Monday, January 19
After the incredibly beautiful reflections of the Uyuni salt flats, I arrive in San Pedro de Atacama. I learn that it only rains 15 days a year here and it is rarely cloudy. So, I experience something unique. The advantage is that the trips to Rainbow Valley and Moon Valley are bearable and not the 50 degrees Celsius it can also be. Rainbow Valley offers beautiful colors: green, white, gray, and red. Wonderful to walk through these mountains. We also visit a site with petroglyphs and get some explanations by the guide. In the afternoon, a visit to Moon Valley. A truly desolate desert landscape. Thanks to the cloudy sky, the guide dares to take a nice walk into the mountains. Stunning views and a nice group. Luckily, the Chilean Belem is studying languages, because besides a Brazilian who speaks reasonable English, the main language is Spanish. And I’m not exactly great at Spanish. Tonight I’m meeting up with my travel companion John again for a bite and a drink, which is easily possible in San Pedro. We don’t make it too late, since I have to catch an early bus south tomorrow.
Via Calama, I’ll travel to La Serena, a good 1,000 km. Only near our final destination do we leave the desert for some green vegetation. La Serena is a Spanish colonial town with a beautiful Japanese garden and an archaeological museum, which features a statue of Easter Island. Fantastic. The museum also houses beautiful finds from Chile.
