10 December 2010

I woke early at 5:30 and fell back asleep but it was as light out as at 7 so I think if I get up early I will be able to drive farther each day.  I made a diversion to San Pedro de Atacama to see the stars. This is one of the best places on Earth to see the heavens. There are several observatories here in the desert. I paid 15000 pesos for an astronomy tour.

On the way to San Pedro de Atacama I must’ve encountered a cycling race. At first I saw one cyclist with a truck following beside him filming. Then around the corner  in my lane suddenly appeared a thick group of cyclists. So I veered off the pavement to give them room and waited for everyone to pass. There were three or four different groups of cyclists plus cars following alongside them. I’m glad I ran into the cyclists when I did and not previously in the narrow confines of the road twisting its way between the mountaintops just before I met them. The road through Calmo was surprisingly direct and I did not get lost once. 

I almost drove off road into the Valle de Luna but I figured I’d go there tomorrow. Now I don’t think I will.  You have to pay an entrance fee and I need to head south as far as I can.

The road dissipates into dirt in San Pedro de Atacama. The town is a narrow maze of one way dirt roads with pedestrians everywhere. I parked and walked to find a cheap hostel. 

Licanabur volcano in the background

I attempted to withdraw money from several ATMs and was denied each time. Frustrated and angry that my account might be frozen again I hurried back to the hostel to do an online chat with a banking representative. The problem turned out to be that all of the ATMs I tried to use only take MasterCard and I was using a Visa.  There was only one ATM in town that took Visa and it was hidden way at the southwest part of town in a building that was not a bank and gave no indication of having an ATM.

I walked around a bit then went to get gas at the only gas station in town which is hidden away on the grounds of a hotel behind walls with only a small sign to indicate its presence. After rearranging my car I took a nap and am now having the absolute worst coffee I’ve ever had at a cafe in the plaza. Across the square is a marching band playing. There is a small parade and some type of procession leading to a church. I have no idea the occasion.

At the hostel I chatted in extremely poor and broken Spanish with my older room mate. He’s from Santiago. Then I got another coffee which was terrible (lots of milk and a tiny amount of watered down espresso). Then I walked about town until it was time to be out in front of the place where I bought the ticket for the astronomy tour and wait for the bus. This is when things got a bit hairy.

Some people asked if I was waiting for the bus for the tour and they said the bus was not going to meet us here but around the corner instead. They walked off but I hung around for a bit not sure to believe them or not because the lady whom I bought the ticket from said to wait right out front. Then I saw more people obviously waiting for the bus around the corner so I went to join them. The bus finally shows up and it was indeed at this corner and not where I was told to meet it.  If I hadn’t been told by these fellow tourists then I would have missed out completely.

On the bus I showed my ticket with my name on it and the driver looks at it and at the list and my name is not on the list. He points at the ticket and says the time was for 2100 and that now its 2300. Impossible I say and show him my watch.  It’s 2100.  He shows me his watch. Its 2300.  I was floored.  I didn’t even know that Chile was 2 hours ahead of Peru. There were no signs at the border and given its geographical location right underneath Peru who would think that Chile is two hours ahead of Peru?  This explains why it looked like 7:30 at 5:30. It was 7:30!!!

After everyone boarded the bus the driver made a call and I was allowed to stay on but the tour was going to be in Spanish and not English. The 2100 tour was in English. We drove about three miles outside of town and down a long dirt driveway to a ranch house with several telescopes out front.

A middle-aged lady greeted us as we departed the bus. We followed her and gathered in a circle. It turns out I was not the only English speaker as there was an Australian girl and a few others there but she gave the entire speech in Spanish and translated only a little into English. She used a green laser pointer to mark out certain spots in the sky, constellations, the point the southern sky rotates around, Jupiter, and several major stars. She even used me in a demonstration. I was the sun and she was the Earth revolving around me, showing how the sky changes throughout the year.

At this point the group from 2100 filed out of the house and boarded the bus and left. Her husband came over and took all the English speakers in a separate group and proceeded to give a downright hilarious and informative talk about the night sky. Utilizing the telescopes he showed us several stars and nebulae I had never before seen. The moon set which allowed the stars to shine more brightly. The Southern Cross also rose over the horizon. Just above the point the southern sky rotates are two large clouds of stars, the Magellanic Clouds. We looked at these also. The night sky was absolutely brilliant especially now that the moon had set. Several shooting stars passed over us.  Every time someone called attention to one our guide reminded us we needed to point them out before they appear. 

After a thorough and entertaining discussion he took us inside where the rest of the group had already gone. We had hot cocoa and he answered any remaining questions we had. The room we were in was aglow in ambient white light and overhead was a hole through which we could see the night sky. It felt like being at a campfire. 

So it was a good thing I came late because I got to see more stars without the moon interfering and I still got a presentation in English by an immensely funny man. 

As I write this someone next door is coughing and/or vomiting.

The astronomer giving our tour made several Star Wars references, thoroughly mocked astrology, and mocked with great derision the 2012 Mayan end of the world prophecy. He was quite amiable and jocular the whole time. He and his wife served us cocoa in silver cups. In the southern sky Orion is still visible but he is upside down. On the return trip to San Pedro the radio on the bus was playing old classic rock at a low volume. Sweet Little Sixteen by Chuck Barry.