The Amazing Norte de Chile

With another 90 days coming to a close and our visas expiring once again, we decided this time to cross the border into Bolivia.  We bought plane tickets to Calama, in the north of Chile, planning to book a tour out of the nearby desert town of San Pedro de Atacama.  After finding out there was a $135 visa fee to cross into Bolivia, we began re-evaluating our trip and instead decided to just spend some more time exploring the amazing country that is Chile!

It was a good thing we decided against Bolivia too, because when we got to San Pedro, we heard that the recent rain had washed the road away and there were no tours leaving for at least a week. 
San Pedro de Atacama is a small, quiet town with dirt roads and abode houses.  It is also a wonderful jumping off point to explore the vast Atacama Desert that surrounds it - the driest desert in the world.  Funny enough, it rained the 1st 2 days we were there....I guess we bring "luck" to these dry places?

San Pedro is 100km from Calama.  We thought we would be thrifty and take a bus instead of a shuttle from the airport, only to find out we had a 4 hour wait until the next bus.  So off to the mall we went.  And instead of saving that $20, I shopped....

Finally, our bus arrived and we were off, making it into San Pedro just in time to meet some nice travelers who were going to watch one of the Copa America futbol games.  Even though Chile got knocked out in the 2nd round (ugh, by Venezuela of all teams - Ian that was for you), they made a great run at it - Viva La Roja!!!

Our 1st full day in town, we rented bikes to go exploring.  And explore we did.  On a dirt road on the outskirts of town, this is what we found.....



I am not going to lie, I was scared.  After trying to snap some pics, I found myself pinned up against the dirt wall scared I was going to get bit or spit on, or whatever these things do.  Alas, they passed with nothing but a sniff.

From there we off-roaded it for a bit until we got back to the main road and took off toward Valle de la Luna.  We didn't really know what to expect from any of the destinations in the Atacama, so when we came upon this national park, it was a really wonderful surprise.  The ride there was long and straight into the wind.  Very exhausting.  But we knew it was worth it as soon as we got to the 1st checkpoint. 

Our 1st stop was a cave.  Again, we didn't know what to expect, nor did we have a flashlight.  After walking through/under/over some neat rocks, we got to a pitch black area of the cave.  Luckily the couple behind us had a light and let us share for the 5 or so mins in darkness.  I was terrified.  Something about being in a cave in complete darkness just gives me the creeps.  But it was also worth it, because coming out of the dark, was one of the coolest places I have ever been - and how the valley got its name (Valley of the Moon).  We played around taking pictures and enjoying the sites for about 20 mins....here are a few fun shots.

We moved onto the next trail and though there were no caves, the trail ended at some dunes (where the sand whipped around at painful speeds).  And though very different, still reminiscent of what I imagine a (sunny) day on the moon would look like!

Our next day in San Pedro we decided to do a tour out to Las Termas Puritama, or hot springs.  It was a very, very cold day and the springs were not as warm as I would have liked....but it was still a very cool experience.  The termas were in the bottom of a canyon and the views from the top were amazing.  You could see volcanoes, cacti, rivers, Bolivia...you name it.

The hottest spring - of course!

View from top of Termas

And finally, we spent our last day doing the coolest thing in San Pedro - Sanboarding!!!  Besides the fact that you had to climb to the top every time you boarding down the sand dune, it was awesome!!!!  I have never snowboarded, but doing this makes me want to try!  We went to La Valle de La Muerte (valley of death) for this experience and the views were something out of a Mars Attack movie - with red rocks jutting up all over the place.  But the view from the top of the dune was by far the best.  It was a panaramic view of every different type of (desert) landscape we had seen, all in one place!  Here is a photo Stephen captured from the top, as well as one of him making it look easy (I assure you, it was not)!

Badass

And finally, here are some pictures of the sunsets we took over the 4 days in the Atacama.  A sunset in the desert is one of the most peaceful, beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.  Whether it is a cloudy or clear day, over a volcano or dunes...it really is one of those moments everyone should experience one day!

Valle de la Luna Sunset

Volcano

Volcano