Weekend in the North, Part II

Balancing in the wind like a flamingo in 

the middle of the expansive Salar.

Flamingos in the brine lakes, with Volcán Láscar

in the background.

El Valle de la muerte on the way back

from San Pedro.

La Portada de Antofagasta, with the city

in the background.

With friends at the viewpoint of the Portada.

After reaching San Pedro again, Tefi and I checked out of our hotel. (A word about hotels here for those interested in visiting: Don´t bother shelling out a lot for a hotel here. You spend little time in it, the water isn't potable anywhere here, and water pressure sucks no matter where you are. Because of the number of gringos and other foreigners that visit here, there is a great deal of price inflation. Spend your money on tours and other things, save on the hotel and stay at a hostel.) We quickly grabbed some bottles of water and headed south on the freeway towards the Salar de Atacama. A salar is a salt flat; the Atacama Salt Flats are particularly well known in the area, especially for the various types of flamingos that inhabit them.

On the way down, we experienced an intense sand storm with winds reaching 70 m.p.h. We couldn't see very far ahead of our car and because the car was so small, we were constantly being tossed around the freeway. However, we did finally reach the flats, and they did not disappoint. Vast and stark white, the flats are not actually flat at all, but coral-like buildups of sulfates, mostly sodium chloride- table salt. In the middle lay several large lakes with hundreds of flamingos standing around in them. Apparently, they subsist totally on the tiny brine shrimp that live in the salty waters. 

The flats are actually formed by volcanic activity in the area. On the other side of the valley lays the volcano Lascar. Apparently, sulfates and other chemicals seep down from the active volcano, mixing with a small water table that exists below the valley, forming a brine that raises to the surface slowly. This creates the shallow salt lakes in the middle of the salt fields. 

After spending some time there taking in the sights, we drove back to San Pedro in order to grab a quick nap- we had been up since 3:30 in the morning. We then began the long drive back to Antofagasta, snapping pictures of the Valley of the Moon and the Valley of Death on the way back. 

When we arrived in Antofagasta, we immediately changed and headed to a friend of Tefi's, where we met up with a large group of her friends from her internship at BHP Billiton, in Antofagasta during the summer. I had a great time getting to know new people, and they were very friendly and inviting. After a night of dancing at a disco, I was exhausted and slept the next day until quite late. We then went and met up with two of the guys from the previous evening to eat at the central market. Similar in scope to the Mercado Central in Santiago, this market was much less of a tourist attraction. However, because it lay directly on the ocean, there was a freshness factor in the food that didn't exist in Santiago. We all had large plates of fish with fries, salad, ceviche, and beer. For four people the $25 price could not be beaten. 

Later on, Tefi went to spend time with her family, so I headed out to get to know Antofagasta with the guys I had met. Although I said the city was not very attractive and was rather boring, it still had very nice places and had a rather complete mall for a city of its size. I was explained that the average income in Antofagasta is the highest in Chile, higher than that of Santiago. This is due to the high wages paid by the mining companies, all of which had major operations in the area. While an average worker in a store, gas station, or restaurant in Santiago might make $1000 per month; in Antofagasta the same person with the same low level of education could work in a mine four or five days a week and make more than double. It is for this reason that the mining consortiums here are so well liked and have such pull with the Chilean citizenry.

In the evening, after we all met up again, we went to eat dinner at Tefi's grandmother's restaurant, Don Pollo. As I had said in the past, the most common street food in Santiago is probably the hot dog or completo. In the north, the quintessential meal is pollo con papas, or barbecue chicken with french fries. Tefi's grandmother operated a small chain in Antofagasta that is now quite famous, having recently been cited as the best pollo con papas by Fodor's Travel Review. After a tremendous and delicious meal, we went out again, very much in the same fashion of the night before.

On Sunday I awoke early to get my things ready to fly back to Santiago. On the way to the airport, Tefi and my new friends took me to see La Portada de Antofagasta. This large rock outcropping looks like a gate leading into the city, and is probably the only thing of beauty in Anotfagasta. After taking many pictures, I was dropped off at the airport and bid farewell to the north.

Though a sharp contrast to anything I had ever really seen before, the north of Chile, including the Atacama desert, has to be one of the most unique places on Earth. Filled with beautiful views, wonders unknown elsewhere, and populated by friendly and helpful people. San Pedro de Atacama and the surrounding area is a place that cannot be missed upon visiting Chile.