Tuesday 27 May 2014

And I Owe it All to New Zealand

More madness and fantastic fun on the south island. I can't write everything I've done since Wellington, but I've found a great group of people who I've been with on the bus and seen some fabulous scenery. Today was especially unbelievably beautiful, travelling from Franz Josef to Wanaka.

I guess the highlight of the last few days was hiking on the Franz Josef glacier. We were the first group allowed onto it in a week because of poor weather conditions, so we were incredibly lucky. 

We were fully kitted out with layers, boots, crampons, and a fetching bumbag for some food and our cameras. Then we were flown up to the glacier in a helicopter. I'd never been in a helicopter before, so that was very exciting. And the views were spectacular before we'd even set foot on the ice. 

Once we got used to walking with crampons we started up the ice sheet, avoiding holes that dropped away into nothingness. And it was so much fun. We traversed crevasses, ice walls and caves, using ropes to walk along icy ledges. And all the while we were surrounded by glittering ice and snow; tall mountains on either side, the rock only divided by the occasional waterfall; and blessed with a bright blue sky. 




Once the sun was on us it wasn't too cold, but we were in the shade for the first two hours of our three on the glacier. 

I count myself very lucky that I got to do this, not only because of the weather, but because the glacier is retreating and it's unclear how many years there are left when it will be safe to walk on it. So at least I can say I've done it. And it was a great experience - definitely a New Zealand highlight. 

Tomorrow we get to Queenstown, which I'm really excited about. It's meant to be a hub of activities with a beautiful setting. Hopefully it will live up to its reputation! 

Every time I assess my life at the moment I'm happy with it. Going travelling is easily the best decision I ever made. Long may it continue. 

Thursday 22 May 2014

Whirlwind

Oh my god. The last few days have been manic! Manic in the absolute best way. I'm loving New Zealand and everything it has to offer. I feel like I've done more in the last week than I have in my whole life. 

The Kiwi Experience really packs it in with the activities. I've done at least one thing (usually two) that I've been looking forward to every day. 

Just a few highlights have been: 

Black water rafting in the Waitomo glowworm caves. I was slightly nervous about these because I don't like being trapped in small places, but I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. There was only one bit that was quite tight, where the roof of the cave came down to about two feet above the water, and when you're floating in a rubber tube that doesn't leave much room for your body! 

The glowworms were beautiful, and at one point we all turned off our head torches and just watched the small pricks of turquoise light dance along the ceiling high above us. We even jumped backwards off some waterfalls into splash pools, because the two hours underground paddling through ice cold water apparently wasn't exciting enough. 




The whole thing was great fun, and I'm no longer worried about going into caves. It just took a while to regain feeling in my fingers... 

On Tuesday most of my bus did the famous Tongariro Crossing, a 20km hike over two active volcanoes, also passing Mt Doom. And I can't recommend this enough. It is difficult, especially at this time of year now it's getting to winter. In fact we were told not to attempt Mt Doom, an optional off-shoot of the main path, because we'd need crampons and ice picks. Some people did try it (this is the Kiwi Experience after all) but everyone who did was forced to turn back by the weather. 

The weather was mixed, but while it was a gorgeous day with blue skies in the real world, once we reached the top of the Red Crater the weather closed in on us. We were enveloped in swirling clouds and battered by strong winds. The winds can get up to 120km there so it's not for the faint of heart, especially with the sharp drop into misty nothingness that keeps you company for a decent stretch of the ascent. 

But the views were incredible. Absolutely worth the 6.5 hour hike. You start off in a dead volcanic plain, with some marshland stretching to the hardened lava flows winding down the steep mountainside. It's proper Mordor territory. 




Then you head up the Devil's Staircase and see the stunning Mt Doom from its neighbouring steaming volcano. 







From there you keep going up into snow-covered rocky terrain. 





Then it gets really good. When the clouds parted we were rewarded with views of the surrounding valleys, Lake Taupo and best of all, the Emerald Lakes at the foot of the mountain. 





