Day 42 : Atacama Desert Day 3 : El Tatio Geysers

Off for an early start, at 4am, I am standing with two other guys from the same hostel on the street waiting for pick up. In fact, down the street, from other hostels and hotels, there are other people waiting as well. Every night is like this, apparently. For a second, I feel like we are some garbage standing outside the door waiting to be collected in the middle of the night, or a second thought, We are up some indecent business. The whole deal of individual or group of people standing outside of a hotel in the middle of the night, it just looks weird. At 4:15am, our van arrive, the same guide and driver again, I have had them 3 days on a row. Does this town only have this guide and driver?! Comparatively a smaller crowds, that may explain why it arrives sooner than I expected. It's a long ride to the geysers, almost 2 hours. As we go up the hill, bumpy roads, I can definitely feel the cold. Very cold. I have a down jacket in my backpack in the hotel and I have not brought it along!! I start to regret. I have 5 layers of clothes though, so my body is ok, only my fingers and my toes are freezing!

At the crack of dawn, we arrive the El Tatio geysers, the sky has just started to change colors, from a bruise purple to a little pink, add a hint of blue, some white... no one can stop it nor care really, since it's freaking cold on the geysers field parking lot. We pay the entrance, I am still using my student ID and get a discount. I have saved a lot of money from bringing that ID with me in this trip! In the greyish dark, I can see the smoke coming off the steam holes in the geysers field. It's rather interesting. At 4310m, one of the highest geysers field in the world, we are waiting for the sun to come out. Get back into the car, since my fingers and toes are getting numb. We wait for a little bit and then we drive into the field and stop at another parking lot, where we get off. The guide leads us into the field. There are not much explaining really, some basic stuffs like how it is formed, and the kind of steamholes there are. A huge geysers hole can shoot up burning water at 85C to 10m height. We witness some. After we walk pass one side of the field, we have breakfast, hot coffee with cheese sandwiches, and crackers and stuffs. The hot coffee is good even though they are instant. I need to inject some hot liquid into my body at -8 C.

We get to another field where we stay for an hour, some people jump into the hot spring and bath themselves for fun. I wish I bring my swim trunks. But it's too cold really. I do have felt the water, the temperature is very comfortable. In that hour, I wander around the field on my own, try to be super careful, since we are warned some places may look solid, but it's very fragile and underneath are water that can burn you alive. I am warned by whistle once by a guard to tell me not to go any further. It's an interesting site to visit after seeing many ruins, and churches in South America. In Atacama Desert, I am seeing something more natural, deserts, valleys, lakes, volcanoes and now geysers field. Before we head back to town, we stop at a few places on the way to take pictures and at a tiny little town where we wander around for like 20 mins. Get back to town before noon actually. My backpack has already been moved out of the room. The check out time is 11:00am, that's why. Anyway, I have lunch, at the same place I have lunch the first day, since I want a good and a big meal. Doesn't look like I will have time for dinner, with the bus and flight today.

Successfully find my bus to Calama at 2:20pm. That bus is actually heading to Santiago after making a stop at Calama, I could have stayed on, and will still get to Santiago 20 hours later. On a second thought, I should have done that, so I can save US$150 or more. I just need to sleep on the bus tonight. But oh well, decision to fly to Santiago was made and I should just feel content that nothing has gone wrong thus far. At Calama bus station, the official taxi to the airport is super expensive. I notice that there are two Germans or Scandinavians (a guy and a girl) trying to catch a taxi to the airport as well. So, I just ask if we can all take a taxi together. At the end, thanks to the fluent Spanish of the guy, we find a taxi for one-third of the cost if we have taken one of the official taxi. Sweet. Calama's airport is small, but rather clean and modernized. Off the runaway, it's the desert and some naked hills look like potatoes (badly deformed ones). Sometimes, looking at views like this, I wonder where have I got myself into. On the other hand, it feels pretty cool. The flight journey from Calama to Santiago is calm at least. The northern part of Chile is completely dry, just desert and bare rocks, no green, don't know how people live there. But they do.

Get to Santiago, the transfer bus to the hotel is easy. Back to the big city, feel familiar with its convenience and but at the same time feeling a bit out of place with my backpack. The hotel is not cheap, although it is centrally located and its exterior looks expensive, inside is another story. Not sure if I like that kind of old style. No, actually, just old, no style. It is getting hotter as I go south. I want to throw away some heavy clothes off my 19kg backpack, not like I am going to wear them very often in Hong Kong. But the frugal part of me still says No, at least, for now. It has been a really long day. Off to bed. Tomorrow, Valparaiso!

