We are still in San Pedro de Atacama, after several great days. We have seen geysers, swam in hot springs, watched flamingoes and other high altitude birds, toured ruins, and marvelled at the landscape. We have avoided the local minefield.
The El Tatio geysers are at about 4200 meters, and the best time to see them is at dawn. The option we picked was to get on a tour bus at 4am. It was -5 degrees C when we arrived. The crazy option was to camp up there. The reason for the early start is that they are at their most impressive with cold air. Of course, it warms up fast....
The geysers are really impressive. Bubbling mud, towers of steam, and fantastic colours. They come from a underground river from Bolivia which touches magma. When the water reaches the surface it is 85 degrees C. We heard some horror stories about people straying away from the paths and falling through fragile crust and others going too close for the perfect photo, falling in and later dying from the burns. Thankfully everyone in our group understood that the walls meant go no further. I'm hoping the photos come out.
We have been to see two archaeological sites built by the Atacameño People - mostly the remains of buildings preserved for hundreds of years by the desert. The local museum has many of the objects found - and is excellent. Pukara de Quitor has many walls up a slope - the last stand of the locals when the Spanish showed up. Aldea de Tulor is the remains of a two thousand year old village. Its mostly buried in sand to keep it out of the wind.
We been floating in Laguna Cejar - a salt lagoon! Its 30 metres deep but you can't drown. The water is denser than people. Its lovely and relaxing. When you get out and dry off you become covered in a crust of salt! We enjoyed it so much that we might go again if time permits.
I was saying the desert was somewhat green. Biking and travelling around shows the green to be the local oasis. Beyond there, its a barren arid landscape. What bushes there are only grow when there is rain.
We went to a high altitude lake - Salar de Tara - where there were thousands of flamingoes, with the snow capped Andes of Bolivia behind. A wonderful sight.
On Monday we are heading to Bolivia for 4 days to see the largest salt flat in the world among other things. Then we'll be back in San Pedro for a night and then it's the night bus to Arica, the northernmost town in Chile. From there we hope to go to Lauca National Park and maybe we'll be camping there over Christmas.
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