Claire and I (she was the girl my pace seemed to match so we did it together) had lunch just above the lakes, and it was so worth the gruelling climb and slippery scree-slide to get down. 

I don't think any of us were quite prepared for how intense the climb would be, but we all managed it. I think our first clue should have been the sign at the start of the trail saying: "Stop! Are you prepared for this?" and the numerous signs later on warning not to stay in these areas too long due to volcanic activity. So if you do it, which I do recommend, take winter gear, plenty of food, and be ready! 

Now the last thing is easily a highlight of my life so far, and it will be difficult to top. This was the afternoon before the Crossing, at Lake Taupo. 

I did a skydive. A skydive! Me! Now if you know me, you'll know that I'm not the kind of person you'd expect to do one. But I knew I wouldn't forgive myself if I came to New Zealand, with beautiful blue sky, and didn't throw myself out of a plane. 

And because I'd decided I was going to do it, and knew I wouldn't back out, that seemed to blanket me in an unshakeable sense of calm. Even when I was going up to 15,000 feet, watching the ground drop away into a landscape painting, I felt fine. Even when I was sitting at the door of the plane, legs dangling into the wind, with Ricky strapped to my back, I felt fine. 

And then we jumped. 

I have my face immortalised in the video they took, and it ain't pretty. The first two seconds or so I did not feel fine. I think it was the shock, especially as I'd been so weirdly calm. But then, once I opened my eyes and looked down at the view, I loved it. It didn't feel like falling, and there was no stomach lurching feeling, thank god. It was very windy, and if you look directly down then you can't breathe because of the wind, but the views... Thinking back still makes me smile. Lake Taupo glittering in the sun, the fields and mountains shining green, the volcanoes on the lakeside spurting plumes of white steam into the air far below. Indescribable. 







From 15,000 feet the freefall lasts one minute, and from 12,000 it's 45 seconds. It goes incredibly quickly, and then the parachute opens with a crotch-crunching whoosh. I was originally going to go for the 12,000 option, but when they asked me I changed my mind at the last moment. Why not, ey? And it was worth it for the extra time of flying through the air. 

And afterwards everyone was still soaring. The feeling is amazing. We all watched each other's videos in the small cinema room at Skydive Taupo HQ, and saw our cheeks flapping in the wind. The most hilarious is when the wind catches your lips and forces them open like a demented duck. Thankfully that didn't happen to me, but my cheeks were going a mile a minute. You can actually choose the music they put over the video from a selection they have, and I chose Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO. Of course. And when they say the line "I'm in a speedo trying to tan my cheeks", the wind catches mine and they wobble like crazy. Well done, video editor. 

I think it's because the last few days have been such a whirlwind of new exciting things, but it still doesn't feel like I did a skydive. That was some other insane adrenalin-junkie, not just little old me. 

I'm starting to think this is indeed the best time of my life. I'm most certainly in a high period right now. 

I'm currently staying with family friends in apocalyptic-wind battered Wellington, and tomorrow morning I rejoin the Kiwi Experience bus on the ferry crossing to the South Island. I've heard very good things about the south, so if it's better than the north I will be the happiest man on earth. 

Saturday 17 May 2014

Fush n Chups

Well New Zealand is off to a flying start. It's such a jam-packed itinerary with the Kiwi Experience there's barely time to stop and think.

Yesterday I was picked up by the bus in Auckland, and I was the first person on it, but it quickly filled up, with just one seat spare out of 55. So there's a lot of us! The driver was exactly how I'd imagined, overbearingly a *cool dude* playing the clown, with the occasional casual racism thrown in for good measure. 

Most of the people on the bus are Brits, as I'd expected, and young, also as expected. There are some proper lads on this bus, who I don't have a lot in common with. But I've met some really cool people. Generally the more mature, and older, passengers. I think I'm getting old... 

So from Auckland, we headed to Hot Water Beach and our accommodation there. The beach was beautiful. Lonely Planet voted it one of the top 25 most beautiful beaches in the world. Not too shabby. But more than that, its name comes from the pools that you can dig in the sand, which fill with naturally hot water from the ground. And I mean hot. Sometimes it was too scalding to stand in the pools. 



