27th November – A lot of hot air...?

Valley of the geysers

Our last day today and we decided to push ourselves and get up at 4.45am n order to get up to the geysers for sunrise – a 2 hour drive away up into the Andes.  Mum and I felt like death warmed up, but Chris was annoyingly chirpy.  Our guide took one look at us and suggested we brought some pillows from our room and snoozed, so we each had 3 seats to ourselves and tried to get a few extra zzzz’s. 

As we approached the valley where the geysers are located, we could see clouds of steam rising into the air in the distance.  The ticket guy informed our guide that it was -10 degrees Celsius outside, and we weren’t surprised as ice had formed on the inside of our van windows!  We parked up, put on all our layers and then went for a walk through the first set of bubbling pools and clouds of steam.  Yes, it was cold and after the 1^st walk, Mum declined to join us on the second walk and stayed in the warm van.  During the 2^nd walk, the sun finally rose and it was incredible what a difference that made.  We got some dramatic photos with the sun shining through the clouds of steam.  Alexandro, our guide, took us to a geyser that erupts every minute or so, so we watched that a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it – we even persuaded Mum to get out of the van to come and watch and she was also mesmerised.

Llareta

We went back to the van for a hot drink and a snack and Chris and I even shed a couple of layers.  Alexandro pointed out some local rodents that look like rabbits with tails.  This comprises the main diet for the foxes and we were lucky enough to see another one very close up.  He was a cheeky chappie and was scouting round the bins looking for an easy meal whilst being mobbed by the Andean seagull.  We were also shown the llareta, a protected plant these days as it’s been over collected in the past by locals as a source of firewood.  It’s an amazing plant that is very slow growing and only grows above 4000 metres.

The Andean coot

We then started making our way slowly back to the hot springs making lots of stops on the way looking at various forms of wildlife and cacti.  We admired more vicunas, saw domesticated llamas, the Puna duck, the Andean coot and the Andean goose plus got our best sighting yet of the Andean flamingoes..  Around 3500 metres we started seeing a lot of columnar cacti which really looked spectacular.

Andean flamingoes

The Puna duck

The hot spring....

After driving down a very rough track, we arrived at the hot springs that Explora manage and have exclusive rights to the top pool.  They were gorgeous and it was just the three of us initially in a natural pool surrounded by pampas grass.  Tiny fish nibbled our feet and dragonflies buzzed lazily around us.  Our guide and driver set up a table laden with food and drinks, so after we’d had enough of the pool, we dried ourselves and had a drink and some nibbles in the sun.  Black hooded sierra finch were very cheeky and kept trying to grab crumbs from the table – I took a nice photo of the colourful male sitting on a pampas grass flower head.  We all agreed that it was the perfect end to a really wonderful holiday.

Black hooded sierra finch

So, now we’re back at the hotel, packed and ready for our flight to Santiago.  We’re staying in some boutique hotel, which I’m sure will be superb based on all the other places we’ve stayed in.  However, we don’t land until 8pm tonight so won’t see much of it or Santiago as we’ll be leaving mid morning for the airport to start our long journey home.

26th November – Miscanti and Miniques Lagunas in the Altiplanic region

Mother-in-laws pillow

Drama this morning as couldn’t wake Mum up as she closed the connecting door between our rooms and had the chain on her front door so just couldn’t get in.  We contacted housekeeping but they couldn’t find a key to unlock the connecting door so we were resigned to Mum having a lazy day by the pool.  However, just as we were finishing breakfast, a familiar little figure staggered into the dining room!!  Luckily, our trip had been pushed out half an hour so we had plenty of time to get ready.

It was another exclusive trip today as it was just the three of us – hooray!!  We had an hour’s drive to Socaire, a small town high up in the foothills of the Andes.  Amazingly, they existed on agriculture and we saw terraces built into the desert with healthy looking crops growing in them.  Goodness knows how they found any soil as it looks so rocky up there.  Evidently, there must be a water source and I spotted some small canals which obviously carry the water to the crops.

