Desert wanderings

Dear future me,

From the dessert Sucre to the desert of Uyuni and beyond. I left the stylish lovely town, with its fascinating museums about the treasury and colorful weaving of Bolivia, behind to become a salty wanderer on the flats of Uyuni. Somewhere in that journey time seemed to bend, because I can’t believe this story covers only two weeks of adventure. Maybe it just felt too much like a vacation, where every minute of the day seems endless due to coping with all the old impressions while you still ingesting new impressions. Or the many people I met whom stories and sweet company still lingers in my head and prevented me to get any homework done. I fail miserably in keeping up with my photos and video’s or simply updating my diary. Or the time dimensions got my bearings screwed. Going from Peru to Bolivia set the clock 1 hour ahead. Going back to the coast in Chile means I gain, o no wait, lose another hour. Huh? I’m still confused. But Chili who lies directly under Peru has two hours difference. The further I get from Holland, the least amount of time difference there is. Only four hours left, so if I keep on riding….. I might find a place where there is no time left. My head is already spinning about that idea, but I guess sand and salt gets into your brain and starts messing things up.

Okay, back to reality. I entered a magic world, where you can ride on salty grounds of the Salar the Uyuni to lose all your bearings. At least you can hold on to the Dakar monument who reminds you of the many many crazy people who race in these baren lands and are now conquering the dunes and deserts of Saudi Arabia. To get a better grip on reality, I decided to join a tour on 4 wheels. Best decision every, because instead of plowing through sand on my elephant with its 2 wheels, I sat in a jeep with equally inquisitive fellow wanderers from Europe. Together we were running around on the white stuff trying to get away from Dinosaurs and jumping Godzilla’s. And together we were devouring the amazing world of the lagunas and rocky formations south of Uyuni, ending in the national reserve of Eduardo Avaroa. I must admit though that Bolivia takes the title of my last blog (rainbow country) too literally. All the laguna’s had different colors, although sometimes you really had to use your imagination to see the appropriate color. As for most lagunas I would see 50 shades of blue. Dotted with beautiful, but camara shy flamingos. I think we gave them enough exercise for the day, because these beautiful birds can synchronize their speed of walking away with your ambition to get near them. But ultimately Laguna Colorado did completely live up to its name and contained vivid green, orange, blue, red and white colors, next to the dotted pinks. There was also enough wind around to shuffle all the minerals on the bottom of the lake to emphasize the color. And to make you forget about any altitude sickness that might spur up, because you are trying to hold on to all your internal organs while your brain gets a good blow through.

Walking along the geysers and soaking in hot pools helps to get you back to your feet. This land has everything you need, from volcanic activity to get warmed up, to quinoa and cactus to brew your beers. Toss in some good company of sweet and interesting people plus a great guide and you are on the moon. At least, almost. After I got delivered back to Uyuni, I took the bike across the border on a 10-hour trip through parts of the same area to get to Chile. In two days I arrived at the same spot some of my fellow travelers in the jeep tour had gone to by bus in one hour: San Pedro de Atacama. It is just on the other side of the border, but it takes a long detour if you want to get there on a sort of normal offroad that is fit for an overloaded bike. The good thing though was that San Pedro has the same vibe as where we left Bolivia. There is still a lot of sand around, mixed with numerous tourists who come to relax in the desert. A great place to spend Christmas, where I was hoping for. Enough known people to play the role of surrogate family: more than one reunion with Germans I had met on the Salar the Uyuni, a nice dinner with a lovely Dutch couple and a Schwiss guy who was willing enough to join me on a mountain bike trip to the moon. The Valle de la Luna is spectacular on its own, but if you are already exhausted by peddling a bicycle and you can share the saddle pain with someone else, it doubles the amount of euphoric feelings. Every time you think you’ve seen it all, you get to a new place that blows you of your socks.

After living the desert life in San Pedro de Atacama, I thought it was time to hit the road again. Most bikers go to Argentina from here, to see the beautiful northwest of that country. But, as I have the time on my side, I choose to explore the length of Chile. So I took the desert highway to the coast and now I’m slowly moving south. Highway 101 on the Pacific Coast of the United States gets heavy competition from this Ruta 5 on the coast of Chile. Thoroughly blue waters, mixed with colors of the desert of Atacama provides some amazing views. It helps that I love to ride in vast areas where there is nothing but sand and water. Except for the occasional sightseeing like the Mano del Desierto and National Park Pan de Azucar. My destination for spending New Year’s Eve at a campsite on the beach. Warmly welcomed by the hosts and a French couple who were willing to share their bubbles with me to celebrate the passing of time. The beauty of the park, the fine company, the experience of the first time in my tent on South American soil, it all made the best scene I could hope for. And tasting some of the cuisine of Chile, including their skill of making good bread and producing tasty wine. The wine was so good, that the local host couldn’t resist tasting some more and more. Sobered up in the morning, I found him still lurking on wine bottles and decided that it was time for me to get moving again. Now I’m in the midst of Chilean vacationers in beach town Caldera, as the holiday season has started for real. Summer is here!

See ya later,

Annemieke