Photos here: Day 42 (El Tatio Geysers), Day 42 (Sunset y Hotel)

Day 41 : Atacama Desert Day 2 : Altiplano lakes

First of all, I mistaken the tour start at 7am, so I wake up very early to take a shower and get ready. Turn out the tour wouldn't come to pick me up until 8am after I re-check the itinerary. Anyhow, that extra hour I am nowhere near relaxing because the shower broke! Seriously, it's a mess. At first, the water pressure is really low, and the water is cold, so I turn the hot water to maximum. 10 mins later, it is still cold. I decide I am going to wash my hair and use a towel to clean my body, I try to turn off the hot water, the switch get stuck and the water cannot be turned off. Holy shit, I think, I was just warned not to waste water in the desert, and here I am waking up in the freaking early hour with a broken shower. The water is just running off the drain. I walk out to see if I can find any help. At 6:30am, the backyard is quiet and the front office is closed. Go back inside, try to turn it with a towel, it is not turning at all. And at last, the water pressure returns to high, what a timing! Now, the water is really coming out fast and hitting the floor like da-da-da... I go out and find a bucket, hoping it will contain some water for a while. Does not take 5 mins, it is already filled up. The water is slightly warm too, I think instead of wasting it completely, I might as well take a shower. So, I do that. I guess it is a good chance for me to take a long shower, but since the water is only slightly warm, not hot at all, I can only do it really quick, can't even shave. Finally, go out again, see some other backpackers who are leaving, I ask them how I can find someone in the office. They says there should have someone sleeping in the office. In a desert, I would definitely call the troubled water situation in my bathroom is an emergency, so I knock on the door, a few moments later, a woman in her pajama with sleepy eyes answering the door, I have already written a piece of paper saying the shower broke, the water is not stopping. She is just "yeah-yeah" and then go back to sleep. I am like, come on...

I think maybe my paper isn't clear enough. Maybe another 20 mins passed, there is another backpacker just finish brushing her teeth in the shared bathroom, I tell her about my situation. She knock on the woman's door again, and tell her in Spanish. Apparently, she says there is nothing she can do at the moment, someone gonna look at it later. I go back inside try yet one more time to turn the water off. It turns finally, but the whole switch comes off as well. Oh my god. What is this? Did they install this in the 50s?! Put it back on the wall, hoping it would stay. It does, but I am not going to touch it again. The woman finally comes out, passing by my room, I ask her if she has a bigger bucket to contain the water perhaps. She goes into my bathroom and look at it, and she turns, the switch comes off again, and get her part of the pajama wet. She is not happy. I hang her a clothes to dry off her hands. She put the switch back on the wall and walk out my room. Ok.. even though the pick up isn't there yet, I walk out too.

Wait for 30 mins outside of the hostel maybe, the pick up is finally there, another full van, with the same guide and driver from yesterday, some of the tour mates were there yesterday. I guess these are some popular tours, people come here usually join the same tours. I bet I will see some of these people tomorrow as well. Our first stop is a uninteresting fruit farm. In a way, I guess it is interesting if you consider this is a desert. In the middle of it, there is this village, full of trees and a small river. There is some caves which nobody knows how old they are, but just above them there is a small geoglyph on a stone. Leaving that place, we arrive at Salar de Atacama (the world's third biggest salt lake after Uyani in Bolivia and Utah in the US), but the Atacama salt lake is unique because there are full of water underneath. We takes a lot of pictures of the flamingos here.

After the salt lake, we take a long ride and visit two altiplano lakes, it's totally worth the wait, they are very beautiful, understandable but it is pity that we cannot get closer to the lake, it is not allowed. I guess it's a right decision, otherwise the lakes would never be as pristine as it is. It is quite windy, so we cannot see the reflection of the volcanoes in the lakes. But still, the colors, the sights in the eyes are magical. After I try to take the same scenery 3 billion times later. We have to leave and finally have a late lunch at 2:30pm, with powered-made juice, soup, a rice dish and a dessert made by canned fruit. It is ok really. Nothing's too exciting. I have yet had a lunch or dinner from a tour is "crying out loud" great. I am getting kind of tired already after a long day. our last stop is a church. The church is torn down by earthquakes many times, but there is a bell tower in front has stood for since 1650 or something old like that. Pretty impressive. The tour ends, we are delivered back to the hostel after 5:30pm. I am being offered a new room. Thank you.

