My Morning in the Real Desert . . . Seriously . . .

Well, after I got off the internet last night, Eva and I went to the place on the corner for dinner. There we ran into a French guy who we´d met earlier in the square with an American girl who was actually the third girl staying in our room at the hostel. So, we sat with them and had a nice dinner and some drinks. A band came in and played local music, which was really good. So, it was a mellow, but fun, night. At 1230ish, I got to bed for my 3 hour nap.

Then at 345, I was up to get ready to go to the gysers for sunrise. The morning is the only time they are active. I thought it was freezing in San Pedro this morning. Boy, was I wrong. 4,400 above sea level, was FREEZING. It was a very very bumpy two hour bus ride. Somehow though, I ended up passing out for some of it. I actually think that the altitude got to me and knocked me out.

I was so miserable getting off the bus at about 6 a.m. for sunrise, but the gysers were really neat. When we arrived, they were just starting to boil and smoke. By the time the sun was fully up, all you could see besides the surrounding mountains was streams of smoke, bubbling water, and colored mud. It was really neat. But, still freezing. The tour company had breakfast for us. We had chocolate bars (siempre in South America), cheese sandwhiches, and eggs (which were boiled in one of the pools of water). Most of us ate on the bus as it was freezing.

We then drove for about a minute and got off to see the oldest gyser. Apparently, four people have died by falling into it. Talk about gruesome. I stayed clear away. We also had the option to swim in a hotspring pool in the area. I´d never done it before, so I really wanted to. But, it was freezing, and I didn´t bring a bathing suit on the trip. I decided to just go in my tank top and undies. I´m really modest about that kind of thing, but, my undies cover more than my baithing suit bottom anyways, so I didn´t think it was a big deal. As it turned out, the springs weren´t THAT hot and it was still freezing outside. Luckily, as the sun warmed up, it got warmer. And, it wasn´t too bad getting out of the pool and getting dressed.

Then, we headed back to San Pedro. We made lots of short stops on the way. We saw lots of different animals - flamingos, llamas, rabits, deer. We also stopped at this really old, abandoned town in the middle of the mountains. It had a church built in the 1600s by the Spanish. It was somewhat strange and creepy.

Once I was awake enough to pay attention during the drive, I realized why the ride was so bumpy. There really wasn´t a road. We were seriously just driving through the middle of the dessert. Several times we actually drove through streams - one was really deep. On top of that, I had to keep putting my scarf over my mouth because so much dust was getting into the car. It was insane. We were seriously just driving through the dessert. There were no other cars, no people, no hawkers, nothing . . .

The people in my group were really nice. All in couples (of course) except me and a guy from Alaska. But, all so nice. I guess couples are ok. One couple I had met on the bus from Salta, so we were like old friends. I love that this town is so small that it´s inevitable not to run into people you´ve met.

I went to go pay for my trip to Uyuni when I got back. Apparently, there credit card machine broke yesterday. So, I´m going to go back in a bit and see what his boss says. I don´t have enough cash to pay it, but I do have some traveller´s checks. However, I wanted to save those for an emergency. But, I guess that I could just as well get some extra money and stash it. So, I´ll have to see what he says when I go back. There was another Canadian couple signed up and the French guy that I hung out with last night had also signed up for the same tour. Again, a small world. So, at least I won´t be the only ¨not in love¨person on the trip!

I have my star gazing tour at 7. So, for the afternoon, I´m going to get myself ready to leave for Uyuni and read my book. Maybe a nap?