Biting off too much

The trip from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama took almost 24 hours by bus, I believe that it as a distance of over 1000 miles. The landscape changed drastically from dry hills surrounding lush valleys to the center of the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world. It was incredible to see a desert so dry that there was no vegetation at all in the landscape for miles on end.

San Pedro is a tiny town, an hour from Chile's border with Bolivia which seems to be populated half-and-half with international travelers and local residents. While the travelers come from all over the world, with a high number of French, British, and Germans, they are not your regular tourists. If a traveler comes to San Pedro, it is to experience the spectacular mountains and river valleys, and usually to take part in an outdoor adventure. Upon arriving Sunday, my first priority was to reserve a trip across the salt plains of Bolivia to drop me off in the town of Uyuni 3 days later.

In the day before the trip, I rented a bike and explored the area around town. I started alone in the morning biking to a place called Pukara de Quitar, which I explored with a Chilean I met along the way from Santiago. As Rodrigo and I approached the park, a mid-sized dog started to follow us, before running ahead and stationing himself right at the entrance of the park. The park was there to preserve ancient stone ruins of the Incas, and offered grand views of the San Pedro Valley all around. The dog followed us up all the way to the top of the hill, and back down. I jested with my friend that the dog was our spirit-guide.

Exiting, I met a recently-engaged couple named Kim and Stacey from New York, and I met another Chilean while riding further into the valley to Quebara del Diablo. I returned midday, re-hydrated and took off again on bicycle with Dave, a friend from the hostel. We set off for the Valley of the Moon in order to catch sunset, but 3/4ths of the way there, my bike broke down. After the chain fell off 8 more times, I finally gave in and shifted to a much lower gear, but that made riding on the hilly terrain difficult, and nearly impossible. After an incredible amount of effort we finally reached the valley in time for sunset. However, I knew that there was no way I'd make it back the 15km to the town after sunset. Fortunately, I ran into the couple from New York again, and Kim offered me and Dave a lift in the pickup truck he had rented. As tired as I was, and with as much misfortune as I had experienced, they were definitely angels in my path.

This night, I'll pack my things again and try my best to rest up for the 3-day trek across the desert highlands of Chile and Bolivia.