The golden grass setting off the volcanic peaks perfectly

Bizarrely, here, as you get higher, the vegetation starts to get lusher and we soon saw lots of cacti (known locally as mother-in-laws pillow) and a beautiful low growing yellow tussocky grass that clothes the hillsides and turns them a beautiful golden colour.  This is the primary food of the vicunas – the smallest member of the Llama family.

The scenery was quite simply breathtaking - huge vistas in every direction with the volcanic cones of the Andes punctuating the landscape.  We finally made it to the 1^st lagoon which sits in an old volcanic crater – wow!  The deep blue of the lagoon gave way to the golden grass on the lower slopes of the volcanoes and then as you higher, it was just the beautiful purple coloured rocks of the cones, which are the classic volcano shape you learned about at school as they’re still young and haven’t had much erosion.  We went for a short walk here, which was just as well, as we were all panting for breath and couldn’t have walked very far.

We then drove to the second lake which had been part of the 1^st lake until 10,000 years ago when a volcanic eruption spewed out enough ash to split the original lake into two.  This was possibly even more beautiful than the first one. On the distant shore we saw vicunas on the salt margins.

We then retraced out steps and came across a desert fox trotting down the track towards our van.  We stopped to admire him and he obviously liked being photographed as he first of all walked past us and then stopped and turned back and came to stand by us.  He was a beautiful animal with a thick coat and a very bushy tail with a black tip – not dissimilar to the African jackals.

What a back drop!

We continued our drive only to be stopped by vicunas on the road!!  They obligingly crossed it in front of us and then paused for their photos where the light was perfect – they were set off beautifully in the golden grass.

Vicunas posing for us

Our view while eating lunch.....

Finally we arrived at a huge salt flat with a milky blue lagoon in it – Salar el laco.  Again, it was simply stunning – words can’t really describe it.  We spotted flamingos in the lake and also some vicunas were standing where we wanted to park the van. They duly ran off and we enjoyed watching them cross into the salt pan.  Our driver and guide set up a picnic lunch for us and so we ate it whilst looking at the most amazing vista I’ve ever seen.  I just wish I could paint as it was screaming out to be painted with water colours.

Flamingoes feeding in the brackish water

After lunch we just retraced our steps back to the lodge – most of us kipping on route, which was a sin really as we should have been enjoying the landscape.  However, being at 4,300 metres is tiring as there’s 20% less oxygen available at these heights – well, that’s my justification!

25th November – Valley of the Moon and Rainbow Valley

Just look at the salt!

This morning it was just the 3 of us accompanied by our rather attractive guide, Catalina.  The Valley of the Moon is very close to the lodge so after a short van ride we were there.  It is set in the Salt Mountains, which is a range lifted some 32 million years ago and are about 3000 metres high.   As the name suggests, these mountains were mined for their salt starting in the 1950’s until 1975.  You could see the salt everywhere glinting in the rocks like diamonds and where it was particularly concentrated, it looked like snow.  We drove up the length of the valley and then stopped off to see various highlights.

The first stop off was The Three Mary’s, one of which has fallen from grace by the hand of an eager acolyte (read tourist) who tried climbing it only for it to fall over. Nowadays you can’t touch the stones.

Abandoned compressor in front of a ruined house

The second stop was the site of a former mine. During the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s the salt was mined here for iodine. This was carried out by the local population and was done in a very rudimentary way – they dug a hole, put some explosive in and bang! The result is a bigger hole full of salt rocks. This ended in 1975 when better ways of making iodine were used. Catalina said that if we were quiet we could hear the salt crystals cracking as they expanded in the heat, and yes you can. Apart from holes in the ground there are various bits of debris around including boots, shirts, car parts a large compressor which are just left to slowly degrade in the heat and dryness.

View back over the Salt Mountains

We then moved out of the park and onto the main road between San Pedro and Calama, this took us around the back of the Vale de la Luna and above it. The views back into the vale were superb. This is where lots of people come to watch the sun go down and gets quite crowded.

Back at the hotel we decided that after lunch we would spend some time enjoying the facilities and used the outdoor Jacuzzi. I decided to take the plunge and jump in to one of the 5 outdoor pools, yes, that is correct 5. As we lay there drying off we were surrounded by up to 9 members of staff either doing maintenance, or taking pictures of themselves (with us in the background) or standing around chatting. We looked round the other pools and there were only people sunbathing, obviously we must be something exotic!

