Where
time has stopped
A weathered old farmer with worn cowboy boots,
dusty blue pants and a baseball cap slides off his horse and
ties it up to an electric pole support wire. He greets an older
Chilean women with wrinkled skin, long dress and a thick braid
of black hair. A timeless scene indeed, if it were not for the
green baseball cap and electric
pole or the white tourist minivan driving by.
Despite the tour operators that offer daily trips to the geysers,
volcanos and salt lakes, San
Pedro de Atacama has retained its traditional ways
of living, including adobe houses, narrow streets, irrigation
systems and street vendors.
San Pedro
was a center for animal trading and a crossroads for travelers
to and from Bolivia and Argentina since PreColumbian times.
Now tourism has become the main industry in San Pedro. However
the town is still so small that tacky and touristy are not applicaple
adjectives to describe this oasis in the middle of the Atacama
Desert. There is one major street lined with cafes,
shops and tour agencies. Walk around the block to the old adobe
church with original cactus wood roof and hang a left and you
will see the entire town. The people are very friendly to outsiders,
more than eager to have conversations with foreigners trying
out their Spanish. The artisians take genuine pride in their
metal work and carvings.
The real
draw of San Pedro is not the town, but the surrounding mountains,
volcanos and miles and miles of windblown sand and rock that
form the landscape of this 7,000 foot high desert. Excursions
on horseback, mountain bike, minivan, or by foot showcase the
natural beauty by letting visitors get close to it in the ways
that most suit their activity levels. The activites can get
as challenging as climbing a 13,000 foot volcano bordering Bolivia
for which one needs several days to acclimatize and proper training.
However you choose to explore the Atacama Desert, it remains
true that you will be one of the few to experience this timeless
place and will no doubt long to soon return.
Photo
Gallery --
Hotel
Terranti -- explora
lodge atacama
