Valle de la Luna & Fondue

So, picking up from yesterday...

We went on a short tour around San Pedro yesterday afternoon to a beautiful mountain range that used to be, according to our guide, an ocean at one time. Caps of salt were all that remained after ages of intense climate change that left the area a magnificantly rugged mountain range. We stood atop an adjacent rock formation fighting some of the strongest winds I have ever experienced in my life trying to take pictures without being blown off the cliff in front of us. It was truly an adventure... I felt like we were in a warzone. We had to wait for the wind to die down, then run and take cover behind a rock in order to avoid the hail of rocks and sand that the wind pelted us with. The scenary was well worth it, though.

Next, we went to Valle de La Muerte (Death Valley). It is a large valley that looks oddly similar to Mars. Our guide informed us that, indeed, that was the reason the valley got its name. Originally discovered (or considered important enough to tell the rest of the world about) by a Frenchman, he called it Valle de la Marte (Mars Valley), but his accent prevented to locals from understanding him. Therefore, they thought he said "muerte" (death) instead of "marte" (mars) and that is how the valley got its name.

After Death Valley we went to a salt canyon (I´m not sure what you would call it, perhaps Jessie´s Dad would know). Jagged rock faces covered in salt surrounded us and erosion had seriously taken its toll, giving the rocks a fabulously sculpted look. We were super happy to be surrounded by rocks, as they blocked the winds and gave use time to enjoy the scenary without digging debris out of our eyes. Our guide took us to a small rock overhang displaying numerous large cracks and told us to listen... every once in a while you could hear what sounded like the rocks cracking from the expanding and contracting of the rocks from the temperature change.

From the salt canyon we went to Valle de La Luna (moon valley) and watched the sunset from atop a huge sand dune. The sun splashed the opposite mountain range and volcanoes with a range of colors... pink, blue, purple, deep red... it was beautiful! Once the sun had set, the temp dropped significantly, so when we had had enough we all sprinted down the side of the dune as fast as we could (this was the only way to get down, our guide told us... and we HAD to run, haha).

Once we returned to town we went for dinner and had some terrific fondue and crepes with ice cream for dessert. The restaurant was very nice; the fire under the stars in the center warmed us while we cooked our meat and vegetables in the oil of the fondue pot. Tomorrow we will head back into Bolivia to go to the salt flats (supposedly rated the number 1 natural wonder in the world now). According to our Dutch friends, during the trip we are going to experience some of the coldest nights we have ever encountered... eek. Anyhow, we are excited to head back to Bolivia... Chile is great but the prices here are outrageous. More or less the same as in the states, but a lot of the products in the touristy areas don´t compare in quality, so it actually turns out to be more expensive. We were supposed to begin our trip today, but the roads were impassable due to snow... so we had to postpone the trip until Wednesday. It´s crazy to think the trip is almost over... I could spend another couple months here. It will be nice to get back to the culture in Bolivia... something about it is very welcoming and wholesome, not to mention very colorful!

We will post again soon!