It's autumn here now, but the days are still quite warm here in the north, and yesterday it was very sunny and pleasant. So our next stop - Cathedral Cove - and the hike there, were lovely. The Cove is so worth going to. The rock formations are nothing short of majestic, and we were there at sunset, so the volcanic islands offshore shone with the orange light and the clouds hanging over the ocean turned violet. 


I finished the day with my first fish and chips in three months since I left home. And it was a Friday - chip night! I even treated myself to some Cadbury chocolate for dessert. Living the dream. 

Today we came to Waitomo. This is something I've been looking forward to for months - the glowworm caves. There are lots of options for going into the caves, including wet and dry ones. I went for the second most extreme wet option, so there wasn't an abseil or zip line, but it was NZ$100 cheaper. With the Kiwi Experience we get discounts for all the activities we do, so it was NZ$90 for the 'Black Labyrinth' with the Legendary Black Rafting Co

Now I really wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this trip, as I get a bit claustrophobic, and I didn't know how I'd cope with two hours in the dark. But I absolutely loved it. 

We were given all the gear - thick wetsuits, helmets with torches, and rubber rings for the black water rafting element of the trip. The guides were very nice, and talked us through what we were actually going to do. 

The limestone caves are beautiful. And you're accompanied the whole way through the twists, turns, tunnels and the occasional waterfall by the ethereal glow of the glowworms on the roof of the caverns, clustered around the enormous stalactites. At one point we all switched off our head torches and looked up at them. Such a sight. 



Everyone's hands got extremely numb by the end of the trip, but the wetsuits kept our bodies warm enough. Even when we were jumping backwards from the top of waterfalls into the splash pools below. 

It was such a good experience, and something I might have skipped if I wasn't doing the Kiwi Experience. That's one of the main reasons I paid the extra money for the bus trip, rather than just going for a hop on hop off intercity bus pass. I want to push myself to do things I wouldn't normally. Now is the time in my life to do these things. 

The crazy schedule continues tomorrow, with Hobbiton (omg) and the Maori cultural dinner and show in Rotorua. Can't get enough! 

Thursday 15 May 2014

No Pink This Week

Oh New Zealand! Right from when I stepped off the plane I was comfortable here. It's so similar to Britain. Wandering round Auckland this afternoon I felt like I could be in a district of my hometown that I just hadn't been to before. 

But a big difference is the cleanliness. I barely saw any litter on the streets all day. I'd been told that New Zealand is a clean country, but it's a really clean country. And everyone I've come across has been very friendly. And I feel so safe, even wandering round unfamiliar city streets at 6am this morning. So far, this country is doing it right. 

Getting here was on the shortest 13 hour flight ever, after my 24 hours on a bus last week. That trip actually feels like ages ago. So much has happened between then and now. 

And now, here I am, missing a Wednesday from my week and a bit sleep deprived, but wandering round the town made me feel very at home. For one thing, it rained. I haven't seen rain in weeks. But the temperature is comfortable, about the same as Santiago was. So I haven't been thrown in at the deep end just yet. 

Earlier I was thrown into some kind of familiar food-related ecstasy though. I went shopping for lunch, and came across a treasure trove. Baked beans, British tea, Patak's curry sauce, Bisto... And all the Cadbury chocolate I could ever want. And in fantastic flavours we don't have in the UK, like Rocky Road. What did we do to not deserve that!? 

But there's already been some reverse culture shock. I keep wanting to 'Hola' people, and almost throwing toilet paper on the floor, because there's no bin for it, because the plumbing works here! Heaven. And there are no stray dogs. And they drive on the left, so I keep looking the wrong way when crossing the road. South America could kill me yet. 

So on the whole, New Zealand, with its autumnal leaves (I haven't seen deciduous trees in months), Maori language option on ATMs, and singing pedestrian crossings, is hitting the spot. 

