magdalena-on-her-way: San Pedro de Atacama

Friday, 27. January

In Santiago: why my taxi arrived at 3:30 am? yes, because I have ordered it for this non-humanitarian time to get to the airport... At 7 am, mas o meno, I went to Calama in north of Chile. The viewes from the window were just enormous, you could see the Andes with its mountains and vulcanos from above, covered partially by snow... From the airport in Calama I went directly to San Pedro de Atacama and took a single room. How nice.

In the late afternoon I left for an excursion to valle de la Luna and valle de la Muerte (Moon Valley and Death Valley). Hermoso! Meravillioso!

Padre con hija

In Valle de la Muerte

The wind was so strong that it was blowing up your lids

Again - we all were ther, in Valle de la Muerte

I wanna it too! Soon in Bolivia I want to go for horseriding again.

In Valle de la Luna

The beautiful salt cristals are hidden at the down side of the Atacama desert surface. There is 75% of world lithium. Maybe we should organize some trips of schizophrenics here to breath in the Atacama dust?

Tres Marias y una Magdalena

Pacman!

Saturday, 29. January

I had a very relaxed and lazy day in San Pedro. What can you do when the temperature reaches 35 grades (of Celsius)?

Christian bikes?

Mercado with juicy fruits. But I couldnt stand the heat and queque so I didnt buy anything.

This name is following me wherever I am...

In San Pedro de Atacama I have seen dogs which I have never seen before...

Sunday, 30. January

Geiser Tatio

Another great time to wake up. At 4:00 our guide picked me up and we went for an enormous excursion to gaiser Tatio, for a bath in natural termal springs and a trekking in a cactus Valley.

Desayuno a las 7:00

tete-a-tete with the Devil

natural thermal baths...

...how goooood was it.....

... with these views...

Mapuche village

On the way back we have visited a Mapuche Indians village. However, some houses used a very sophisticated sources of a natural energy. Here I had a great llama (lama glama for biologists) Spiess.

I love llamas! they are very sweet animals and they taste just awesome!

As I have mentioned above: modern technology in Mapuche village

Valle de Cactus

The last stop before we have returned to San Pedro de Atacama - a short trek in Valle de Cactus. Huge huge and very very old suculents.

Hugging the giant I

Hugging the giant II

One smile to the camera

After the trip somebody brought me by a van from San Pedro to Calama. From Calama I had a bus to Bolivia at the Monday morning. But - there was just a one but - I have noticed that I have left my light favourite trekking shoes (I have just a one pair of my light trekking shoes, Teva, I recommend them) in his car... Great. But somehow I did not care, really. I am on my vacations. Of course I willpick them up.

Monday, 1. February

So I have spent one night in Calama, slept long enough, than spent a few hours organizing a new bus ticket to Bolivia (the agencies selling tickets are spread all over the city, not all agencies sell tickets to Uyuni, Bolivia, and of course there was no central information or any kind of coordination office - so that was indeesa challenge). After I got my ticket to Bolivia I went to san Pedro again - I cannot leave my shoes, being aware of it, wherever... Aha. And my credit card again refused to work. I was again living on my special USD reserve... and: believe it, in Chile, if USD dollars notes have any sigh of dust or spot or whatever - the bank is NOT going to accept them and casa de cambio does not want to exchange them!!! the next time I will accept money from Western Union, I will take only perfect looking notes. Next time.

After my second arrival in San Pedro I had to do something nice for me (as usually...).

WiFi zones are in South America just in all places. Much more places than in Europa.

Tuesday, 2. February

A very relaxing day in San Pedro with a great food, a visit in museo, some history of atacameños culture and a way back to Calama.