Rainbow Valley

At 4:00pm we set off for the Rainbow Valley also known as the Vale de la Mars or Death valley. The name confusion come from a Belgian priest who toured this area in the 1950’s and use the French name for Mars which sounds to like muerta in Spanish which is word for death to name the valley, hence Death valley. This was in the Domeyko range of mountains which were raised up over 90 million years ago and are about 4000 metres high.

Llama petroglyphs

On the way we stopped to look at some petroglyphs. These are on a series of rocks and have a central theme of Llamas (more likely the more prevalent Guanaco which is larger than the Llama). Our Guide, Anjela pointed out the outline of the carvings in the rocks. Initially it’s quite difficult to make them out, but we soon got our eyes into spotting them. As we walked along the rocks the carvings became more prevalent and sophisticated. Some showed Llamas with small ones inside and this is associated with what is believed to be a calendar. There are also round markings that is, believed to be, a way of counting down the days. There are also carvings of foxes and a snake. Towards the end of the rocks we also saw pictures of shaman probably high on mescal with images of more llamas, a monkey and other reptiles. To view these images required scrambling up the rocks in places. Walking back, Anjela picked some obsidian, malachite, and pottery shards out of the sand.

Finally we got to our destination, the Death Valley. The valley itself isn’t that long, but it has deposits of copper (green rocks), sulphur (yellow), iron (red), and white (calcium carbonate/gypsum). The colours were amazing and looked lovely in the sun light.  Anjela believes that sadly this valley will eventually become a mine as the deposits at Calama are exhausted.

Tamsin and Gill felt tired and went to bed. I went out to onsite observatory with 8 other guests. The guide was Luis, a very enthusiast person who soon had us looking at through the Meade 2000 reflector telescope. The first observation was of the moon which was a waxing and in a fine crescent shape. This filled the eye piece and several people took pictures using their smart phones. The next object up was the Orion nebula. As the telescope is already programmed with these objects Luis just needed to tell it what he wanted to look at. We also looked at Uranus (no comments please) before going outside to see two Megallanic Clouds and the Zodiac constellations. I left as everyone else went back i to look at Mars and Andromeda. The skies here are fantastic and very clear which is why the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) is based this is a research facility run jointly by ESA/NASA and Japanese funding.

24th November – To the Atacama Desert

Chris and Mum hardly slept at all and I was lucky to manage about 4 hours sleep.  We staggered over to the airport, dropped our bags off and cleared security.  We noted that our flight was the only one without a gate, but weren’t too perturbed. Eventually, Chris consulted the LAN help desk and they directed us to the right gate.  Phew!

The view from our dining terrace

Landed at Calama as scheduled and were met by our driver.  We had an hour or so drive to our lodge just outside the village of San Pedro de Atacama which is at about 2500 metres above sea level.  Our driver drove rather erratically so we accelerated and then braked rather jerkily the whole way which wasn’t very pleasant.  We passed through some very barren scenery which got more dramatic as we got closer to the lodge as we passed through the Chilean coastal range of mountain range.

The lodge is lovely – but much larger than the one on Easter Island so seems a little less personal.  It’s very modern with huge airy shared areas and then 65 rooms in 3 different buildings.  We went for a wander round the pool complex which is incredible – 4-5 pools and various steam rooms. Saunas and Jacuzzis scattered amongst the native vegetation.  Just hope we get a chance to enjoy it!

We went for our briefing which was rather similar to the one on Easter Island.  A very giggly young girl called Camilla gave us our briefing and then arranged our tours for the next few days.  I do hope she won’t be our guide for those trips!  Initially she tried to persuade us that we wanted to go out on a horse safari as she likes horse riding but we quashed that idea very firmly.   Anyway, having checked out other trips to the Atacama I think we have everything covered:

This afternoon – trip to the salt flats and the chance to see 3 different types of flamingo – James’s, Chilean and Andean

Tomorrow: am = Moon Valley and then Rainbow Valley in the afternoon and start gazing at night. (sounds a lot – perhaps too much?)

