Diane: Although the shortest day of the tour, it was the most visually exciting for me. We headed out at 6:30 a.m. and headed straight for the fumaroles and mudpots. They were exceptional and we could walk around as well as right up through the center of this volcanic activity. At first, the very land we were walking on was shrouded in the steam of the fumaroles. It was hard to keep track of Calliope, my walking companion
Some of the mudpots contained muddy water; others contained watery mud; and yet others, had hardened up entirely. The subdued gurgling and popping belied the extreme heat and danger at the edge of our shoes.
Every view held its own attraction.
As the sun rose, the steam and bubbling mud, danced in the light of a new day. The mineral and sulphur smells only added another sensation to the mix.
From the bubbling mud and steam, we continued to some nearby hot springs, translated in one of our brochures as the "thermal bathrooms". We have come across hundreds of humorous English translations during our travels. It makes me wonder about all the funny things I must be saying in Spanish. For the most part, nobody corrects me, so I'm sure I add a bit of internal merriment to those I interact with each day. Wearing my long underwear, heavy sweats, and warm hat and looking at a pool with water at a mere 85 degrees, I didn't dare venture into these hot springs. So, we headed off to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
We would have taken the bus back up to Peru tonight, but it was full, so we'll head out tomorrow. Since we now have an extra day on our hands, I thought we might go to the Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) tomorrow. This is the third Moon Valley we've come across in the past week or so and I hear it offers up panoramas that are markedly different from those on our LandCruiser tour. Speaking of our tour, I decided to complain to Colque Tours about our guide who hadn't provided us with breakfast or lunch today. After a short discussion, the owner of the agency offered us free tours to the Moon Valley - I like these guys! Since we are here an extra day, I am also trying to make an adjustment to the Chilean currency - 565 Chilean pesos to the dollar. Everything costs thousands of pesos, which makes me jump at first when I read a menu or calculate bus fares.
3 comments:
very rememberable journey homie ....really good.
Thank You For Sharing South American Journey It Was Scary & Awesome & I Learned Something Be Careful Cooking In The Desert. Or Don't Do It if it's Windy.
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