Doesn't mean I don't miss Latin America just a little though. 

Tomorrow I start the Kiwi Experience bus tour, heading to the first stop at Hot Water Beach. I'm not sure how beach-appropriate the weather will be, but the area looks beautiful. Time to start my New Zealand adventure! And quite possibly put on weight. I've missed a lot of food... 

Monday 12 May 2014

Adiós

Tomorrow I leave South America. After three months, six countries, and countless unforgettable experiences. The time has passed unbelievably quickly since the 20th February, when I first touched down in fabulous Rio. This section of my journey ending has kind of sparked a quarter-trip crisis. I certainly didn't think I'd be this sad to be leaving this continent. Not because I didn't like it, because god knows that's not true, but because I didn't think I'd have time to get emotionally attached, having moved about so much. But apparently I can't not get emotionally attached. 

Having said all of this, I am so excited about New Zealand. Travelling there will certainly be easier and less stressful than South America. I wonder if that will make it less exciting. 

My last few days have been here in Santiago. It's a nice city - very modern, with lots of green spaces and an interesting blend of historical buildings and sparkling skyscrapers, one of which is the tallest building in Latin America. This evening I went and watched the sunset from one of Santiago's hills, Cerro Santa Lucia, and had a bit of reflecting time. 

The last few days were made especially nice by staying with my friend who lives here. He very kindly invited me to stay with him, so it's been a comfortable few days. And on Friday night I met up with a couple who were on my salt flat tour, so it was nice to see them again. 

I'm not planning a wild last night, but I think there might be wine involved at least. Chilean wine is so good, and half the price it is in the UK. 

And even though I'm taking a giant step across the Pacific tomorrow night (and losing a day in the process) it's definitely not goodbye to Latin America forever. In the last three months I've just scratched the surface of what this place has to offer, and my head is brimming with ideas for future trips. So I guess it's not adiós, it's more hasta pronto. And I feel better about that. 

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Oh Valpo

I survived my 24 hour bus journey! It was intense at times, and I kind of hated myself for not spending twice the money on a two hour flight, but in the end money lasts longer than the discomfort.

And they played some alright films, so I barely listened to my iPod and I didn't touch my book. So I suppose that's a good thing. 

And it was absolutely worth the long trip to be here in Valparaíso. It is such a beautiful city. It's actually vying for the top spot of my favourite South American cities, which at the moment is held by Rio. I'll see how I feel in a few days, but it's close. 

Valpo is a seaside town about two hours west of Santiago. It's funky and arty, and full of interesting graffiti on the sides of multicoloured houses, opposite old colonial churches, all built into a hillside traversed by funicular trams overlooking the Pacific. 




I've fallen in love, and I've been here for seven hours. When I stepped off the bus, into the sun and fresh air (!), it seemed like everyone was smiling. There's a definite feeling of good vibes here, and I don't think that's just me being high off sea level air after coming down from the mountains. 

I've got tomorrow here as well, and then I'll rustle me up a bus to Santiago in the evening. A friend of a friend is meeting me at the bus station and we're going for dinner, and on Friday night I'm going to meet up with the French-Colombian couple I met in Bolivia. A nice final few days in South America. 

So while I'm lying on this very comfortable bed in a Valpo and cheap Chinese food-induced coma, I think I'll prattle on about Chile in general. Oh, but first, speaking of this bed - I'm staying at Casa Volante Hostel, and it's lovely. Very welcoming, great showers, kitchen and common room. And not too expensive either. There's a Miles recommendation for you. 

So Chile. I really like Chile. It's one of my favourite countries I've been to on this trip, up there with Brazil and Argentina for atmosphere and general buzz. 

The people are incredibly warm, welcoming and patient with foreigners who don't speak Spanish very well (ie me). Much more so than in Peru. I often found the average Peruvian seemed to have a bad taste in their mouth when they came into contact with foreigners, and it was the same in Bolivia. I wonder if there's a correlation between the wealth of the population and the friendliness towards tourists. There could be some disdain in the poorer nations. But anyway, that's not the case in Chile, because I've found Chileans to be the most open of all South American people. 

