I was sitting in some older bus, very sleepy, my eyes closed… In one moment suddenly, bus stopped it stretched me up but I was still like not knowing about surrounding much, yet very relaxed. Well, comfortably with smile on face feeling good that reach our destination, I grabbed my backpack walked out of bus I started to walk on sidewalk watching my bus leaving promptly the side of street. In few seconds, I was wondering, why only two people came out and on side of sidewalk? I would expect main station to be departed, but yeah ok maybe it continues to another bigger city. Well, it took me another minute or two when I realize that my baggage was missing, yeah, I was so relaxed I haven’t realized the bus was gone with my shit. In that second I started to run, not sure where but I run like crazy straight on along the street starting to remembering what I had seen when I was watching the bus leaving, have I remembered where did it go? In seconds I realized I did. Straight and it turned left, but after? I run, turned left, but now how I recognize the bus? Do I remember that thing, Jesus I was so screwed, the whole life I had there. After I turned left I immediately bumped to someone, started to shout at him in English where the bus may go? The bus, bus was just passing do you know where is main bus station? Evidently the person tried to something explain but in Spanish, I jumped right away to another walking individual next to me, again same question main bus station, maybe I have still time. Third time I stop over some grocery store finally he spoke some English, he said like six times go straight, left, right… in my haste I was grateful, but of course most of it I dropped, so after two turns again, stop someone but I felt I am getting closer, this time I was lucky I got more precise information. I don’t know how the hell I made it, but I was happy to see that damn bus station, the bus was standing in there with opened bunk with only one baggage, mine. I sit at first branch nearby, gasping for air for another half hours, pain in chest I never had before, squeezing the strap of my bag strongly with happy thoughts, damn this was close.
Ah yeah about the city, hmm nothing much to tell, I bought there some more sturdy shoes because I was about to go to god damn desert and with my light, let be in summer beach shoes it would go well. From Here I took plane at another day, to Calama, not much impressed by the town to be honest. This was fast trip, then another bus to final destination. This was different place, already I got feeling from surrounding or deserted places around. I walked from bus station, be seeing local houses, made of bricks of clay. I felt breeze of cold air, wondering the climate is not as usual as it seems to be, then I was just walking straight to exit to one of the streets of small town. I found interesting hostel on booking but no ideas what’s its going to be alike. That strange cold feeling yet sun was pretty strong and when I was walking I started to feel bit needier for air, I felt like carp on which was just pulled out of water. I came to mentioned hostel, at first you have feeling where am I? strange surroundings, small house of clay walls, cold inside, sand on ground, fill with many other travelers, some preparing their dishes, some just rolling their asses on bulk beds. Some of walls were made of glass bottles, filled with clay between, on right side bulk beds on left two wooden doors, supported by.
First day I just went for walk as usual, to discover as much as possible in town. The streets were narrow, everywhere paved road of sand, small houses on sides, dry air, but the view around was very strange, it was like the village was in valley but the distances were vast, yet the feeling was they are so close, kind of mirage. To worth to mention the village was in altitude 3200m above the sea level, that what it makes it so special. It was like from outer world. I was happy and so eager to see it all. It reminded me Mars, like you can see the pictures from NASA rovers, the canyons, the color, well they usually edit colors, so they can recognize by picture more efficiently different types of minerals, surface erosions and other geological activities. The energy which flows through the place was so unique, i cant still barely explain it, at least I can say it was very positive, motivating sort of. First check in in hostel and after that straight to walk through few streets then I got the picture about the place. Small town with small square, and dominant small church in middle. A few restaurants around, but mostly tourist agencies, I think more than enough. Every one was there to offer you all possible tours around the desert, There I have found out what I can possibly see, it was nice they will take care of everything but my style was always take care of my own things, to rely on myself. At start I had actually plan to just rent 4x4 car and drive around the desert like crazy. I asked in hostel, around town who would be willing to share car with me, but nobody wanted to do so, later I realized it was of due to limitation as you are located in national park. All the area is protected by wildlife law related to unauthorized entry, so nope. Hmm "you have to rely on tourist agencies" eventually, I made peace with this fact, for other I don't have think about every aspect of some trips, they will take care of it.
Ah, nothing better than typical morning in my hostel, almost freezing temperatures, me just two warm clothes on me, jeans and light jacket I bought in Santiago, looking around, sensing that I am surrounded by very strange energy. Usually around 7AM everyone around started to deal with breakfast, they were cooking something or just making simple tea made of coca leaves, preparing for upcoming trip they signed in for days ago. The next day in hostel, I made some friends from the habitants and we ventured together around this off world place. With the agencies the procedure was like this, find in town one of agencies you would like to take trip with, the price was could differ a lot sometimes so it took some time to find the right one, especially when you are not speaking Spanish it may be challenge to not get robbed. Other aspect was what they offer including the price, the fees, food, how long it takes, if it include all the places of the specific area etc. After you sign in they will tell you to wait front of your hostel at specific time and they should pick you up, if they even come at first I thought. And once my doubts about this system were in place, once I booked nice day trip through several wonders of nature typical only for Atacama, as Piedro Rojas, Laguna Miscanti (situated in altitude around 4500m).
Unfortunately, during morning waiting no one came to pick me up. So, I visited the agency told them immediately that nobody came to my hostel and of course they said they were waiting, which was bullshit of course, I was there before the time schedule, and as the policy says if you are not on time waiting for them you are nothing getting back. They have argument that I wasn't waiting for them on time, so I will get nothing back. After I talked to some travelers about it, I was surprised actually how often this has been occurring around. I was like "no way", so I decided to fight to get my money back. Well, at first my my chances looked particularly low, because my knowledge of Spanish was practically zero, but I had found one friend, Italian, but he was very good with Spanish and offered himself to help me with this issue. It wasn't really about money more than the principal. And got started right at next day, we went to agency and they said that they are not responsible for driver a guide and then gave us names that we should speak to them directly, funny how they threw them under bus when someone really was about to complain. So, we went to check first the driver, and he was not happy when we brought this topic to him, not really cooperating, he was saying the same thing that they were even waiting for me more than five minutes, but that was crap all around again. Then we went to check guider's version of story, she said the same but there was one hint in it this time, she said that there were waiting on front of gate but by description it wasn't our hostel, eventually we got to the bottom of the story, they were waiting but at wrong place. We brought this back to agency told them what we found out and they offered after all partial refund by different trips they offered, of course the crappies ones. But we kind of won, and that was the point, I refuse it because I didn't feel comfortable to go with them at all, or get scam somehow. Next time I paid bit more for the trip and had great experience with the guide and agency.
Another trip worth to mention was observation of night sky in middle of the desert, beautiful experience, you wouldn't believe how amazing looks clear night sky, without light pollution. I could see whole part of milky way, those stars so many! Then I really understood why they built so many observatories in Chile. I have a lot of photos of this place down below I put link so checked it out, on one of them is guy who guided us. I met there some Brazilians professional photographers, I mean they had like five cameras each, explained me few tricks how to take good shots, how to take care of camera lenses, some crazy German, I was about meet in Bolivia again, it was great. The whole trip to Atacama was one of the best I had experienced.
The next trip is to Bolivia. Country I didn't know anything about, barely knew where is located on map. Yes, this was the first step of absolute spontaneity, step to unknown, to explore and understand...
Link to gallery of Chile