Go back to the same cafe I have dinner last night. I just want to sit somewhere to have a juice and get online with wi-fi for a while, and then maybe I have a pizza there, since I like their hamburger so much last night. It's really good value meal, for CHP2900 (less than US$5), a pizza or a hamburger + a drink. Recommended to any budget traveler. Back to the hostel early, since I will have to go to the El Tatio geysers tomorrow morning at 4am, I have reconfirmed. I should try to get to back before 9:30pm. And I will try to take a shower in the evening too. No more morning episode like this morning! If I break another shower, I bet I will be banned from this hostel forever.

Photos here: Day 41

Day 40: Atacama Desert Day 1 : Valle de la Luna

After an overnight bus, we are arrived at San Pedro de Atacama at 10:00pm, I did sleep on the bus, although it is a very comfortable bus, the position is always kind of weird, I mean, sleeping on a chair. And at 4am, we were suddenly waken up to get off the bus, with still being half asleep, in cold desert air, I was wondering what the hack is going on. Turn out we were at a control point, and it's the formal procedure for us to leave the bus with our luggage and all. I figure they would check our passport or scan our luggage. None of those, maybe 3-4 mins later, we are allowed to get back on the bus. Not so sure why we need to get out to begin with, if they are not really checking anything. Anyway, after the 4am incident, the bus was pretty much smooth.

First thing after getting in town, I check in my hotel, I need a shower badly, and brush my teeth. They served some snacks on the bus in the morning, but I am getting hungry already. 20 mins after I arrive at the hotel, I get my room, take a quick shower. The water is hot, thanks God. But in the desert, the water is very important, we are warned not to take long shower. People who have lived with me know long shower is like a religion to me. I love to stand under the hot water to think. But being considerate, I have taken a "literally" quick shower. Head out to a travel agent hoping to find a star-gazing tour. In the middle of this desert, there is a super advanced and huge telescope. It is some kind of astronomy project. Anyway, unfortunately tonight's tour is full. They have a tour for tomorrow 11pm, but the following day I'll need to wake up at 4am to go to El Tatio geysers. So, the star-gazing plan is off. I guess I can still go out to the backyard to look at stars tonight. Have a very good lunch, though expensive, it is like US$16 (after 10% tips, unlike Peru, tipping is a custom here in Chile). But that lunch in US or HK probably would cost more. It is a fine dinning lunch. Walk around the little town of San Pedro de Atacama which may takes 20 mins top, you see everything. Go back to hotel to rest a little.

The tour to Valle de la Luna starts at 4pm, it's a big group again. We are splitted into 2 groups, my group still has over 20 people. We are driven to the desert, see the different rock formations, sand dunes, hike some trails, and crawl some caves. Again my shoes are proven not for sands, the sands get in from the holes, and it becomes very heavy and uncomfortable to walk on. I may choose to not wear socks tomorrow, see if that is better. The highlight of today's tour is that we will get to the Moon Valley and see sunset. We arrive there, just in time to climb up the hilltop to see the sunset with 3 billions people who are already there. I move around to few different positions trying to see where might be the best place to see the sunset (from the back to the middle to the front). At the end, a French travel mate and I pick a spot up front, but then when the sun is setting, I don't feel anything. What is so special about it, I thought, until I turn around and start to walk back. The magical part is not the sunset itself, but the colors changing in the background, over the sand dunes, over the golden rock, over the volcano, there are pink, purples and yellow over them, the lighting becomes softer and softer, almost melancholy. I should have stayed at the first spot, where if I turn over, I would have seen the whole color changing over the valley. So, if anyone going to Moon Valley someday, try not to focus on the sunset itself, but the colors on the sky in the background above the volcano. It gets pretty windy, a jacket might be a good idea. And if you crawl the cave, bring a flashlight would save your head from hitting the rock a couple times.

Lunch is so big and expensive, to balance, I have a light dinner, just hamburger and a fanta (for CHP3200 after tips or US$6). That hamburger is very interesting, not only that it's huge, but it uses flat bread, with the burger meat of course, cheese, lots of tomato and onions. Hamburger in desert style, perhaps. It tastes delicious too. The restaurant name is Cafe Las Raices.

Tomorrow's tour to visit the altiplano lagoons. It's full day tour from 7am to 5pm. I better get some good rest tonight.

Photos here: Day 40