing to break the monotomy. I felt like I was in a Road Runner cartoon!

The lagunas we visited during the rest of the day were beautiful. Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarcota, Honda and Ramiditas - all the lakes were rich in salt and sulphur, and coloured white, blue and pink. As the lakes lay serenely between the volcanoes, flocks of flamingoes gathered to munch on the tiny shrimps that breed in the water. It was very cold up on the altiplano where these lakes stretched out - we were over 4,000 metres above sea level at this point, and the icy wind whistled around us when we got out of our jeep to walk around. The amazing views put your mind off the cold though, and the strong smell of sulphur at each lake certainly meant that we did not spend too long at the waters edge taking photos!

We spent the night at Laguna Colorada - 4,200 metres above sea level at what appeared to be a very recently erected compound for tourists. The laguna itself was very picturesque, with a white salt crusted lake teeming like different flamingoes. The accomodation was not good though, with no electricity and when the sun went down the temperature dropped to well below zero. We ate our dinner by candlelight and huddled around a small brazier Taio had prepared for us. Josie had somehow managed to prepare spaghetti bolognase for us on her small gas hob by candlelight - she really was a legend. Claire finally snapped when she went to inspect the toilets - they were not clean and there was no water. She let rip at poor Matt for dragging her out to this cold horrible place, and that if she could she would go home now - what a place to have a domestic!! I felt sorry for her - even though Bolivia is a poor country, you should still have things like running water at a hostel. It wasn't ideal, and we all made an effort to cheer Claire up - it wasn't easy for anyone - even another evening playing Scopa did not lighten the mood!

I must point out that I had the most uncomfortable night's sleep I had had for a long time. Not only was it freezing cold (we all went to bed fully clothed, in sleeping bags and blankets, and wooly hats and gloves), but my bed consisted of three lengths of narrow wood that supported a thin lumpy mattress. I was okay as long as I laid on the middle plank, but the minute I rolled over, my backside and the mattress disappeared into the gaping hole between the next plank! The back certainly felt a bit stiff the following morning when we were woken at 5.00am to drive to the hot geysers for sunrise.

I think that morning was the coldest I have felt for a long time. I had got used to the cold in Patagonia, but because we were so high up, this was something else. The drive to the geysers took around an hour, and there was no heating in the jeep. Everyone was half asleep and too cold to even talk - even with gloves on my fingers were numb after five minutes. The geysers shoot sulphur steam into the air, but have to be seen at sunrise as soon after the desert winds pick up and the stam disperses. It gave the whole area, when we got there, a ghostly, unnatural feel, with tourists and their cameras appearing and disappearing from the twilight mist like extras in a horror film. It was impossible to spend too long out in the open air taking photos though, because of the cold. Taio, our guide warned us that it will probably be somewhere near minus 20 degrees celsius out there - and like I said, I have never experienced cold like it.

We got to some hot springs in time for breakfast. By this time the sun had come up and it was slighly warmer, even though our hands and feet felt like blocks of ice. There were a few brave souls already in the water when we got there - it wasn't getting in that was the problem - it would be getting out of lovely hot water into the icy desert wind and cold. I didn't care though - I just needed heating up, so off came all my layers, on came the swimming trunks and in I went! It was absolute luxury after feeling so cold for so long - the thermal water was piping hot and very soothing. I stayed in there long enough for my fingers to go wrinkly, then made a dart for my towel, dried off to record time, and soon relayered myself!

Last stop before the Chilean border was Laguna Verde - another salt lake in the shadow of an exinct volcano. Even though I was getting used to the landscape, each shimmering lake and volcano we saw begged to be gawped at - the whole area was like nothing I had ever seen.

I got dropped off at the most forlorn, remote border crossing imaginable - slap bang in the middle of the desert. I said goodbye to everyone else before they started the 10 hour drive back to Uyuni (I didn't envy them!), and popped into the Bolivian Immigration office which bore a striking resemblence to a concrete garage. A short wait for the bus (and a nice cup of hot chocolate), and we were on our way to San Pedro de Atacama.

San Pedro de Atacama is a tiny village near the Chilean/Bolivian border, some 2,240 metres above sea level (a relief after spending so long at much higher altitude!). It is close to some of northern Chile's most spectacular scenery, and I was looking forward to seeing more surreal landscapes over the three days I had there.

I was made very welcome when I arrived at my hostel, Hotel Incahuasi. After a hot shower (how good was that after no running water in the desert for two nights!), I was invited to join the owners for a barbecue in their garden. Grilled lamb and kebabs, with jacket potatoes and a tomato and avocado salad had never tasted so good! I got chatting to another Brit called Ollie who had been in South America for 3 months and was now training for a 7 day, 250km long desert race over the Salar de Atacama. There are 4 desert endurance races organised each year apparently and this was one of them (the others take place over The Sahara desert, the Gobi desert, and the Antartic). You have to carry all your provisions for the length of the race on your back. He was enthusiastic, but rather him than me running at that altitude! In another example it's a smallfunny old world, Ollie used to work with a friend of mine from my old job, Ann - in his old job!