Wednesday – all day trip out to the altiplanic lagoons of Meñique and Miscanti. Ringed by volcanoes of the Andes Mountains chain, the vivid blue lakes lie 14,850 feet (4,500 meters) above sea level.

Thursday – our last early start (5am) to see the geysers at sunrise.  These are located at 5000 metres so we can’t do these until last as we have to acclimatise every day to going a bit higher.

The oasis and the desert

I had a lazy afternoon catching up on emails etc. before setting off at 5.30pm for our 1^st trip.  We stopped off at the small village of Tocanao to look at the fruit gardens that grow in a river gorge.  We spotted pomegranates, apricots and fig trees behind the fences and really appreciated what an oasis this is when we finished the short walk.  We also identified some of the native trees that include the Chinar tree with its round green immature fruits that turn orange when ripe, and also the white carob tree or Algarrobo blanco (Prosopis alba), which has a passing resemblance, but is a much more delicate looking, to our carob tree in Portugal.  They are both in the same plant family - Fabaceae.

Mount Lascar

We then drove to Lake Chaxo, a huge saltwater lake and salt flats to see up to 3 species of flamingo.  On our left hand side we were all mesmerised by the various volcanic peaks we could see in the Andes range of mountains, which were a beautiful purple colour.  Lascar was pointed out to us as the most active volcano in the region.  It stands at 5,592 metres and in the last 30 years has erupted over 30 times.  The last big eruption was in April 1993 when it spewed out a huge amount of ash – our guide had an impressive picture of this on his cell phone.

The flamingoes at Lake Chaxa

When we arrived at Lake Chaxa, we walked on a crushed salt path through the very strange landscape that looked like a giant version of cleared slushy snow, but was actually a hard pumice-like rock covered with salt crystals.  We saw the flamingos at a distance and could see just 2 species – the Chilean and Andean.  We also saw the Puna Plover, the Baird’s Sandpiper and the Andean Avocet.  We waited for the sun to set and were duly impressed by the beautiful colours the Andes turned.  At this point, a very strong wind got up and we started to get cold so we headed back to the van for the hour long drive back to the lodge.

The setting sun lighting up Mount Lascar

We got back at about 9pm, so just had time for a cocktail before a rather late dinner.  Based on this experience, we’ve decided that trying to fit in 3 activities tomorrow is probably too ambitious so will probably can the afternoon one.

23rd November – Farewell to Easter Island

The weather had changed overnight and we woke up to low clouds and rain.  We timed our visit perfectly!  We had a leisurely breakfast and then left for a visit to the main town and its museum.  By the time we got to town, the rain has stopped and the sun was shining again.  I really enjoyed the museum and wished we could have visited it first so that I had a much better understanding of the history and culture of the island before any of the tours.  Anyway, it brought it all together for me.

We then had a tour of a craft market which we all agreed was full of tat, before being driven to the airport.  There, great excitement ensued as a VIP came in our plane and was greeted by a special band and welcome dancers.  It was fun to watch and I took some photos of the VIPs, but we didn’t recognise them – but that doesn’t mean a thing!

Then we watched with sinking hearts as the cowls of the port engine were lifted and various mechanics popped in and out of it.  Then came an announcement telling us that the flight was delayed!  In the end, we were delayed just over an hour from the scheduled time posted in the airport which was an hour later than our itinerary.  So, by our reckoning we were 2 hours late, which was a shame as we gained 2 hours going back to Santiago.  In the end, although we made up an hour during the flight, we lost over half of that sitting on the tarmac at Santiago waiting for a gate to become available.

So, in the end, we got to our hotel – the Holiday Inn just opposite the terminal – at 10.30pm.  We decided to skip dinner and just have a night cap before retiring for the night knowing we had to be up at 5am in order to get our early morning flight up to Calama in the Atacama Desert.  Did I mention that this hasn’t been a particularly restful holiday....?!!!

22nd November – A lazy day

After 2 hikes the previous day and a bit of a boozy send off to the 3 American ladies, we had a lie in and a lazy morning lounging around the lodge.

Perfect light this time!

