C is for Chile: Part 7 - Region II

Sand, rocks and volcanic complex, Atacama region

Previous: Part 6 - Region XV & Region I

After enjoying the seaside and salty air, I went inland to a town called San Pedro de Atacama, located near the border of Bolivia and Argentina and a 7 hours bus ride from the coast. I have a fascination with dry and arid places, I couldn't get enough of deserts after visiting Sossusvlei in 2000, the Atacama desert is therefore a must on my list.

Salar de Atacama

Surrounded by the sand, rocks and volcanic complex, San Pedro is a small oasis that sits on the northern edge of the Salar de Atacama (Atacama salt lake). With less than 5,000 inhabitant, its main source of income is tourism as San Pedro is the most accessible town to visit the Atacama desert - the world's driest with an average rainfall of 0.004 inches per year, where some weather stations in the region has never registered rainfall!

Laguna de Chaxa, Los Flamencos National Reserve

Just north of the town, at the Los Flamencos National Reserve, 3 species of flamingos: pale pink (James's Flamingo), pink (Chilean Flamingo), and brilliantly pink (Andean Flamingo), can be spotted, their presence brought beauty and life to the otherwise seemingly inhospitable surroundings. The flamingos were the only wildlife I saw in this barren region.

Valle de la Luna

An hour outside San Pedro lies the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), it has an impressive range of colours and salt crystal rock formations, in fact the scenery was so out of the world that, my guide claimed, Stanley Kubrick filmed part of his 2001: Space Odyssey here.

Salt crystal rock, Valle de la Luna

The same tour also visited the Laguna Miscanti, a saline lake surrounded by red-ish, yellow and brown looking volcanic complex. The colour combinations became more vivid when ray of sunshine sneaking through the fast moving clouds, it was so beautiful that I could hardly believe I was seeing it.

Colourful Laguna Miscanti

While at San Pedro, I went horse-riding, again! If I can name an economical activity in Chile it has to be the horses! I paid 6,000 Peso (about USD12) for a 2 hours ride, so cheap that it was a steal! There were just 4 of us - the guide, who don't speak a word of English, a couple of Colombian tourists, and me, poquito castellano (a little Spanish).

I realised I was the only novice rider of the group halfway through the journey when the horses started trotting following the lead horse, it scared me a little as I had no idea how to handle a horse when it does more than just walking, thankfully I didn't fall off and crack my head open on one of those nasty looking volcanic rocks.

Gabriella and her rider

It was the same on the return journey, my horse Gabriella, followed the lead horse and started cantering, while I managed to hold Gabriella still the other three disappeared from my sight, I was left all alone in the desert! Luckily Gabriella knew the way to the stable and slowly walked home with her rider intact.

Path to Gabriella's home

The way the horses hurried home reminded me of my parents' dog when she was taken out for a walk, always upped the pace on homeward bound as if some invisible force is pulling her towards it, I suspect it is part of animals' homing instincts?

On my last night the gas heater in my room decided not to co-operate. The adobe style inn owner who helped me turn it on for the past couple of nights has gone to Antofagasta for business, his wife was no help as she has no idea how to work the heater. There wasn't a spare heater I could use and no other accommodation nearby, in the end I managed to get through the icy cold desert night by piling 5 blankets on top of me.

Adobe church, Socaire, Atacama region

My next destination was the northern port city of Antofagasta, 5 hours bus ride from San Pedro with a transit at Calama. For the first couple of hours within arrival, I walked around the centre area with a 15kg backpack on my back searching for accommodation, nothing was available! I've even checked the 5 stars Hotel Antofagasta out of desperation, to my dismay, it was fully booked too.

Antofagasta

After seeing posters and announcements at the hotel's lobby, I found out that Antofagasta was hosting a copper mining conference, which explains why all accommodation were booked out. It was something I should had researched after my Córdoba experience, I obviously didn't learn from my past blunder.

I was tired, frustrated, and panicky.

Where should I go? Can I lounge about at the hotel's lobby? Do I walk back to the bus terminal and jump on a random bus to take me out of town? If so, which town? Or should I just go straight to my next destination, Santiago, a 19 hours bus ride away? Am I prepared for another long bus ride on the same day? Is it safe to spend the night at the bus terminal? So many confusing thoughts running through my head.

Vacancy at Antofagasta

Fortunately for me, the hotel concierge, a kind looking older gentleman, seemed to understand my predicament and ordered the hotel receptionist to call around for accommodation on my behalf. In the end they found the no frill Hotel Brasil, located at the scruffy part of town offering simple rooms with shared facilities, it was not ideal but at least I didn't have to sleep at the bus terminal. I am thankful to have met some good people along the way.