Coquimbo, Atacama, Antofagasta:  20.05. – 03.06.2010

Our two last weeks have not been as eventful as the previous ones. One could almost think they have been boring, but that is only if you refrain from being three times stuck in snow, that was all above 4’000 Meters and that our water tank and roof tent freezes regularly. Thanks to our all evening and morning heater, those are not the biggest problems, if the heater does not just have the altitude sickness and doesn’t start at all in the morning.

Our plan to zigzag across the Chilean – Argentinean border did not quite work.  The majority of the Chileans that we asked if the 4’765 Meter high Paso Agua Negra was open, thought it would be. But the border officials didn’t share this opinion and wanted to send us back. We wouldn’t dive up that quick and asked if we just could go and have a look at the scenery and see how far we’d get. The Gendameria was just smiling; if we would give him our Passports and be back by 8 that night we where goo to go. Sure no problem and so the barrier was just opened for us and we were released into wonderful scenery along blue and green lakes, rocks and mountains in all different colors and deep blue skies. It all went well even the first snow covered roads were no problem until we hit a snow accumulation on 4’357 Meters that we got stuck in. Even though Markus by now has much more than the basic knowledge of ’successful shoveling’, strenuous work in this altitude without sufficient acclimatization is quite breathtaking. But after about ¾ of an hour of snow moving and Nisto back and forth our mate was free again. Though before we headed back one of Sonja’s wishes had to be granted; we built our first snowman on this journey and that in the middle of May.

Even though we didn’t want to cross Paso San Francisco 4’726 Meters, here we intended to cross back into Chile, we headed towards it anyway. We’ve read from a beautiful Laguna just before the border and we didn’t want to miss that. After again great scenery and completely cleaned gravel roads we came to the Aduana in 3’800 Meters. Here they wouldn’t let us past and because it was heavily snowing on the Argentinean side and there was no way of reaching our target. We should return next week. The road would be cleaned by then.

We already turned around as we thought of the question: when exactly next week? It was Saturday; maybe it would be worth waiting for it? Well we turned around, knocked at the door and we were invited for a Coffee. After over an hour with the friendly gentlemen from the Aduana we went with no clear answer but full with coffee and cookies onto our daily search for a suitable sleeping place, that we found in the nearby (60km) Salar de Pedernales, our first Salt Lake. We wanted to spend two nights there on 3’400 Meters and give the Paso another try on Monday. After Markus fixed another flat in the morning, we spent a marvelous sunny Sunday at the Salar. Besides that we recorded our coldest night with -9.3°C so far. In the meantime it got custom that we pack up Laptop and Camera in warm Jackets, and fill the Coffee / Tea pot in the evening because of the icing of our hoses

Monday morning we stud in front of the doors of the Aduana again, still not open. “Well, just let us go and we’ll see how far we get.” “Ok, just check with the police fist.”  The police here just wanted our return confirmed. With a friendly „Suerte!“ (Good Luck) we got waved onto our way. Of course we never got to see the Laguna. We got stuck in another snow accumulation. But it didn’t really matter, the trip and the scenery was definitely worth while even without seeing the puddle of water.

Another night we spent in the Andes, before our way led us via Antofagasta to Calama. Here we wanted to shower again us as well as our Laundry, update our website, check emails, and, and. But it came all different. Just on that day the soccer game Chile vs. Zambia would take place exactly in that little town. The two campgrounds of the town, both close to the stadium, so they where fenced off. We would even have taken a Hotel room but as one might imagine, it was all booked out. All the Laundries we found, would not take on more work and the Internet connection to town broke up as well. So we filled up our water tank at the gas station, looked for a nice spot in the desert and returned to the good old washcloth and had another quiet night stargazing.

The next morning we visited the deepest open copper mine of the world and were astonished by excavators and trucks as big as houses, before we went on to the highest Geyser field of the world, where we could enjoy a dip in a hot spring. There we spent our fist night above 4’000 Meters (4’326 Meters) in the meantime we acclimatized quite well to the altitude, but a good night sleep was still out of question.

So far we have experienced quite a lot on our journey that we do not really have words for. But who ever invented our world, in the area around the little village of San Pedro de Atacama, he really turned nuts. The Landscape is indescribable, almost unreal, simply amazing. You get a feeling you cannot trust your eyes anymore. In a relatively small area it turns from mood like areas into the wide open of a salt lake with lagoons that Flamingos call their home. But our highlights were two Lagoons on a bit more than 4000 Meters; they say they are remains of an ancient ocean. For us it was just a magnificent view with abundant birdlife and snow powdered volcanoes around them, that we could not get enough of it so we decided to stay the night (even if not quite allowed).

For the way back we wanted to take a different route, once again over a pass. It was the first of June. We shoveled enough in May so we had the firm intention of leaving this tool in its resting place, which is why we decided to turn around in time. It almost worked till on the way down a frozen snow accumulation crossed our plan and of course the shovel had to get to work again, this time on 4’675 Meters.

After we gazed enough at all the wonders of nature in this area we headed again for the Argentinean border and our highest point on our journey so far, our Altimeter meant it sits on 4’863 Meters above sea level. And finally we managed to cross the Andes without support of other devices. Now we are heading slowly towards east and hope to give our heater, Nisto and us as well a little rest from the cold, so we are all ready and fit for some more cold thin air in Bolivia.

 Till soon.

Sonja and Markus

Here it goes to the pictures…