My return to San Pedro.
With only two weekends left in Chile, I decided to spend one of them in San Pedro, a small picturesque village located in heart of the Atacama Desert, five hours north of Antofagasta. This was in fact my second visit to San Pedro, I went last December however there were still many things I was anxious to see before returning home.
San Pedro is very popular tourists spot due to its remarkable geography and rustic ambience. Upon arriving it was immediately apparent that this village was part of the “gringo trail”, filled with Brits, Australians and other Europeans, I felt quite disorientated by the amount of English being spoken! Who would have imagined a little village tucked away into the Atacama Desert could be filled with so many foreigners. Antofagasta in comparison has very few tourists.
I checked into my hostel and soon set off to organise my tours. That afternoon I left at 3pm to the “Valle de la Luna” (Moon valley). The valley received its name because its landscape filled with stones and sand closely resembles the moon’s surface. Its extraordinary landscape is as a result of the Atacama Desert meeting the Andes creating a unique panorama. The Moon Valley was very different to the places I had previously visited in San Pedro, as the name suggests, the valley was stark, dry and with no sign of life. Our first stop was Quebrada Cari, where our guide told us to be silent and listen. In the silence we could hear the salt in the rocks making a crackling noise. It’s amazing how small one can feel in the vastness of the desert.
Our next stop was the caves at Cañon where we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl through a cave in the pitch black, making it quite an adventure! Fortunately a few of us had torches as it was quite a difficult task, one tourist made a reference to the 33 miners who were trapped underground last year, although it was an exciting experience, I must admit I was rather pleased to reach the light at the end!
We then headed to the "Tres Marias" (The three Marias) a large stone figure located in the Moon Valley which was named by the Belgian Priest Gustavo Le Paige, a famous and influential figure in San Pedro’s history who believed these three stone figures depicted three religious scenes. Gustavo Le Paige was a keen archaeologist with a great interest in Atacama Culture. He was responsible for the discovery of many artefacts which are now on display at the Priest Gustavo Le Paige Museum in the village of San Pedro.
Our next stop was “Valle de la muerte” or Death Valley. Our guide explained that there are three possible explanations for the valley’s name, the first being that there is a particularly treacherous road that passes through the valley where many people have tragically lost their lives. An alternative explanation is that there is simply no life in the Valley, there is no water and therefore no animals or plants, it is essentially dead. Another legend is that when Gustavo Le Paige explored the Death Valley he described as “el valle de marte” (Mars valley because it resembled Mars) however his Belgian pronunciation of “marte” was understood as “muerte” which means death and well the name stuck!
We finished our day enjoying a scenic sunset at the Moon valley, the landscape was magnificent, with pale blue and pink strokes painted into the night sky, with the dunes of the dusty desert and the moon high above, I really felt like I was exploring another world, another planet, like a serene dream.
The next morning was an early start, 630 am as I took part in “el tour antiplano” a tour specializing in the exploration of surrounding high altitude areas which lead us about an hour south of the village of San Pedro. Our first stop was the “Salar Atacama” (The Atacama Salt flat) where we observed a fine looking assembly of flamingos enjoying their breakfast as the sun rose. We were especially fortunate to catch a glimpse of the flamingos; within just ten minutes of our arrival the entire group had flown away, proving that these attractive and elegant birds are not particularly social creatures. With their beautiful rosy colours reflected against the pale blue water and the backdrop of the desert, I couldn’t think of a more delightful way to begin the day. After a hot coffee and some breakfast to warm us up (the sun had only recently come up so it was freezing!) we headed off to a nearby village called Socaire.
Socaire is a small historical village that is famous for having two identical churches made of rock,adobe and wood. The first church was built in 1745 and has been a national monument since 1951 however the church was heavily damaged in an earthquake. Consequently the inhabitants of the village decided to build a replica of the first church but were then told by the government that they had to restore the original church due to its historical significance and beauty, thus leaving this small village with two matching churches!
We then entered the “Reserva Nacional las Flamencos where we saw Laguna Miscanti and Miñiques. This is perhaps my favourite spot in San Pedro, the moment you arrive you are rendered speechless by the lagoon’s magnitude and natural beauty. You are struck by a feeling of serenity. The lagoons are made up of an incredible range of blues; azure, turquoise and a ring of white salt where the water meets the land. In the background are volcanoes dotted with snow. It was spectacular.
We then headed to a small village called Tocanao
On our way back to San Pedro, we passed a group of llamas strolling through the Desert landscape, a classic South American scene and the ideal way to end my journey.
Monday 20 June 2011
Monday 6 June 2011
Observacion de los astros en el desierto
Star gazing in the Desert.
About four months ago at the end of February, my French friend Emilie kindly invited me to join her and a group of about thirteen people to go out into the desert to observe the stars. The team was led by a rather eccentric French professor who teaches astronomy at one of the most prestigious universities in Antofagasta.
We set off at about three o’clock in the afternoon with the professor’s truck filled with a vast range of supplies, blankets to keep warm, food and water and most importantly his hefty astronomical equipment. We left the urban setting of Antofagasta and drove about an hour deeper into the dessert until the Professor found an appropriate spot for observation. We spent the first few hours enjoying the scenery, with the hills of the desert, sea and clouds all blending mystically into one. There is a great sense of isolation in the desert.
As well as the professor, there was another young Chilean astronomer who works at the Paranal Observatory, one of the largest and most cutting edge astronomical centers in the world where astronomers come to carry out their research. In comparison to the French professor’s bulky telescope which he had for several years, (and was extremely fond of!) this man’s telescope was much more modern and compact, I was surprised by how quickly and with such ease he was able to locate specific stars and planets.
Waiting for the sun to set, we all enjoyed warm cups of tea and coffee while chatting with the other group members, we were a particularly international party composed of Chileans, French, a few Brits and a German which made it a very interesting and enriching experience.
As dusk fell, the two astronomers prepared their telescopes for observation, with the more modern telescope I saw Jupiter, Saturn (you could even see its ring!) and open and closed clusters. A Chilean lady in the group, another astronomer pointed out the Milky Way which was particularly exciting because you could appreciate its vastness and clarity even without a telescope. With the larger telescope, I witnessed some open and closed clusters and before leaving I observed the Moon, an amazing experience as we could see everything in such detail, including the moon’s craters!
Moments while the astronomers were preparing the next viewing I found it captivating just looking up at the stars, it was astounding with such lucidity they could be seen. During the tour we were taught about “Contaminación de Luz” (light pollution), a process whereby the reflection of the lights in the sky at night make it harder for us to study the stars, which explains why people flock to the desert to star gaze. I had never seen the night sky filled with so many stars, I was astounded by its splendor, there was a sense of timelessness that evening. We stayed in the desert till about 1:30 am by which time the wind had picked up, it was very cold but fortunately I have grown accustomed to the dramatic change in temperature in the desert and I was well prepared with warm clothes.
Something I have discovered while on my year abroad is that so many opportunities are passed through word of mouth and you should take advantage of every invitation that comes your way. I must admit, I have never been particularly keen on astronomy or Physics however going out into the desert and seeing things which I had only ever previously seen in a textbook firsthand made a world of difference. Sometimes you should just take chances. My star gazing trip in the Atacama Desert was a truly remarkable and unforgettable experience.
The French Professor
The more modern telescope.
Our Group
Our chosen spot for observation.
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