March 27 Day 40
Up early, taxi was there, no problems with boarding passes or security and onto the entertainment and food-free plane we went. Had our lunch with coffee in Santiago airport and made it to Calama worry free. Everyone was touting us to go with their company as we exited but we headed straight to the desk of ExpressVIP which Javiara recommended and got into our shared van for San Pedro De Atacama. on the way we talked with a British/Italian/Brazilian couple who worked for British Airways and were very entertaining in spite of Meg bringing up Brexit, which they said they were trying to escape. The driver had a hard time finding their place and went to the wrong one at least twice. We were supposed to meet Javiara around 4 and got to town at 10 minutes to but it was 10 to 5 by the time he dropped us off.
The town was tiny with mainly dirt roads and adobe buildings that reminded us of Egyptian villages. She was there and helped us get some groceries before heading back to her place. The shops were tiny, no supermarkets here, and so we had to get the ingredients that they had and improvise the rest.
Her place was 15 minutes outside of town on a very rough road. It was fenced in with round adobe buildings, an assortment of hammocks and lounge chairs and 3 dogs and 2 cats. It was in the desert with great views of the mountains and a big sky for star gazing. Another couple from Maryland were there drinking wine and watching the sun set but we wanted our dinner and so got cooking.
Javiera was friendly and knowledgeable and went over our tour options in detail while we got our food sorted. A fine dinner was had with wine and fresh salad and so we could being to relax. The milky way was clearly visible above us but we needed our sleep and so retired to our room. It was nice, more homey that most hostels with the adobe walls and carpets and artwork.
Up early, taxi was there, no problems with boarding passes or security and onto the entertainment and food-free plane we went. Had our lunch with coffee in Santiago airport and made it to Calama worry free. Everyone was touting us to go with their company as we exited but we headed straight to the desk of ExpressVIP which Javiara recommended and got into our shared van for San Pedro De Atacama. on the way we talked with a British/Italian/Brazilian couple who worked for British Airways and were very entertaining in spite of Meg bringing up Brexit, which they said they were trying to escape. The driver had a hard time finding their place and went to the wrong one at least twice. We were supposed to meet Javiara around 4 and got to town at 10 minutes to but it was 10 to 5 by the time he dropped us off.
The town was tiny with mainly dirt roads and adobe buildings that reminded us of Egyptian villages. She was there and helped us get some groceries before heading back to her place. The shops were tiny, no supermarkets here, and so we had to get the ingredients that they had and improvise the rest.
Her place was 15 minutes outside of town on a very rough road. It was fenced in with round adobe buildings, an assortment of hammocks and lounge chairs and 3 dogs and 2 cats. It was in the desert with great views of the mountains and a big sky for star gazing. Another couple from Maryland were there drinking wine and watching the sun set but we wanted our dinner and so got cooking.
Javiera was friendly and knowledgeable and went over our tour options in detail while we got our food sorted. A fine dinner was had with wine and fresh salad and so we could being to relax. The milky way was clearly visible above us but we needed our sleep and so retired to our room. It was nice, more homey that most hostels with the adobe walls and carpets and artwork.
 |
| Dusty but unique San Pedro De Atacama. |
 |
| Meg and pooch at Javiara's. |
 |
| Another view of Javiara's desert abode. |
No comments:
Post a Comment