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| Volcanos Everywhere We Looked! |
In the last breath of summer holidays we went traveling to the far northern reaches of Chile. We took our kids to the Atacama desert - one of the driest places on earth! After spending nearly seven years bumping around Argentina and Uruguay we were ready for a new adventure.
To get to the Atacama we flew two hours from Buenos Aires to Santiago. From Santiago we flew another two hours due north to the small city of Calama. Arriving in Calama after dark we piled into our very large red pick-up truck and drove an hour under starry skies to reach the sleepy town of San Pedro.
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| Oasis In The Desert |
On other days we hiked around 12th century Indian ruins, drove to soda lakes full of flamingos, marvelled at volcanoes in every direction and gaped our way through Valle De La Luna or Moon Valley and its other-worldly landscapes. Another we day stopped for a hike and a perfect lunch of Chilean empandas in the middle of an oasis in the desert. Local families and groups of friends picnicked in this tranquil escape. Colin jumped over streams of cool water and we strolled through orchards of avocados, limes and pomegranates.
One morning we woke up at five and drove to dizzying heights in order to reach the El Tatio Geyser at 16000 feet above sea level. It's the highest I've even been out of an airplane and I lived in Ecuador which is no stranger to altitude. Driving across the altiplano as the sun rose and ringed by volcanoes was a morning for the record books. We ate a picnic breakfast (complete with coffee!) in the zero degree temperatures as we watched flamingos and vicuñas eating their own breakfasts in the shadow of steam pouring out of the ground. Wow! How amazing is that? On our way back down the mountain we stopped at natural hot springs and soaked away all the dust of the desert. It was heavenly.
It was time to head back across the desert to Calama. Since Michael had to dial into a conference call for work I put myself behind the wheel of our enormous ride and cruised along the beautiful landscape while the kids zoned out in the backseat. How fun!
We may have left the desert but we weren't quite ready to head home just yet. We stopped in Santiago for a couple of days of city luxury spending two nights at the very fun and whimsical W Hotel. It was stunning! The kids loved the room so much that they spent hours and hours playing a made up travel game wandering around our adjoining rooms. We did manage to pry ourselves out of the hotel to walk around this incredibly modern city and to go out for some amazing seafood, a real treat coming from Buenos Aires. Meryn ate her first lobster. She's hooked.
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| Our Ride! |
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| Soda Lake And Flamingos |
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| Moon Valley |
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| El Tatio Geyser In The Morning |
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| The Hot Springs . . . A Perfect Swim! |
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| Thatch Roof Church In Tocanao |
The trip didn't come without its bumps. Meryn got a wicked nosebleed from the dry mountain air and Colin suffered a nasty bout of car sickness on the way down the mountain. Once the barf bag became unusable we had to improvise and kept a hotel towel on his lap for the remainder of the drive. Meryn descriptively labeled it the "barf blanket" as her poor brother wretched into it several times. I'm sure the hotel loved us for that one . . . as I gingerly placed it on the bathroom floor for washing.
But beyond two minor speed bumps it was a fantastic week away. For Michael and I who love to travel it was a gift. To show our kids the people we are and for them to want to share that with us is pure magic. Thanks kiddos! We love you! Now . . . where shall we go next?! ✿ Micheline
