Monday, January 21st

San Pedro de Atacama Desert

Stayed at Rural- La Florida Hostal- night 3/5

Dear Obiwan,

Today was a late start due to falling asleep around 6:30am after the incredible lunar eclipse adventure last night.

But today was another tour, the Cejar Lagoon tour! This tour takes you to 4 lagoons, only one you can swim in. The tour also included watching the sunset!

I was on my own for this tour and my car ride was 3 couples and a mother and daughter from Germany.

About an hour or so later we were at the lagoons! There were 2, one was beautiful and just to look at and admire.

The second one was a salt lagoon that you can swim in! However, to get here you needed to walk over a bunch of shards of salt that were equal to small and huge shards of glass. Then once you were swimming it was lovely, it was warm-ish (not too hot) which was nice since it was incredibly hot outside. Also, the water was so clear you could see past your toes!

And, just like the Dead Sea, there was so much salt in this lagoon that you were FLOATING OBI. Weightless! It’s such an incredible feeling to just…float…with no effort. It was so relaxing you could easily fall asleep.

After this wonderful floating, we were heading to the 3rd lagoon, and due to Jimmy from the hostel telling me that you could swim at the 3rd one, I didn’t change. Unbeknownst to me, every single other person had changed back to their dry clothes in the van.

We arrived at the 3rd lagoon which was a man-made lagoon that someone had crated years ago to study the salt. This lake was not clear and our guide told us was cold…at this point it was getting colder and was windy, so no way Obi was I getting in that lagoon!

Now dry, we drove to the last lagoon…for sunset! Our guide was the best, he always had us laughing and was very warm. He taught us a lot too, for instance, with this last lagoon, people were once able to walk closer to the lagoon, however, we can’t anymore due to researchers discover that here are 3 hundred MILLION year old microorganisms living here!

Finally, we watched the sunset. Now I was lucky to see the sunset at the Moon Valley yesterday…but Obi, if you recall…there were no clouds and it was kinda anti-climatic. However, this sunset…woah. The clouds and the scenery were breath taking! Look!:

Also during the sunset I started talking with the German mother and daughter, and we chatted the whole time as the sunset. The daughter was a surfer who also is traveling solo, but she is going the opposite route I am taking. She started in Brazil, which before today-I was planning to end my trip in (but I have been very on the fence).

Her daughter answered my question, ‘is Brazil dangerous?’ Which I have been hearing polarizing answers about…and she proceeded to share that she was ATTACKED…at gun point…MID DAY…in Rio.

She is okay now, it was traumatizing and she said it took her some time to feel safe again, of course.

But that was it for me, decision made and no more wavering- I am not going to Brazil. I would end up being there during Carnival too, which so many people, especially Brazilians, have told me is very dangerous. I am dying to go to Brazil, it seems so incredible, but I will just go one day in the future- NOT alone. 🙂

Back to our breathtaking sunset. While watching sunset our guide surprised us with Pisco sours, cheese, nuts, and chips! He shared about his work week- he works in the mine 7 days in A ROW, then he gets 7 days off in a row…but he fills those days off with leading tours! So he works every day! And seems completely happy. Think about that Obi!

Once back at the hostel, I ate some of the truffles Dad and I bought in Santiago and they were divine, just so delicious… and then promptly went to bed, exhausted!

Miss you and love you lamb chop,

Love, Tú Madre,

Carly