This afternoon though, we decided to visit the 15 moais again as the light was much better.  Really glad we did as saw so much more detail on the figures and with a dark sky behind them, they looked terrific. Apparently this tribe was not a royal one, but very powerful as they had good farming skills and as they were so close to the quarry, building figure heads there was a breeze compared to some of the other tribes.  They had a great rivalry with the royal tribe to the north of them who were jealous of their large and impressive moais.  They lured them down to admire their platform but set a trap.  They agreed to a race down the hill, but had built a deep pit with a fire in it in which all but one of the unfortunate royal tribe fell into and burnt to death.  The one that escaped fled to warn the rest of his tribe and, apparently, that’s how the civil wars started.  This led to the destruction of the platforms and the pulling down of the heads – most of which snapped at the necks as this is the most vulnerable part of it.  We also learnt that this culture flourished between 900AD to about 1600 and that it would take 6 skilled stone masons about 2 years to cave a 5 metre head.  In reality though, many more masons worked on each head so they were produced within a few months.

Top knot moai...

We also went to look at some petroglyphs in the rocks which we’d missed on our 1^st visit and a hole in the ground that led to a deep cave where the lesser members of the tribe slept as the more important people slept in the boat houses.  My impression of this society was that it was very violent and only the strongest and fittest survived.  The rivalry between the tribes was intense and due to the pressure of over population on the natural resources this inevitably led to the downfall of these people as they squabbled between themselves.  I couldn't help but think of my favourite poem, Ozymandius, and the words "Look on my works ye mighty and despair!....but nothing beyond remains......"  except, of course, modern man has re-erected some of the amazing follies from the past so we can all wonder at them today.

I find it amazing that the 2-3000 people today are the descendants of just 111 left after the Peruvians kidnapped a lot of the islanders and introduced western diseases such as small pox etc.  You would think they might be inbred, and perhaps they are (?), but I have to say they certainly are a very handsome race – tall and elegant on the whole with really beautiful faces.

When we got back from our short trip, Mum and I enjoyed some time in the Jacuzzi.  We’re now packing and getting ready to fly back to Santiago tomorrow.  Luckily, we have a couple of hours in the small town before going to the airport, so might do some shopping and perhaps visit the small museum there?

21st November – 15 moais and caves and cliffs.

The traveller moai

I woke up early to see the sunrise. Prior to that actually happening, I found a darker part of the hotel as there was a lot of ambient light from the buildings and looked at the stars. I managed to work out where south was using the Southern Cross and also east using Orion. The sunrise was a disappointment as there was a lot of cloud on the horizon so all that I saw was a crimson area of cloud.

At 09:30 we set out to see the 15 moais on the south eastern part of the island at Tongariki. On route, we passed the doomed horse that had eaten the lupin and he was significantly weaker with his back legs beginning to buckle.  It was very upsetting to see.  Tongariki has the quarry behind it and a gradual slope towards the sea nearby. These have been re-erected having initially been torn down by the various tribes and further impacted by a tsunami in May 1960. The first moai, near the entrance, was in fact a traveller as it had been to Osaka. I wasn’t sure if it went to raise funds or as a thank you having done so, but the Japanese had paid for the restoration of these 15 and their associated ahu.

The famous 15.....

Only one of the moais has a top knot as most were too badly damaged to put back on. Vai pointed out a boat house - so called because of the shape that these small dwellings take. In the shaped basalt rock you can see circular indentations that sugar cane poles were placed to create a roof structure on which reeds and grasses would then be placed to provide waterproofing.

We took a lot of pictures of these impressive moais before returning to the mini-van and heading towards the north side of the island.

The beautiful coast - just missing marine iguanas!

The walk was along the shore line and Vai pointed out where farms and dwellings were. Again there were boat houses and close to them cooking areas. He also pointed out chicken coops. These are rectangular in shape and seem to be completely enclosed with no entrance. He explained that there was a hidden way to get inside and that was for security reasons to stop someone taking your chickens in the night. We stopped at a larger and smaller round stone. Via explained that these stones where used as ballast for the paddled catamarans that the Rapa Nuis used. Some of these stones have magnetic properties which he demonstrated using his compass and some believe have supernatural powers. Nearby was a circular stone structure. Vai explained that these were used to teach the youngsters the night sky and that this round structure only focussed on part of the sky, usually Orion as the legend has it that to get to/from Rapa Nui you followed the line created by the belt.