It's a country of incredible contrasts, with the north being enveloped in the world's driest desert, and the south bring home to Patagonia, a wonderland of snowy mountains, glaciers and perfect lakes. Unfortunately I won't make it any further south than Santiago, but I'm hoping that New Zealand will fulfil my need for fabulous scenery. And Chile doesn't have Mt Doom. 

Chile doesn't want you to buy anything. In shops that are any more specialist than an average corner shop, you'll have to tell the person behind one counter what you want, then take a ticket to another counter to pay, where you'll be given a receipt to collect your items from a third counter. Jobs for all! 

Chile is still a developing country, but the government is aiming to become a first-world country by 2020. And it's well on its way. It has a good infrastructure, helped enormously by the impressive Pan-American Highway that runs north to south. Things also seem to work here, which is nice after spending over a month in Peru. And Chile's economy is strong, which leads me to my next point. 

Chile isn't cheap. After coming from Peru, it was a bit of a shock. I haven't spent £10 on a dormitory room since Rio, but northern Chile seems to think rather highly of itself. But it is a nice country, so I'm prepared to spend a bit more to be here for a while before I jet off to the second "other side of the world" of my trip. 

In short... Chile. I'm a fan.

Monday 5 May 2014

Salt Flats Tour from San Pedro

And with this weekend passed, I have ticked off the major sights of South America I came here to see. And what a sight it was.

But I'll start from the beginning. 

I booked my tour with Cordillera, which is generally considered to be the best of a bad bunch of tour operators that do the Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni salt flats) trip. I needed the three-night option that brings you back to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. You can start in either San Pedro or Uyuni, Bolivia, and finish at either city. It cost me 116,000 Chilean pesos for the tour, including accommodation and food, and even wine on the second night. 

So on the first day, Friday, I was picked up from my hostel at 8am in a big minibus that took us to the Bolivian border, 50km into the mountains. We stopped at the Chilean border control first, which was the slowest border I've been to. But while we were waiting it gave us all a chance to chat and get to know each other. There were two jeeps' worth of people (12 in total), and it was a really interesting mix of South American and European. We were separated into our jeeps by people who were returning to Chile and people who were finishing in Uyuni. And by a stroke of luck I was with the people I'd be speaking to most - a charming Danish couple, a French-Colombian couple living in Santiago, and a Brazilian architect on holiday. And three of them spoke fluent Spanish! This is really luck of the draw, because chances are the driver won't speak a word of English. 

At the Bolivian border, which consisted of a shack, a small office and a 'baño natural' (aka a wall), we got our entry stamps. They didn't ask to see my yellow fever certificate though, which I'd read was a requirement to enter the country. Maybe that's only if you arrive somewhere like an airport, rather than through a dusty mountain pass. 

After an al fresco breakfast of bread, ham, cheese and hot drinks, we were off into Bolivia. And the road quickly transformed into a dirt track, and it stayed like that until we returned to Chile four days later. We chatted a bit to the driver, Felix, who was amiable but silent for the most part. He was the seventh member of our group, travelling in the cramped jeep with our luggage strapped to the top. If you're tall like me, you might need to do some serious stretching each evening. But in general we stopped quite often so there were plenty of opportunities for standing and walking around. 

We got to the entrance to the national park and paid our 30 Bolivianos each. And then we started to see some sights. The first two days could be renamed 'The Lagoon Tour', because the actual salt flats aren't until the third day. But the lagoons are pretty fabulous in their own right. We stopped at Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde first. Both were bookended by incredible mountain scenery. The desert colours in San Pedro are remarkable. In Bolivia they are incredible. 



The next lagoon of note was Laguna Colorada, a stretch of water covered with red algae, watched over by stoic llamas and flocks of pink flamingos. That was a great sight. We were there until just before sunset, when we returned to our hotel, just ten minutes' drive away. 



