My 3-month Latin-American Experience

gergana's Sabbatical 2012 my favorite photos, people and places

chile

Valle de la luna San Pedro de Atacama, El Norte Grande de Chile

Chile is a small country, but very thinly stretched, and to go from Santiago (middle of the country) to San Pedro (up north) takes 28 hours by bus - more or less the distance between Bulgaria and Belgium.

Before the school project started, I had 10 free days and decided to go up north close to the border with Bolivia and Peru to the desert of Atacama - the dryest place on Earth, with parts of it not seen rain in 400 years.

I compared the bus and airline prices, and it was worth taking a plane for 2 hrs, landing in Calama - a not-quite-attractive city, with a men-only majority living there (single ladies or prostitutes paradise?), only because of the huge copper mines around which of course also gets you a good salary. Chile produces 1/3 of the worlds' copper, but as I learnt throughout my trip, is not getting a big economy boost from the fact, as the widespread corruption has led to private ownership of these natural treasures.

I only stayed in Calama for two hours waiting for my bus to San Pedro de Atacama - my actual destination and a really small, really touristic pueblo (village) a gateway and starting point to all the beautiful nature reserves and wonders in the area.

San Pedro is already located at 2400 meters above sea level, and a lot of the sights are above 4000! I had heard of altitude sickness, but never experienced it.

Till now.

At the time you arrive and start dragging your suitcase through the dusty unpaved roads looking for the hostel, your lungs are already struggling to send enough oxygen to your brain and muscles. Which results in: getting short of breath within 2 minutes brisk walking, constant headache, and if you have a more severe case of it, throwing up. I had it for the first two days, and since it didnt go away as fast as I wanted, even with drinking tea made of coca leaves and chewing them directly (an ancient method used by the local people to naturally help altitude sickness; coca, i learnt, helps supply oxigen to the brain).

In the gallery you can see some pictures of the atacameno-style village, the church which was built without a single nail used the local used cactus thorns instead, one of the ranchos and couple of cowboys, a cute boy dressed in national costume and a glimpse of the Fiestas Patria I happened to be there during there biggest national holiday, when they do open-air bbqs, and dance cueca in large tents called fondas filled with flags, a lot of alcohol, cowboys with their hats, and people dancing with white napkins to live-band music.

On the streets of one of the dryest places on Earth - our shower water was brought in tanks, and my hair felt like hay

huaso y huasito

Lagunas Altiplanicas close to San Pedro de Atacama, Northern Chile

Las tres Marias, Valle de la luna

Tatyo gaysers, 5 a.m.

Tatyo means old crying man in the language of one of the native tribes that live in the Andes in the Atacama region. They called this place like it because one of the mountain hills just above the gaysers looks like the face of an old man, and when the ice is melting, the water runs down exactly the site of his eyes. Tatio was actually my favorite experience in Atacama had to get up at 4 in the morning, ride up the mountain in a micro bus, to catch the sunrise above the gaysers, freezing my butt o (youll see the blanket I am coccooning in). They are actually strongest at sunrise, and as the sun warms up the ground, their strenght diminishes. There were baby gaysers (youll see me warming my hands above one of these), which will mature and become large; therere the kind that erupts evey once in a while, so if you dont know and are not careful it might surprise you, there are the huge ones, which are now not accessible (you cannot get too close to them) because a japanese tourist slipped, fell and boiled himself to death in them.

Absolutely beautiful, it was a first in my life. Njoy!

Iquique is a surfer's town in the north of Chile. Laid back, loads of adventure sports, and good seafood. I also visited the abandoned selitra mine/city of Humberstone, and considered paraplanering (but didn't dare doing it :-)).

Central square, food truck, natural spa and local hat

The Ghost Towns / Humberstone abandoned mines

Valparaiso and Vina del Mar are the two adjacent cities where i spent most of my time - with phtography, getting to know new friends, and giving soft-skills workshops for children of 5-8 grades of public schools. I lived in a small suburb of Vina - Quilpue, very quiet, sweet and residential.

Valparaiso & Quilpue with Jorge, his violin, Juanjo, Juan-Camilo and the stray dogs

My 5th grade students from Escuela Pacifico Volunteer project 'Smile', Valparaiso, Chile

Graduation project 'Global village' My 7th&8th grade students from the all-female Lyceo Volunteer project 'Smile', Valparaiso, Chile

Zapallar with Juan-Camilo Central Chile

Nicol, Barbara and Conny plus dogs, politics, uniforms, pevre and colectivo tickets Valparaiso & Vina

The South of Chile - the icebergs of Calafate (technically in Argentina), the winds and beef of Puerto Montt, the penguins in Punta Arenas, the beautiful nature around the Torres del Paine, the full rivers, the friendly people with skin rugged from the wind, the llamas, the nature, it's all breathtaking. simple as that.

Rafting on Petrohue river in the skirts of volcano Orsono Puerto Varas, Southern Chile

Lago Gray National reserve Torres del Paine, Southern Chile

Torres del Paine alrededor de Puerto Montt, Southern Chile

Glaciar Perito Moreno El Calafate, Argentina, close to the South Pole

La isla Magdalena - penguin colony Punta Arenas, Southern Chile

REPLACE "WHAT IF?" WITH "HELL YEAH!"