Friday, October 12, 2007 Go big or go home: San Pedro Extreme
After my little 3 hour nap, my alarm went off at 3:15 am and I woke everyone up to get ready to go to the geysers. In usual Chilean style, the tour guide picked us up around 4:15, only 45 minutes late. Unfortunately when we woke up Courtney was feeling really sick. When we found out she could go another day without paying the $20 again, she decided it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to go. She’d felt nauseous before we’d gone to bed and had apparently gotten sick a few times already.
The beginning of the tour consisted of us sleeping in the big tour van for almost 2 hours before we got to the geysers. When we were almost there the sun started to rise over the mountains. Incredible. We got to the geysers, paid the park entrance fee, and realized how stinking cold it actually was outside. A park ranger told us it was -9°C, or about 15°F. We ran to the bathrooms then ran to get back in the van.
Our tour guide, Henri drove us into the park and we got out basically in the middle of the steaming geysers. The sun was barely peaking over the mountains and the whole valley was filled with a soft light filtering through the steam. Before telling us about the geysers, Henri took out the cartoons of milk from the cooler and placed them inside of the small boiling geysers. After a bit of an explanation of how the geysers work and how the valley is in danger of being destroyed by a power company who wants to harness the energy from the steam, we ate breakfast, including the now warm chocolate milk in coffee. It was delicious! It was so cold that we couldn’t stand being outside so all the girls climbed in the van to eat. When CJ climbed in, I started scooting over so he could sit and I accidentally spilled my delicious chocolate coffee all over my leg. My fingers were so cold I couldn’t hold on to the cup so my leg was soaking wet.
By the time we finished eating and cleaning up the spill, the sun had come up and it was already about 10 degrees warmer. Within 15 minutes it was about 40 degrees and we were
about to start taking off layers! We had time to take pictures and play around the geysers, being sure to keep a safe distance when one of them started going off.
After my little 3 hour nap, my alarm went off at 3:15 am and I woke everyone up to get ready to go to the geysers. In usual Chilean style, the tour guide picked us up around 4:15, only 45 minutes late. Unfortunately when we woke up Courtney was feeling really sick. When we found out she could go another day without paying the $20 again, she decided it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to go. She’d felt nauseous before we’d gone to bed and had apparently gotten sick a few times already.
The beginning of the tour consisted of us sleeping in the big tour van for almost 2 hours before we got to the geysers. When we were almost there the sun started to rise over the mountains. Incredible. We got to the geysers, paid the park entrance fee, and realized how stinking cold it actually was outside. A park ranger told us it was -9°C, or about 15°F. We ran to the bathrooms then ran to get back in the van.
Our tour guide, Henri drove us into the park and we got out basically in the middle of the steaming geysers. The sun was barely peaking over the mountains and the whole valley was filled with a soft light filtering through the steam. Before telling us about the geysers, Henri took out the cartoons of milk from the cooler and placed them inside of the small boiling geysers. After a bit of an explanation of how the geysers work and how the valley is in danger of being destroyed by a power company who wants to harness the energy from the steam, we ate breakfast, including the now warm chocolate milk in coffee. It was delicious! It was so cold that we couldn’t stand being outside so all the girls climbed in the van to eat. When CJ climbed in, I started scooting over so he could sit and I accidentally spilled my delicious chocolate coffee all over my leg. My fingers were so cold I couldn’t hold on to the cup so my leg was soaking wet.
By the time we finished eating and cleaning up the spill, the sun had come up and it was already about 10 degrees warmer. Within 15 minutes it was about 40 degrees and we were
about to start taking off layers! We had time to take pictures and play around the geysers, being sure to keep a safe distance when one of them started going off.
GEYSERS DE TATIO
After about 30 minutes the sun had gotten so warm the steam evaporated almost immediately and the geysers essentially stopped. The amount of change in the environment in such short time was amazing. So we piled back in the van and drove to a pool filled with the warm geyser water. Sam, Natalie and CJ and I toughed it out and got in since we’d worn our swim suits underneath our clothes. Our tour guide claimed that he almost never gets in, but for some reason today decided to swim. We think the number of cute young girls changed his mind. After we’d gotten used to the warm water we started getting really cold, so we did a quick dry off and jump back in the van before heading to the last stop.
