In
January 2017 - in a trip that also brought us to the Falkland islands - we
visited Chile. We spent most of our time in the Atacama desert area, the
highest and driest desert on earth, making daytrips from San Pedro de
Atacama (see a 360 pano of our lodge
here). Despite the dryness and the altitude - a guide drove us up to
nearly 5000 meters - there is water and there are birds. Small, shallow salt
lakes provide a habitat for well-adjusted shrimp, which in turn attract
flamingos
and some other birds including stilts. Also, lamas and alpacas roam the
desert and seem to be able to find food where we couldn't see anything that
looked remotely edible.
The Atacama has been inhabited since at least 500 AD. At the start of the
15th century, the Atacameños were conquered by the Incas and brought under
Spanish control in 1556. In 1824, the region became part of Bolivia and in
1883 fell into Chilean hands. In 2007, the Atacameño population was
estimated at 21,015 people (Wikipedia). Many of the historic villages still
exist today with the same old names, including friendly little Toconao or -
the more recent artists village of .
The Atacameños protected their villages with strong stone walls - we visited
an active excavation site.
Not far from San Pedro are areas offering spectacular scenery, most notably
Death Valley and Moon Valley. We visted the latter early in the morning for
a chance of some good light and clear views - and with Renee posing in the
middle of the road to help give a sense of perspective.
Because of the altitude and the clear skies, Chile - and particularly the
Atacame area - has become and international center for astronomy. We did not
visit the Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), but
we did have a chance to see some clear night skies, also on our trip to the
Pisco Elqui valley, which also hosts a number of observatories. We stayed at
the Elqui Domos hotel in one of their "domes", which are "geodesic
structures made of a metal frame covered by a PVC tent. Outside there is a
deck and inside there is a living room and a bathroom on the first level and
a double bed on the second level. The roof of the tent over the double bed
can be opened to see the sky." A fish-eye pic taken through the roof our
dome - albeit in daylight - is included here. Panos inside and outside can
be seen here
and here.
Our trip started and ended in Santiago, where we visited the spectacular San
Cristobal Hill, overlooking the city. A 360 pano from the hill can be seen
here.
Flying in and out of chile, we took a few pics of the Andes range (here).