Atacama: Crystal Valley

I didn't wake up sick today, unless you count "opening my eyes and finding there's a cat on my face" to mean 'sick'. He immediately jumped off and started trying to eat my glasses. Go figure. I scarfed down the remainder of last night's dinner and hopped in the van, ready to be taken to the third and final place on our itinerary.

So far we've wandered through desolate landscapes of steam and salt, meaning I was totally unprepared for today's hike. The valley is a riot of color, deep red terrain surrounding bright green mountains. From far away they look verdant and teaming with life. But this place is just as desolate as the rest of Atacama. In our hike the only signs of life were a single bird, the occasional patch of brush, and a handful of llama carcasses. Rather the green is oxidized copper. I put a few rocks in my backpack. They'll make good souvenirs.
 

Our guide dropped us off so we could walk along the highway. By now I've gotten a lot better at panorama shots, so capturing the landscape isn't that hard.

Afterwards he took us to a local farming town. The exploration was fun but we were forbidden from taking pictures . Not every part of Atacama is used to tourists. What struck me most about the place wasn't the places or the people. In one of the trees I could hear chirping birds. It was the first time since Michigan.

And with that our vacation is effectively over. We stay in Atacama a few more hours while waiting for our plane ride out. We'd expected to stay a bit longer so bought our tickets for late. No big deal.

All in all, I'm glad we did this. Coordinating the logistics was a big pain, but the rewards were amazing. The three valleys were just incredible, and the geysers weren't bad either. Between transportation, lodging, and touring fees we spent maybe 250 dollars in total. Worth it.

Two more weeks then I'm back in the US. But first comes five days in Patagonia. I'm travelling to the bottom of the world. I can't wait.