Back into Chile

I had left the coca leaves at the border and found my way to a hostel upon arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. A spiritual place, a magical field of energy; one of the three major ones in Chile. This, and an over-touristy destination too. But, by travelling and wanting to see this place I contributing to the madness. I am not blaming eager tour salesmen and hostel … I am blaming us for over-tipping and traveling irresponsibly at times. The tourism insanity, especially in Bolivia and Peru, is outrageous and enraging, but hey, we are all responsible. When you go there, you will know what I am taking about…

San Pedro was a cool little spot despite the pestering flyer-passer-outers. I rented a bike and headed 17km down the highway for Valle de La Luna. A truly spiritual place… I did some spelunking through salt caves and found my way to the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) viewpoint, as the sun was setting… when everyone else arrived on tour buses. We hiked over a dune and posted up to watch the sun set, but more impressively, the backlight of the sunset against the Cordillera de los Andes (Andes Mountains). The coolest thing was that with each passing minute, the rocks changed colors… from beige to crimson to brick and royal purple before becoming altogether dark. Even the Licancabur Volcano played its role in the color-change scheme… and as I looked back at the range, I imagined the Bolivian that I know was on the other side… afterall, I had just crossed the border that morning. The I rode back on a choppy road… in the DARK...

Next is crazy Calama, but for now…

I am trying to catch the fotos up with the stories… enjoy.

Soon