Atacama

It's hard to describe where we are now--at the Explora Hotel in the town of San Pedro de Atacama, an oasis in the region of Chile which is the driest place in the world. The scenery is truly otherworldly. Mountains and volcanos surround us and the desert stretches out in all directions ever changing with the light. We are up at about 8000 ft. but are tolerating the altitude well--pounding the water as directed by everyone. Today we even took an excursion up to the alteplaine of Atecama some 15,000 ft. above sea level. It was a long drive but so worth it. The landscape is like no other we have ever seen--barren, empty, endless expanses of sand and rock but full of color and calm. The sky is a brilliant, brilliant blue; the mountains are brown but also streaked with color from the salt and minerals in the soil and sometimes with snow at the top. We drive for two hours and see maybe 3 other vehicles and finally arrive at a series of deep blue, truly azure lagoons ringed by the mountains and salt flats. We can see flamingos and vicuna along the edge. How amazing it is to have a picnic sheltered from the wind by of the rocks and to enjoy this incredible view in front of us.

Steve has truly risen to the occasion. Yesterday, our first full day, he took a hike with me in the morning that ended in a run down a hill of sand, a descent of some 200 meters. Yes, he can!