Day 1: Arrival in San Pedro de Atacama

 After our warm up with the Spanish language (4 days in south Florida), we left Miami on an overnight flight to Santiago, Chile on our way to our final destination today, the Atacama Desert. 

Andes on the way to Santiago, Chile

The flight to Santiago was completely uneventful (except for the fact that LAN Chile has only instant coffee-yucch), and thanks to Ambien, we actually got a few hours of sleep (some guy across the aisle sounded like a buzz saw, but earplugs helped). 

As we landed, Jeri had a visceral reminder of our last visit to Santiago’s airport when we transited on our way home from Antarctica seven or so years ago.  At that time (again, only transiting), the Chilean Border Security Swat Team was mobilized because we had forgotten that we had dried beans in my camera bean bag.  Jeri was able to fend off a body cavity search and a $350 fine by turning on the waterworks.  I’m not so sure they would have been as sympathetic had I been traveling alone.  They let us fill out a new immigration card declaring that we were bringing contraband items into the country and our dried beans, that we almost smuggled out, were confiscated. So with that experience still fresh in our minds (after 7 years), Jeri decided to declare the four granola bars she had stashed away.  We showed them to the guard who, as we held our collective breath carefully inspected them, and then asked one of his colleagues for a 2^nd opinion. They passed!!! Whew, wonder what they do with some real contraband.

That hurdle passed, we then searched for an ATM to get some local currency.  Jeri had found a huge reserve of Chilean cash that we had left (after bribing the guards) from our prior trip.  We had nearly 15,000 Chilean Pesos!  After a quick check on currency exchange app, though, we decided not to buy a new car here with it.  It would get us a few cups of Starbucks.  At the ATM we tried to withdraw 200,000 pesos (converts to $280) but with a 5,000 peso transaction, that put us over the ATM’s maximum for one withdrawal.  Not sure why they give 200,000p as an option. Finally got 150,000 with no problem.

Dave and Marty always carry money clips, and I thought it might be a nice idea, especially given the wads of Chilean funny money and the stacks of small US bills we brought as bribes (actually for tips).  It’s hard to find a money clip at an airport.  We found a Porsche Design store right near our gate for the plane to Calamas (San Pedro de Atacama), and found not one, but two money clips! 

When the proprietor starts the conversation with “this is pretty expensive” you know you’re in trouble.  Let me put it this way, if I bought the clip, I wouldn’t have anything left to put in it, but without the clip, I have too big a wad to fit in a wallet.  What a conundrum! Decision-keep looking or maybe just get a big paper clip.

The airport servicing the Atacama Desert was about 1 ½ hours drive from our hotel in San Pedro de Atacama, the Alto Atacama.  The landscape quite barren with not much more than sand and rocks for mile after mile.  The monotony was interrupted by small shrines to people who died in car crashes along the way. Very disconcerting.  We later learned that the accident rate was so high because the altitude caused drivers to get sleepy and fail to negotiate the many curves in the road.

Well as you can tell by my continued ability to prattle on, we survived the trip and arrived at Alto Atacama no worse for wear.  We were greeted by the manager, Mathias, with a tall glass of refreshing mango juice, then off to our room.  The room was beautiful with a private veranda with eastern views of the Andes. 

After a quick unpack, we sat down with the program director, Lorredanna, to plan our activities while we were here.  We really wanted to get some walking in this afternoon, so we planned a few short walks with Angelica (our guide for the afternoon) in the Moon Valley and the Valley of the Dead (sounds creepy).

On the 40 minute drive to the Moon Valley, Angelica briefed us on the area. The Atacama Desert stretches south from the Peruvian border and west of Bolivia in Northern Chile.  It is the driest non-polar (Antarctica has even less precipitation) desert on earth with some areas not having received any rain for years.  This is a result of its location between the Andes Mountains to the east and the Salt Mountains (which is where our hotel is) which block weather patterns from the Atlantic and Pacific. Millions of years ago, the Pacific Ocean ran to the Andes with all of Chile underwater.  Prehistoric marine fossils are common in this area.  Tectonic plate shifts caused mountains to spring up west of the Andes, creating an inland sea which over time evaporated leaving what we see today.

Angelica was a bundle of energy and was thrilled when we told her we wanted to hike to get out the cobwebs.  Our first stop was the Moon Valley, very aptly named.  

NASA was so impressed with it that they tested the LEM and Mars Rover here.  The area was a combination of gypsum, halite crystals, and lots of sand.  The wind was constant about 20-30mph and it blew the sands into rivulets that were quite beautiful.  From a vantage point high on the rocks, we had a great view of the Salt Desert formed by evaporation of mineral rich water in the arid environment.

We took two hikes in the Moon Valley that consisted of a significant vertical ascent often through fairly deep sand.  Add the altitude (about 8500’) and this made for some very deep breathing. 






                                                                           








                                                                           



                                                                           


But Angelica pushed us on, wanting to show us the salt caves before sundown. The caves were pretty cool, requiring some tricky maneuvering to get through some spots without whacking your head (which I did any way).  Our Iphone flashlight worked wonders to help us through.  The salt in the caves produced popping noises as the crystals contracted as they cooled in the late afternoon after being heated earlier by the sun. 

We made it out of the caves and to the Valley of the Dead just in time to watch the sun set.  Our diver drove off road to find a good spot, the drive somewhat reminiscent of the Titus Canyon Drive in Death Valley (US).  We wondered what it was going to be like in the dark on the way back.

The Valley of the Dead or Valle de la Muerta came from locals misunderstanding the pronunciation of a Belgian Priest who was living in the area who thought the area looked like Mars. Mars became muerta or the dead.  The sunset was gorgeous casting beautiful light on the mountains.  

Afterward, we had wine and hors d’oeuvres that Angelica and our driver had set up while we were taking pictures then back to the hotel for dinner (at 9:30!).