December 2015        Itinerary Link

The driest desert in the world is not in Africa or Mongolia but in Chile, we found out in the Atacama. Desert meant sand to me, but this desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes.

Carmels here are different, too. South American camel family animals guanacos and vicuñas do not have the humps on their back.

Sandboarding seemed to be popular in this area, but we were not tempted to try. Wimpy, maybe, but we were happy not trying.

We flew into Calama Airport from Santiago(2 hours) and were driven to San Pedro de Atacama, about 100 km west. Our lodging host arranged the van for our group of 5 friends. A sleepy town of 4,000 people, it even has super luxury resorts hiding behind unassuming sand-colored walls. Being so far away from anywhere else and providing comfort, they will charge you for that. This was the most expensive town during our 24-day trip from Valparaiso to Cusco, Peru.

We hired a local tour guide and a driver for 2 days through our host. Tours are pretty standardized unless you want something really tough and ruff.

The highlight for me was the swimming in the salt lagoon. As soon as you step into the lagoon, you float automatically in this lagoon. When we went there, all the tourists left as we arrived, and we had the whole lagoon to ourselves! Though salt content numbers vary throughout parts of the lagoon, some areas have the percentage that even rivals the Dead Sea. The surrounding was simply gorgeous. There were some shower stalls to wash off the salt after swimming.

We loved just hanging out at our small lodge complex. Every morning, freshly baked goods were left at the door for us. We even had a BBQ night at home away from home. We rented bikes from the lodge and explored the area on two wheels, and that was fun.

One thing we did not get to do was star gazing. Atacama is a mecca for astronomers, and we looked forward to starry nights. Alas! We were welcomed by a full moon when we arrived. No stars to be seen!

More to do: click!

December 2015   Itinerary Link

Here’s a slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Valparaiso stands for two things in my mind: the murals and the hills. Our cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, ended in Valparaiso 15 days later. 8 of us rented a 4-bedroom house on one of the hills, and we walked down the hill to join a free walking tour.

The guide pointed out places of historical significance. No big deal. Then he showed us the murals. Wow! This city had no shortage of interesting murals painted all over the place. Most were real artworks of high-quality rather than random graffiti.

Valparaiso Information

Valparaiso video

December 2015

We were on a Panama Canal cruise that started from Ft. Lauderdale and ended in Valparaiso, Chile. We stopped in Colon, which was not a very attractive port, then we embarked on the journey through the Panama Canal.

Unlike the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal was constructed through the jungle and over mountains.  Consequently, the scenery is more interesting and locks are required to step over the mountains.  Our ship was of a class called “Panamax,” ie the largest ship that will fit through the locks.  subsequent to our transit a parallel canal has opened that can accommodate even larger ships.

As you emerge into the Pacific, you can see the skyscrapers of Panama City in the distance as well as the somewhat garish Museum of Biodiversity designed by Frank Gehry, whose wife is Panamanian.