The hotel for the first night is at 4,900 metres above sea level, so it is cold. And the risk of altitude sickness is high. No one in our group suffered, thankfully, but it might be worth investing in some altitude sickness pills or coca products. 

My jeep were all in the same room for this night, but that probably kept us warmer in the end. There's no heating and no hot showers here, so none of us showered. If you're going to smell, you may as well smell together, right? 

We had a good dinner of mashed potato, sausages and vegetables. Bangers and mash! They knew I was coming. And the food over the whole trip was very good - good portions (always important) and hot and generally tasty. We did sometimes spot other companies with a much more lavish spread than ours though, so we got a bit of food envy at times. 

That night it got to -25 Celsius outside, and around 0 in our room. You can rent sleeping bags for 50 Bolivianos from each hotel, but I slept in a t-shirt, fleece, Long Johns and thick socks and I was okay with the blankets they gave us. 

Day two was the dullest of the three days of sightseeing (the fourth morning was simply driving back to San Pedro). Breakfast was at 7am and then it was off for more lagoons. Be still my beating heart. The highlight was probably el árbol de piedra (the tree of rock), but that didn't exactly bowl me over. 

Late that afternoon we arrived at our accommodation for the night - a salt hotel. I'd heard of this before the tour, but couldn't imagine it. It's a hotel made of blocks of salt, and the floor is powdered salt, and the furniture and beds are all made of blocks of salt. There's a lot of salt. 

Unfortunately one of the five litre bottles of water strapped to the roof of the jeep had had a little accident, and my bag was very wet, but thankfully only on the outside. But what better to absorb water than... salt. 

Here we were put in twin rooms, so I shared with my Brazilian jeep-mate. The rooms were warmer than the previous night, but still basic. And the showers were freezing. Warm would be an overstatement punishable by death, but they were barable enough to have a wash. This was followed by a good dinner, with wine, which was very welcome. And then I went to bed, at something ridiculous like 8pm. But we had to be up at 4.30am to see the sunrise over the salt flats, so it was a wise decision. 

And then yesterday was what we'd all been waiting for. The Salar de Uyuni. 

It was an hour and a half drive to the salt flats, and we got there in time to see a spectacular sunrise. There were spots of mirages on the horizon, reflecting the orange of the sky. I had Circle of Life in my head for hours. 

The rising sun revealed the bizarre moonscape that the salt flats encompass, and that we were standing in the middle of. The flat white salt glowed violet, while the mountains in the distance shone with an eerie purple light. The ridges in the ground caught the sun's rays first and created a giant chessboard of shining white borders on lilac squares. 


We watched the sun until it was above the horizon, giving us great photo opportunities. 


Then we made our way to Isla Incahuasi, a small rise in the middle of the otherwise completely flat landscape. We walked among the ridges and giant cacti that seem to be the only life for hundreds of miles, before having breakfast. 


I should add that it was well below zero degrees. And windy, with nothing to block it. I'm glad we saw the sunrise, but I'm also glad for layers. 

We headed off further into the Salar to take some of those obligatory perception-defying photos. The flatness makes it the perfect place to hold your friends in the palm of your hand, or gather a group in your shoe. But the photos are not easy to take! You need a clear vision of what you want, and you also need someone to lie on the salt (which hurts!) to take it. 



But we had a fun hour and a half taking all the photos we wanted. And to be there, when I'd seen so many photos of the unique place, was fantastic. It wasn't wet season though, so I wasn't expecting any water to be on the ground, which is what gives the Salar its mirror quality. The best time to see it like that is December to March, but if there's too much water then the jeeps won't take you there because the salt water destroys the engine. So you need luck on your side to see that mind blowing sight. 

With a camera full of photos, and red cheeks (wear strong sunscreen!), we climbed back into our jeep and headed to Uyuni. We stopped at a salt museum, which was nothing more than one room with some sculptures made from salt. But there was a collection of world flags blowing in the wind, which made for a nice view with the colours against the pure white of the background. 


There were mirages galore around here, and it's easy to see how people are drawn to them thinking there's a huge lake in the distance. You seriously would not want to be lost anywhere around here. The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, stretching over 10,000km of Bolivian altiplano. 

