THE MAGNIFICENT VALLEY OF THE MOON

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

We really needed a good night sleep and are taking our time this morning. But there is lots to see, we should get moving along. After watching the goat and Llama herders moving their cattle through San Pedro, we drive only a few kilometers north of San Pedro to Pucara de Quitor. A long hike up the hill, reveals the actual village ruins. All that’s left are the walls. It was not only used as a village, but as a defense wall for the invasion of the Incas. As history seems to repeat itself. The Incas rebuilt the defense wall for the invasion of the Spaniards during the 1500s.

Not too far from the Pucara is the Plaza de Quitor; Built around a large Algarrobo tree. Next to the plaza, at the foot of the mountain are and archway leading into a cave and the faces of natives, carved in the mountains during recent years.

A dirt road takes us up further along the river into the mountains, to the Throat of the Devil. Formed by volcanic ashes. There is not a soul and it is quite scary driving up there. The road is full of deep holes. There is no way of knowing what’s under there. As I look down, all I see is a deep canyon. Perhaps it is time to turn back and continue farther north to visit some of the ruins and the old church. Unfortunately the river blocks the road and our tiny, toy car is not able to cross.




We go back to San Pedro, picking up a young couple who have walked the five km to the river for a swim and are too tired and hot to walk all the way back.
Over a very late lunch at one of the small local places we discuss our next plan.
We agree on visiting the Valley of the Moon. It is only 15 kilometers west. The form and colours of the rocks give the landscape a lunar look, hence its name.  We turn off the main road onto a small gravel road. We have no idea where to go and there are limited indications for directions. We rely on other vehicles and hope to get where we want to go.

Our first stop is at the small sand dune. Well, at least here they call it small, but it would make quite a nice sandbox.  A strange rock formation, eroded by the winds is called the Tres Marias. There are several caves in this area as well.

 On the opposite side of the road, a one kilometer long trail leads us to an old mine. We hear the earth move under our feet as we step on the salt disks on this trail. It seems to be hollow under neath, but we keep on walking.










After a few more kilometers on the road, we find the entrance to the park. We  receive a simple map and follow the road. In areas where the wind seems to get trapped in between the mountains it circulates like a tornado, it is almost impossible to get out of the car. But I want to take a few pictures. I hold onto  the car door tightly and feel the coarse sand grains digging into my legs. I fabricate a head dress from a very handy travel towel my brother and sister in law once gave us. It has come in very handy in so many instances, and rolls up into a tiny bundle.

At our next stop, we follow a small group of people onto a small sand trail, which leads into a canyon. A narrow path takes us in between the high salt rocks. Here we see the evidence of the 1500 meters deep salt plateau we learned about in the Flamingo reserve yesterday. The trail dips down into a cave. Do I really want to go in there? It is really dark. How will we be able to find our way out? The group in  front of us, carry a large flashlight and let us go ahead while they shine their light into the cave. I am hesitating, but Ramiro is doing his best to encourage me to continue. I see children in the group and try to convince myself; If they can do it, I can.


I take the lead with the light behind me to help me find my way. Here and there I come to a halt, as I am no longer able to see which direction the trail runs. The ground is very uneven. In some cases I need to crawl and warn those behind me to watch their heads. Then there is a huge slope and I need to crawl sideways. This is no fun at all. In the distance I see a light, which give me courage; We’re almost there! Soon I discover it is only a gap in the rock above me. Another dark passage follows. Sometimes the trail goes up, other times it goes down. Where will we end up; How long is this cave?
Then there is light again and I hear voices above me. This must be the end. But there is no way out. All I see  in front of me is a salt mountain with high walls on both sides. We need to climb up these walls to find the trail taking us out of the canyon. I was not quite prepared for that. With a little bit of help I manage.

Before we return to the starting point, we still have to find our way through the rocks on the salt mountain.
I am not crazy about dark, narrow places, and certainly not high places, but this was worth the effort.
Often we have fears about certain things and think that it is impossible to overcome these fears. But if we try to focus less on the fear and more on the accomplishment, we may be able to overcome these fears, as I did today. Knowing that Ramiro was there to help me was certainly comforting. Even the people in the group behind us, where very supportive.

There’s one more canyon to explore. We drive the trail through the rocks, but come to a halt when the road is too rough. We continue to explore on foot and watch the large overhanging rocks above us. The sun is slowly moving down, cooling off the rocks, which results in shrinking. It’s not so much the shrinking of the rocks that bother us, but the sound they make during the process. We hear the crackling and can hardly wait to get out of there.



Today’s adventure is not over yet. Many people have told us about the sunset viewing, some of the tour agencies arrange. We plan to do this on our own and drive to the larger of the two dunes to join the hundreds of people climbing up the trail to the top of the largest mountain to watch the sun go down. I feel so brave; After the cave experience today, I seem to have more courage.
On the opposite side of the hills, we get a real clear view of the Amphitheatre.  Which looks like a Roman coliseum.

We wait and are somewhat disappointed when it is over. We've seen much more impressive sunsets during the past few months and don't understand what the hype is all about. But I suppose for those who have come from the big city and seldom see a real sunset, it must be a real treat. Are we getting too spoiled?
In the end, it was a nice way to close off another wonderful day in the Atacama desert.