Sandboarding in Death Valley, San Pedro de Atacama
May 1-7, 2010 (first semester break): Finally made my way up to San Pedro de Atacama of Chile, what the travel guide describes as the driest desert in the world. So, how “lucky” it was for my friends and I to arrive there on the one night that was cold, windy, cloudy and “drizzling.” Some travelers were even lucky enough to spot a couple of rainbows there. We spent a few days there enjoying what San Pedro’s desert had to offer: admiring beautiful landscapes of red sand in contrast to brilliant blue skies with a pisco in hand, swimming/floating in salt lakes that had such high concentration of salt that it was impossible to sink, sandboarding down Death Valley, sharing meals with new friends met along the way, duct taping my broken glasses with new friends met along the way, and sipping hot navigado (red wine, spices & citrus) by a bonfire at night. San Pedro, the desert north of Chile, where 5-minute hot showers are all you can expect in their hostels, is a touristy and fun place for both the adventure and photo lovers. Yet, the real adventures for me didn’t begin ’til we crossed over the frontiers for a 4-day trip in a 4×4 towards Uyuni, Bolivia (next post).
Salar de Atacama