Our final stop was Uyuni's train cemetery, an atmospheric relic of Bolivia's steam train system. 


But the problem was that it was in Uyuni. Which is not a pleasant place. There were two nice streets in the centre, but apart from that it was a dusty town, roads lined with inhabited yet unfinished, windowless houses. This really highlighted Bolivia's poverty to me. It really is a very poor country. Many people are dirty, children no older than six charge you as you use public toilets you need to pour water into to flush, and there is very little wealth evident. I'd seen areas like this in Peru, but it felt deeper in Bolivia. It made me think: this could be me. It was absolute luck that I was born British, into a white middle-class family. The life of the Bolivians I saw on the streets could easily have been mine, or yours. Maybe this is the beginning of me 'finding myself'. Travelling is making me think! 

The tour part of the trip finished in Uyuni, and the four of us who were returning to San Pedro had to wait an hour for the next jeep with a new driver. We said goodbye to the Danish couple, and the others from the other jeep, and then we were off. It was three and a half hours' drive to Villa Mar, where we stopped in another fleece-in-bed hotel, where you could pay ten Bolivianos for a hot shower. 

The next morning we were up to leave at 6am and headed back to the Bolivian border and its baño natural. We met the people who were just starting their tour, a few of whom had been at my hostel before I left, and passed on some pearls of wisdom. I think my red face gave them one strong hint at least. 

And that brings me to this afternoon. I can already tell I will never forget being in those salt flats. And I'll probably never experience anything like it again. Unless I come back. Who knows what the future holds? 

While I really enjoyed the tour, and met some amazing people who I hope to keep in touch with, I feel like if you're in Uyuni and don't need to use the tour to get to San Pedro, just do a one-day trip into the Salar. It's very close and would do the best bit of the three or four days. That is unless you're a big lagoon fan, in which case you'll love the other days. 

And this leaves me with eight days left in South America, which is kind of boggling my mind right now. Tomorrow I've got a 24 hour bus journey (vom) down to Valparaíso, and then I'll spend my last few days in Santiago before flying to New Zealand. The next stage of my adventure! Can't wait. 


Thursday 1 May 2014

All the Tours Ever, San Pedro de Atacama

On Monday I took the eight-hour journey from Iquique to San Pedro de Atacama, with a change in Calama. I went with TurBus, which is considered to be the most reputable bus company in Chile, followed by Pullman

San Pedro is a desert tourist town, sitting at 2,500 metres above sea level, close to the Bolivian border. This makes it an ideal spot for jumping off into a salt flat tour, and either stopping in Uyuni to explore Bolivia, or doing a full circle back to San Pedro. I'm doing the circular route because my flight leaves Santiago in a couple of weeks so I need to come back to Chile. That route cost 1116,000 Chilean pesos with Cordillera. By all accounts that's the most trustworthy company. Be really careful who you go with, because tales of faulty jeeps and drunk drivers abound when it comes to the salt flats. 

But there's so much to do in San Pedro itself too. There are a lot of tour companies offering various packages, but they basically all do the same things. 

Two days ago I did a tour to Moon Valley, where it's rumoured George Lucas filmed some of A New Hope. And walking through the jagged peaks and sandy rocks, I was half expecting a Jawa to pop out. We also went into a really tight salt cave, where I had to bend double to one side to get through. And that tour ended with one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen. The sun goes down behind the mountains on one end of the valley, and illuminates the volcanoes on the other, sending them orange and then purple, while the clouds above turn red and the ground below glows yellow. Absolutely amazing. And there's a section of rock that juts out over the valley, which makes for a pretty great photo. 



That cost me 10,000 plus 2,000 pesos for entrance to the national park, with Maxim Tours. Note that the tour I did didn't include Death Valley, even though I´m pretty sure they said it would. 

