14 del Marzo - San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a magical place and a rustic little town. It is a small oasis of a town in the middle of the Atacama desert. The town has one small river that runs through it, which gives it life. It is like a pioneer town situated very close to the border of Bolivia, so many travelers come here to make their way across the border into the Salar de Uyuni. It is very peaceful here and it has a very relaxed energy. It is physically much different looking than any place we have been so far in South America. All the buildings are made of adobe clay and have a Spanish feel. At night the main calle looks like the old west because of the way it is lit up, all the buildings look like saloons. There are so many quaint restaurants and cafes with outdoor areas that are shaded during the heat of the day and then at night when it cools down fires are made in the open air to keep warm by. We can see the night sky here better than anywhere we have been. The air is so dry that the visibility is very clear and we can see for miles around during the day. The view of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and one huge volcano is spectacular. This afternoon we are riding bikes to the Valle de la Luna to see the sunset there and then we will ride back to town in the dark by the light of our headlamps. Tomorrow morning we are getting into a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with 4 other tourists for a 3 day tour of the Bolivian Salar de Uyuni (salt flats), which is supposed to be the most dramatic natural wonder of this part of South America. We have heard amazing things about the red and green lakes, the natural hot springs, geysers, the flamingoes, and the stark white salt flats and volcanoes that we will see on this trip. We are excited to see Bolivia, as we have read that it has been dubbed the Tibet of South America, so we should be writing again soon about one of the most culturally rich parts of this continent.
posted by The Blaus @ 2:45 PM
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