The gorgeous cove with red cliffs - top knot coloured...

Continuing walking we passed through a field of horses, some of the mares were quite pregnant and others with foals. After this we came to a small beach where the cliff was comprised of a very reddish rock. I thought this was where we were going to swim, but I was wrong as we got in the mini-van and headed further north to Anakena beach. Here there are changing rooms and a larger sandy beach with palms under which there are stalls selling food/goods/drinks etc. 

Impressive, eh?!!

Having got changed (Tamsin and Gill had decided to paddle) I dropped my towel with the American ladies and walked into the sea. I was expecting it to be colder than it was and was warmer than the swimming pool at the hotel. I was joined in the sea later by Heidi (one of the Americans) and Jackie (from Monkston, Hants!!!) who had joined our trip.  Tamsin also took some photos of more moais re-erected on the beach with the palm trees in the background, which was closer to how they must have originally looked before all the palm trees were chopped down.

The Seven.....

We were unsure what to do after lunch as we’d heard that the walk to the 7 moais and the two caves wasn’t worth the effort. Jackie who had been on the island for a few days disagreed and said the last one might be worth passing if you don’t want to have to scramble inside. So we decided to go. The 7 moais at Ahu Akivi are quite complete and differ from the other ahus in that these all face the ocean whereas the others face inland. The reason for this our new guide, Nuku (Vais 2^nd cousin) explained was that these faced where the Rapa Nui had come from an island called Heva(?). The legend has it that Heva was sinking and the King had a dream that told him to head east towards the sunrise (and following Orion’s belt) where a new island could be found. He sent out his 7 best sailors who found the island. These seven are represented by the moais on the ahu.

The view out of the lava tube

Walking from here we entered into a lava field. Most of this now has vegetation on it. Nuku pointed out places where trees had grown well in the collapsed lava tubes due to the water retention and resulting humidity almost like a greenhouse. We came across a large “greenhouse” and Nuku pointed out taro, sugarcane, avocados, and other crops growing wild. We descended into the collapsed part of the tube where there were bananas growing. Cathi was helped down the steps as she doesn’t do heights well. Nuku then produced two flash lights and I produced my own. We then went into the lave tube. Cathi was a bit unsure about this, but between us we persuaded her. Carefully we went into the tube which Nuku said went all the way to the ocean (about 1-2kms away). We weren’t going that far as we took a left turn and popped up about 60 metres away from where we went down.

Who's that...?

We continued in the direction of the ocean and eventually came across another cave. As Jackie had described, you needed to get down low as the roof was quite low. Cathi decided she would try getting in as her two friends had gone ahead with Nuku behind them. Actually at this point she didn’t have a choice as Gill, Tamsin and I were right behind and had no plans of reversing. To Cathi’s credit, she made it despite her reservations and her height and we all enjoyed spectacular views of the ocean from the two windows looking out onto two small islands to the north. We all agreed afterwards that whoever had said it wasn’t worth the effort was wrong.

Looks weird..?

About 25 minutes later we came across the mini-van. This was a welcome relief as we were all getting tired and had sore feet from all the racks that we had to walk over. Our relief turned to delight as Nuku produced some very cold beers. The mini-van then took us to the edge of Hanga Roa (the main town on Rapa Nui) and the site of the complete moai. This has finished eyes which are made using coral. We all agreed that the complete moai looked a bit scary and like the eyes of some paintings we felt it was following us around, which I suppose was the original idea.

Not sure if they always do this, or it was because it was Cathi’s birthday, but Nuku and Kori (the mini-van driver) had laid on some champagne and nibbles when we got back from looking at the moais.

We had dinner with Cathi, Holly and Heidi that evening and it will be sad to see them leave in the morning, but Patagonia beckons for them. We started dinner late and when the lights dimmed we thought we were being ushered out. Our disappointment quickly turned to delight when the staff started singing "Happy Birthday" to Cathi - yup, we'd forgotten about that. Happy Birthday Cathi!