After staying two and a half days in San Pedro David and I both started to get itchy feet, so decided to head off to Iquique which is on the northern coast of Chile, to the west of the Atacama Desert. Don’t get me wrong, we loved San Pedro. The hostel we stayed at was probably the best so far, the best kitchen , very clean and the owner was super friendly. The people were great and the duskiness of the place reminded me of the Pilbra in Western Australia but it was the mountains that got me again, just amazing…
Before arriving into this awesome town we had the pleasure of seeing not only dirt roads with great mountain views but also ice on the sides of the road. It was the most strangest thing, I mean we are in the middle of the desert and yet there is ice on the roads. Boy, it must get cold here at nights I thought to myself.
And then we arrived into San Pedro and all our thoughts of this being a little quiet town were blown away. What a funky little dusty town in the middle of the desert. After checking into our hostel accommodation we set out to explore this town. While walking through the towns center we bump into a lovely fellow named Andres Perez Ramirez who spoke English, immediately we thought this was pretty cool as it is such a grateful feeling to find someone who speaks your language. After chatting with Andres for a while and striking up quite a friendship he informs us on his “Route of the Desert” tours in Chile http://www.routeofthedesert.cl
So the next day we ride up to the Geysers with Andres leading the way, stopping occasionally for photos and to just take in the atmosphere. We start at an altitude of 2600 meters which is at San Pedro level and then move up to 4000 meters which is our first stop. We are starting to feel a little woozy and light-headed at this stage and take half an altitude table each. Then we move up to an altitude of 4200 meters and have to stop. As soon as I get off the back of the bike I am feeling strange… Very light-headed and the more I move the worse I feel. We enjoy a cup of black tea and a shaslick of Lama (Camelids, as the locals call them – a combination of wild guanco and the domesticated lama) and it tastes surprisingly yummy!! At this point I am feeling quite emotional, not to sure why but I just am. We head up to the highest point we can get to as the rest of the road is covered in ice and there is no way we can ride through it – altitude 4600 meters. We watch a large fox try to out smart a Lama from a distance but doesn’t quite succeed and the birds that are walking along the iced up lakes instead of swimming through them, it’s just so bizarre and then we turn around and head on back to San Pedro.
After some tasty local food back at San Pedro for lunch we then head out to the Salt Flats of San Pedro. I have to take a moment here and let you know that I am seriously struggling to find my place in the whole dynamics of what David and I are doing. David rides the bike, sets the routes and I don’t really feel I am contributing to a great deal . I also think that the biggest challenge for me with this whole trip is going to be coming to terms with the ugly dirt and sandy roads. It seriously does my head in and I know that I have to relax about it but it is so hard….
So heading out to the sandy salt flats I think I am going to either pass out or have a heart attack. The road is so sandy, I am talking about loose areas of sand that make the back wheel skip out and I am freaking out. I’m not to sure if it’s the feeling of not being in control of what is happening or the fact that David needs to stand up to balance the bike and I can’t see in front of me and what is going on? I really hope this changes and I am able to calm down and enjoy it more but for now it just terrifies me. So once we get to the salt flats and I have finished hyperventilating I get off the bike and start to enjoy the surroundings. David jumps into the random lake that is in the middle of it all. And the freezing cold water and the look on David’s face is priceless. He is having a ball and this relaxes me and I start to get into the spirit of it all.
So at the end of the day San Pedro did us well . The people where lovely, the place was amazing and the food, views and accommodation was fantastic. Thanks San Pedro and thanks Andres for the amazing tour around San Pedro.