The next day I went on a tour of the Valley of the Dead, and watched the sunset over the Valley of the Moon. I loved the names! Apparently the archaelogist who discovered the Valley of the Dead thought it resembled a Martian landscape, and decided to call it Valle de la Marte (Valley of the Martians). Unfortunately this got lost in translation with the locals, who thought he was calling it Valle de la Morte (Valley of the Dead). The poor bloke must be turning in his grave now as nobody calls it Valley of the Martians - oh well!

The landscape on the walk through the Valley of the Dead was amazing - layer upon layer of ochre coloured mud and rock, jagging into the air like petrified waves. The wind blew hard through the valley, whipping up the sand and forcing the tour group to stagger, heads down along the path. There was a huge 50 metre sand dune on our left as we walked down with a number of people practicing sandboarding - it looked like fun!

After The Valley of Death we went to watch the sunset over The Valley of the Moon. It was pretty spectacular but unfortunately the the amount of sand flying around had had a detrimental effect on my camera - in other words it was knackered! Still - sitting on the crest of a sandy hill with the wind wailing all around me, watching this beautiful vista of mountains and desert as far as the eye can see turning different colours as the sun went down was breathtaking. Photos would not have done it justice. The mountains changed from orange to pink to mauve to brown - it was like watching a different landscape every few minutes.

The next day I went on a tour of the Salar de Atacama and its nearby altiplano lakes. It was quite different from the symmetrical flat white hexagon tiles that formed the Salar de Uynui in Bolivia. This salt flat was covered in a thick crust of rock like salt. The lakes here at the salt plain were also full of flamingoes - their reflections shimmering in the water like distant mirages in the glaring sun. We went from the Salar up high to see the altiplano lakes and their neighbouring volcanoes. At the higher altitude, the wind was very strong and very cold, and we walked up a hill steep hill to view two lakes well protected with fleeces, coats, scarves, gloves, hats and sunglasses. The wind was so strong at the top of the hill, it was difficult to stay in one position for a photograph for very long!

That evening I went on a star gazing trip in the desert with a French astronomer, and his Chilean wife. It was a fascinating evening. Alain pointed out various planets and constellations to us with naked eye, such as Jupiter, the Southern Cross, Scorpio, the Boreal Crown and the Swan, before taking us over to an array of telescopes to view nebulas, binary stars like Alpha Centauri and dying stars. I love this sort of thing, and despite the cold I could have squinted through those telescopes for a long time. After a question and answer session we all went back into the warmth of Alains house for a hot chocolate, before heading home at around 1 in the morning. The stupidest question he was asked was a cracker worth repeating here - "Why can we not see the sun at night - where does it go?". Aren´t you proud to be part of the human race sometimes?!
His website is quite interesting - here it is if you are into in this sort of thing -http://www.spaceobs.com/en/

The next day I tried my hand at sandboarding for the first time with two Irish girls, Mags and Caroline, on the big dunes in the Valley of the Martians...I mean Dead! It took a bit of getting used to, but in the end we were able to slide all the way down a dune without falling off and eating sand. The technique involves bending your knees and putting all your weight on your back foot - you then wave your arms in the air to keep your balance. It was brilliant fun. Before you went down you had to give your board a good waxing with an an bit of candle to ensure a smooth ride down - if you didn´t put on enough wax you just grind to a halt halfway down! If you did take a tumble - at least the sand provided a soft landing. The worst thing about it was after getting to the bottom, having to climb up a bloody great sand dune in the searing heat to do it all other again. After about 3 or 4 goes down, we were all panting and wheezing for the exertion in the hot sun! I told our instructor they should invest in a ¨sand board lift¨ for the gringos at the dunes rather sharpish!!

That evening I took my last overnight bus, from San Pedro de Atacama back to Santiago, where I am rapidly typing this blog ahead of my flight to Rio tomorrow morning. It was by far the most luxurious bus I had taken yet, with a huge comfy leather seat with big cushions and armrests that relined into a full bed at the press of a button. The leg room was massive too - it was the first time on a South American bus that I could stretch my legs out and not touch the seat in front! A very nice way to travel, even if the trip did take 23 hours! James Bond was good in Spanish though!

So, now I am off to last stop on my world tour. I can think of worse places to finish than Rio de Janeiro. It´s been a brilliant year away - but after all this travelling I am looking forward to a holiday! I´ll be heading off to the beach with a nice book, some factor 50 sun lotion, and some 'trendy'brazilian speedos!! :o)

One blog to go! See you soon guys and girls!

Doogs

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Photos

Playing footy on the salt flats
Just look at that pin-point pass. 2 points for an assist!

Comments

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you were too good on the salt flats----i had you down for a score draw ! another Hemmingwayesque blog . it's time you made it your full time job. well done.