I'm lying in a hammock, looking up at the stars, in San Pedro de Atacama. The stars here are always brilliant, because the sky is always clear, it hasn't rained in years. San Pedro is a tiny oasis in the middle of the Atacama desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. The population is 2000, of which still conserve the ancestral distribution of cultivated lands called "ayllus" that are irrigated by channeling the Rio Grande. These communities were divided based on relationship and social economic position with origins from over 10,000 years B.C.
The elevation here is 2500m which I definitely felt on the first 2 days of experiencing Soroche or altitude sickness. I tried Mate de Coca, a local remedy in a tea form of the coca leaf that is considered sacred within indigenous cultures here. The leaves of the plant do contain the natural occurring form of cocaine, but in too small an amount to have any effect. It is a stimulant used to alleviate altitude sickness, fatigue, headaches, and to aid digestion.
San Pedro is also the archeological capital of Chile, with to name only two, a pre-Inca stoned fort (Quitor) and a Atacamena village constructed in 800 B.C. and now partially covered by the desert.
I love this town and all it's dirt, adobe houses, barking dogs, and miles of empty land beyond the town limits. To call it empty is actually not doing it justice. Surrounding the town you have the Salar de Atacama, the third largest salt flat in the world next to Bolivia and Utah, Valle de la Luna named for its landscape formed by salt, clay, wind, and stones that resembles the surface of the moon (not even insects live here), Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley) great spot for sandboarding, and many volcanoes, lagoons, and last but not least the Andes.
Some things I did here: Bike ride to Quitor, amazing views of the town and the desert framed by the Andes at the top of the hill where the fortress is located. Sandboarding in the Valle de la Muerte, like snowboarding but down cliffs of sand, in other words you get dirty but it's a blast. Watched the sun set over the Valle de la Luna while drinking Pisco Sours, a sight that resembled the Grand Canyon with active smoking volcanoes in the distance. Enjoyed an authentic Chilean dinner with 9 strangers from all over the world, and Simon my travel friend, in a little adobe restaurant. Watched the Festival of Semana Santa, Chilean style, with a large bonfire in front of the San Pedro Church, constructed in the 1600's and a national monument. Toured the Salar de Tara which borders Bolivia and Argentina, with a jaw droppingly stunning and diverse landscape of salt flats, volcanic mounds, salt lagoons filled with Flamingos, and endless desert. Spent 45 minutes drinking the largest glass of fresh mango juice ever while watching the town happenings, not one car but 5 people a bike and 10 dogs passed me. Laid in a lot of hammocks.