Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Atacama: Valley of the Moon

We didn't get any sense of the desert on our arrival. We blitzed to the airport, shot into Calama, grabbed the first bus to San Pedro, landed right next to our hostel, and went to bed. So when I woke the next morning I had no expectations about what I would see. I had also done a very good job Not Learning Anything about the desert. What can I say? I hate spoilers.



Wow.

No smog. No humidity either. I think that helps with the views, letting me see further with better detail. I'm cycling these ideas as a buffer against the site. Distracting myself keeps me from being blown away.

We explore the town a little, trying to find food and supplies. 2000 people live in San Pedro. We're lucky to see a single person per block. The whole experience is a little eerie, walking through a thriving ghost town.



Eventually we pick up some food for the trail. The itinerary today is Valley de la Luna. The guides tell that we won't have time for anything else. I have no idea why it's called "Valley of the Moon." Spoilers, remember?

At three we get in the van and head into the outskirts of San Pedro. Houses and ranches soon give way into barren wasteland, then alien landscapes.




I'm not sure whether it's a testament to the strangeness of the place or my own inexperience that I've never seen anything like it before. There is no life anywhere. Eventually we stop and are allowed to get out.









We continue to a place called the Three Mary's. A local researcher thought the standing stones looked like the Virgin Mary. Here the guide explains the reasons behind both the name and the barrenness. The rocks in the valley are fifty percent salt. After heavy rains the entire place is a dull white. The first person to document it said it looked like the moon, hence the name. Gonna have to admit I find it a little poetic. This also explains why the place is so dead. The earth itself is hostile to life. Bits of salt are everywhere. In the far off mountains, on the ground beneath us,



 

We find an old salt-miner's house, back when the area was regularly mined. Those bricks are all salt. We find exposed areas and chip off pieces as souvenirs. Then we head to the salt mines, where the miners blasted the rocks with dynamite to get the minerals within.



After that we head out. Our guide decides that we've had it too easy so far and need a good hike under our belts. He stops at one ridge and points it out to us.



Then he tells us its way too dangerous and we're going on a much smaller one.



I'm not complaining.

This is the highest we've been so far. What we didn't notice down in the valley was the ever-present wind. It's harsh and dry, a white wind that seems to strip the dirt away. It also chills me to the bone. I zip up my sweater. Amazing how much the temperature changes with just a little height.

We climb back down. Our guide points out some geological strata that tell the history of the desert. White stones are heavy rains, black stones are volcanic activity. And then we drive out of the Valley of the Moon. But our tour isn't over yet. The final part, the hardest hike, is about to begin.



Welcome to the Valley of the Dead.

We are high above the desert floor. The white wind is now a constant presence whistling in my ears. There are seven of us, four other tourists, and the guide. Even so, I feel lonelier than I ever have in Santiago. Even the first day seems warm and comfortable against this. Even as I chat with Tito and Brian I can feel the isolation building up. But the loneliness is beautiful in a way. It's clean and bright. The loneliness of a sun over a snow-covered peak. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe I let myself be overly sensitive to the place, taking a placebo and calling it the real thing. I push the thoughts out of my mind as I stop with the rest and wait for sunset.




Then I see something and have to laugh.


Life.

In both valleys the only signs of life were other tourists. Not single bird going overhead, not a single fly buzzing around our heads, not a single plant tucked into the rocks. The place is too deadly for that. And yet here, at the top of the dead valley, a shrub latched onto its tiny life. I look around. More of them, scattered across the ridge in tiny clumps. I point them out of the other people. They aren't as impressed as me.

Our tour guide pulls out glasses and pours each of us a pisco sour. We sip them as we watch the sun fall.



Getting back is slightly harder. Instead of taking the rocky valley back, we land on the dunes and slide down the sand. It's side fine our feet sink right in. We are walking down a crazy slope, so steep we'd need climbing gear if it were solid. I'd like to call it impressive or amazing or eerie, but it sums up to "kinda fun." Can't be amazed by everything.



With that we head home. We have to be in bed early if we want to catch the geysers. It's been one day and already the desert has amazed and exhausted me. I'll write this and head to bed. I'm tired as hell. Sleep can't come soon enough.

Until tomorrow.

3 comments:

  1. that "shrub" looks a lot of like the remnants of a fire... the rocks make a perfect circle.

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  2. Deserts are awesome. I like the picture of the salt-sucking from the rock. That looks fun.

    Oh, FYI, your blog sometimes doesn't completely load the Google-features. I don't know if this is a problem with your blog (so many epic pictures?) or if this is me having to jump the Great Firewall. Try accessing it as a non-author and see what happens.

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  3. Your panoramic shots look really great! All the epic pictures!

    See you soonish, and I hope you have lots of fun now that your work is done :)

    Also, how far is Atacama fr/Santiago?

    ReplyDelete