GEYSERS POOL
At the end of the tour we stopped in a tiny (i.e. about 20 houses but only 3 families currently live there) village. I’m still not exactly sure why we went there other than for a touristy thing, because the only thing there was a beautiful white adobe church up on the hill and people selling anticachos (meat kabobs) with llama meat and sopapillas and empanadas. But we hung out for a while then drove the hour plus ride back to San Pedro.
We got back to the hostel around noon and most people went to take a nap. But Sam, Natalie, Calli, CJ and I walked into town to pay for our observatory tour later that night and to figure out our tours for the next day. I knew I wanted to go to Bolivia and about 4 others had brought they passports, so I went from agency to agency asking about their one day tours to Bolivia. Most of the tours are 3 or 4 days but I finally found an agency that had space for a one day tour on Saturday. I went back to the hostel and got everyone’s money that wanted to go to Bolivia ($60 for the day!) then walked back and reserved our spots.
At 3 we started our next tour of Valle de la Muerte y Valle de la Luna (Valley of Death and Valley of the Moon). We did this tour with Juan, the brother of our hostel owner. It was great because it was just our group with Juan driving us around explaining stuff, so a lot less touristy than the other tours. First we went to the Valley of Death, which is basically a huge desert valley in the middle of the desert. (Alright, so that description doesn’t do it much justice). But it was beautiful and looked like something out of a movie.
Next we went stopped at what seemed like the middle of the highway and followed Juan to what seemed like no where until we came to a huge cave 150 feet into the ground. There is an urban legend that a meteor fell and created the cave because it the walls down into the cave look like something fell straight down and sheered it away. Juan said it probably wasn’t a meteor because that would have caused a crater type hole, but it was still impressive.
VALLEY DE LA MUERTE
Next we went to a look out over one side of Valley de la Luna. I don’t know what the Grand Canyon looks like in person, but this is kind of what I would imagine. While we were at the look out I had to pee really bad (its so dry so we’ve been drinking water like its going out of style) but there was no where to go so I ducked behind a rock. Everyone had a good laugh, but with the amount of traveling we’ve all done together, we’ve gotten really close. The whole bodily function subject is completely open with all of us and we have a great time with it.
VALLE DE LA LUNA
Next we went to Las Tres Marias, a rock formation in the middle of the desert. Over thousands of years the wind blew away all the soft rock, leaving three vertical rocks that look like three women praying, hence the name “The Three Marys”. There was also a rock that looked like a T-Rex head, so we took a picture in front of it looking like dinosaurs.
Finally we made it to Valley de la Luna and hike up the sand dune with hundreds of other tourists. Everyone sits along the ridge and watches the sun set. Juan took us to the very end so we ended up being quite secluded and just before the sun went down he passed out Pisco Sours for everyone!
SUNSET AT VALLE DE LA LUNAAfter the sun set we ran down the back of the dune (awesome!) then got back in the van and drove back to the hostel. We had a few hours before tour number 3 for the day started, so we cleaned up then got dinner at great restaurant in town (amazingly San Pedro has a lot of great restaurants since it is so touristy. But much better cuisine then Santiago).
At 10 we got on the bus for our next tour called Space Orbs. We drove about 30 out of the city into the middle of the desert and for the next two hours stood outside freezing but learning all about the stars from a very funny and entertaining French man. He and his wife are both astronomers and moved to San Pedro about 10 years ago since it is one of the clearest night skies in the southern hemisphere. They had some amazing telescopes and now I see why most little kids what telescopes growing up. I still can’t believe the things we saw. Star bursts, star clusters, a galaxy 48 billion light years away (it was a tight dull dot in the middle of their most powerful telescope) and all kinds of other celestial phenomenon that I can’t remember. They pointed out some easy to spot Southern constellations and taught us how to find the southern pole. Unlike in the north, there is not southern star to guide you, so you have to use other stars to find it.
After the tour they gave us hot chocolate, some of the best I’ve ever had in my life. Then we drove back into town. By the time we got back it was almost 2 and after waking up at 3:15 am we were exhausted! But I set my alarm for 7 am so we go get up and go to Bolivia in the morning!!
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