Hittin' the High Spots

On October something-or-another, at 3:00 am, our USAC group departed from a supermarket parking lot and headed for San Pedro de Atacama.

After five days in the desert, the group split.

Then, some amigas and I hopped on the next bus to Pucon.

Yesterday at 7:00 am, we rolled back into Santiago on a double-decker bus, smelly and sleepy and ready (not) for a brand-new school week.

A lot happened.

Thus, as I do with most showers, I will hit the high spots.
Armpits, face, behind the ears.

San Pedro de Atacama: Greatest Hits

1) Home-base
A hotel far fancier than any student would choose for themselves.
Also the only gas station in the dusty, two-street town.

2) La Valle de la Luna
Sunset.
The area apparently most similar to a lunar landscape.
Lots of sand and rocks.

3) Bikes and Volcanos
An open road toward the base of the volcano Licancabur.
Of course we had to ride as far as our legs/water supply would carry us.
Also obligated to climb in the lava-encrusted canyons.

4) Floating in Salt
Salt lake in the middle of the desert
"Swimming" with all four limbs in the air.
Crusty faces/hair.
Watching the desert swallow the sun over salt plains.

5) Flamingos
In the desert?
Who knew!

6) Star-gazing
A German guide, based out of his VW van.
The middle of nowhere.
In the middle of the clearest skies in the world.
More stars than you could shake a stick at.

7) The Best Juice of Mi Vida
A tiny hut thatched in grass.
Dogs coming and going.
Pineapple/mango.
Banana/peach.
Chirimoya/kiwi.

8) Inca Trail
Ancient superhighway of the Andes.

9) Geothermal Hot Springs
Desert oasis.
Can I bathe here for the rest of my life?

10) Recognizing the Santiago Sky-line
Recognizing that home is where you make it.

And now...

The Very Best of Pucon

1) Home-base
The up-and-coming hostel of the wiley brothers, Marcelo and Caesar.
The door on the second floor that opened out into air.
The best nights of sleep a few mil can buy.

2) Horses
Mortal fear, reaffirmed.
Finicky horse.
75 year old guide who gargled Spanish like it was Listerine.
Spectacular (and unexpected) descent down to a waterfall.

3) Black-Sand Beach
Napping in volcano-territory.

4) Villarrica Volcano
Looming above the town.
Still quite active.
Glowing red at night.
An attempted summit at 4:00 am, thwarted by bad weather.
Got to carry an ice-pick just the same.
Saw the sunrise over the Andes Mtns.

5) Fellow Gringos
Spotted in the market.
An adventure to a thrift store.
Sweaters your grandma would covet.
An adventure to make guacamole and rice.

6) Geothermal Hot Springs (Part 2)
Fairy woodland.
Water hot enough to boil a chicken (or a gringo, whichever the recipe specifies).
Light drizzles.
Brisk scurrying to get out of the rain.

7) Day Trip to Valdivia
A town surrounded by three rivers.
A hostel hole-in-the-wall.
Murals covering everything.
A duck and a bunny in the backyard.

8) Kuntsmann Brewery
Legit German beer.
A rainy afternoon.
The epiphany that maybe Germans drink because the weather isn't good?
Still doing field-research on this one.

9) Sealions
Big smelly beasts.
Skeezing around the fish markets.
Fighting with neighborhood dogs.
Basking.

10) Night Bus
Back to Santiago.
Via a double-decker.
The urge to stuff a sock into a snoring mouth, repressed.

Ten days of travelling, from the deserts of the North, to the lakes and volcanoes of the South.
The landscapes could not have been more different. Or more breathtaking.
What a thin slice of geographical diversity is Chile.

Por fin, I am glad to be back in Santiago.
Free bed.
Hot showers.
Good food (i.e. not my own cooking).

Yesterday I told my host mom her cooking was the best in the nation.
I meant it.

But I fear my compliment may have backfired.
She has started serving me Paul-Bunyan-sized portions.
At dinner tonight, I was served enough lentils to fill Paul's great big ol' shoe.
Sheesh.

All gastrointestinal distress aside, I am happy as a Valdivian sealion.
I'll try to post some pictures soon.

Until then, take 'er easy.

And maybe quit your day job for a gig in the middle of the Atacama Desert, living out of a van, showing gringos the best light show on earth.
Or invest in the hair-brained scheming of Marcelo and Caesar.

Or just come and visit me.
*cough, cough*
*Mom and Michelle*

(!)