Yesterday I got up early to do a tour to the El Tatio geyser field and watch the sunrise. We got up to leave at 4.30am with a hostel pick-up, and did the 90 minute journey, climbing 2000 metres to 4,300. And it was so cold! Minus 13 Celsius. And thanks to the mild winter in the UK this year, I haven't felt cold like that for almost two years. And I didn't have gloves. Not fun. 

But the sunrise and the geysers were really interesting, and there was an option to swim in the hot spring there. On the way back we stopped at Machuca village, a beautiful place which is home to a total of six people. 



That tour cost me 17,000 plus 5,000 pesos for entrance and included a good breakfast, with Desert Adventure

And tonight I'm going star gazing. The Atacama desert is one of the best places in the world to see the night sky, due to the lack of light pollution, the amount of cloudless nights and the predictable winds from the Humboldt current from Antarctica. 

Everyone I've spoken to has said it's amazing, and through the largest visual telescopes in South America you can see galaxies, shooting stars and the rings around Saturn. 

I went with SPACE (San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations), which is highly recommended by Lonely Planet. That cost me 18,000 pesos for a two and a half hour tour in English including a hot chocolate. The tours are weather-dependent. 

As an update, the star gazing was absolutely fantastic. The sky is a complete blanket of twinkling lights. I heartily recommend this tour. 

There are a whole host of other things you can do, but I just don't have the time or budget. Other highlights for me would be sandboarding, a late-night desert party (so disappointed I can't do that!) and Cejar lagoon, which is Dead Sea-level salty. A lot of people hire bikes and do the trails round here, which is a lot cheaper than doing organised tours, so that's a good way to keep the cost down, because catering to tourists, this town is not cheap! 

After star gazing this evening I'm going to get an early night and then it's off into Bolivia! So excited to see the salt flats. I'll be back on Monday, hopefully with a good story or two! 

Iquique and the Ghost Towns

From Arica I headed south to the coastal city of Iquique, another place famous for its surf. It's also where the large earthquake hit a few weeks ago. I was a bit unsure about whether to go, because I wasn't sure what state the city would be in, but I'm glad I did because apart from some pretty hefty cracks in the roads (which could have been there before) there was no sign of any disaster. I'm also planning to go to Valparaíso next week, where there was a fire shortly after the earthquake. What's going on, Chile!? It´s basically the Big Olive from Hercules. 

I had two nights in Iquique, and the first day I just spent some time exploring. There are some lovely Georgian buildings in the centre, and a very nice central square. But the beaches are also nice. It wasn't warm enough to sunbathe, but I did have a good wander up and down the front. 

It's interesting actually. Iquique sits on the coast, but you have to climb a steep road to drive out to the desert above, and a semi-permanent haze seemed to hang heavily over the city, but the desert above was clear with deep blue skies. It was the same on the way there from Arica. At one point we descended into a sandy valley which was full of mist, but the land above was bathed in sun. I guess the humidity gets trapped in the valleys. 

My second day was the reason I even stopped in Iquique. I did a tour to an oasis town called Pica, but what I wanted to see were the old deserted mining towns on the way. We stopped at Santa Laura and Humberstone, which are both worth seeing. 

These were once self-contained towns where thousands of people lived and worked mining the nitrate-rich desert. This export is what Chile's economy was based on for decades, until Germany developed artificial nitrate, and the mines, and towns too, were abandoned in 1960. The desert sands took over and now the buildings are empty shells of rusted corrugated iron and fraying wood. 



Wandering round them was fascinating. It's not often that I'm that grabbed by historical sites, but I loved these towns, especially the larger Humberstone. The living quarters were particularly atmospheric. Maybe I've seen too many psychological horrors but when I came across a playground near the old school with an empty swimming pool, still with diving boards hanging over nothing, and a swing-set with one swing remaining, I could almost hear the screams of playing children. Very creepy indeed. 



You can take a tour from Iquique that includes the ghost towns, or you can take a bus or colectivo to Humberstone and then catch any bus to Iquique from the bus stop outside, but buses can be few and far between to get back. They're absolutely worth it though. They're like nothing I've ever seen before.