San Pedro de Atacama (La Isla Bonita...yes, it sounds like a Madonna song if you sing it the way we do..."it all seems like yesterday, not far away"..., San Pedro de Atacama...)

All that makes you wild and free...San Pedro de Atacama

     I'm on one hell of a whirlwind of a journey, life is being thrown at me from every direction. My senses are constantly being teased, tantalized and even tortured; my body taken to places it has not otherwise known existed. Adventure seeks me out, finds me, and throws a sequence of complex creature like abstractions at me. I try to decipher them but quickly realize that I am indeed lost, confused and wanting to leave San Pedro... 
 So I did.

Wouldn't you want to leave if this guy kept making bird sounds with a leaf?

    





That was my experience in this wild, weird, and demented desert town. Aesha, on the other hand was having a wee bit more fun, so for the first time in the history of the universe, two friends split up while traveling. Wow, what an insane idea. I'm super impressed that we came up with such an original concept. Aesha wanted to enjoy a few days more in San Pedro and I surmised that Santiago had been calling my name for way to long. Hasta Luego Aesha Rosa Tigresa...see you in a few days. 
 I thought I was ready for some alone time, but what I wanted and what I  received were two completely different  situations!

One quick travel "do" and "don't"... if you will : 

Do take time for yourself once in a while. 

Don't do it the evening you have a 24 hour bus ride to a city you have never been to, in a country whose language you barely speak. 

Not as fun as it seems...

 Aesha hurry back, Por favor! I can barely order my lunch without you!!!!!

All joking aside, the bus ride to Santiago was tortuous without anyone to talk to, the battery on my phone was dead (so no music), and I had just finished my last book. Talk about some serious time for self reflection. Gross. I was completely debilitated from  having multiple conversations with myself that by the time I reached the hostel in Santiago I almost screamed at the first person English speaking soul that I met, and wow, did I get Lucky!!!

It just so happened that this very kind gentleman named Ari, owns the hostel i was at. He could tell that I was out of sorts and offered me something special. He said "I don't usually do this, but I own some high-end condos across the street, and there is a pool". Before he could say anything else I was running to get my bathing suit!!!! Ari unlocked the door to the pool for me and said...just relax and lock the door whenever you decide to leave. Wow, I already love Chilean hospitality, yet there was so much more to come in the days and weeks ahead...

View from our "Pimp Palace"

Santiago Backpackers " Ari's place" www.santiagobackpackers.com/ is a dynamite little hostel. It has a homey feel, the staff are energetic and fun, and the place is spotless. Other than one ferociously insane evening when a wildly intoxicated Korean girl tried to steal Aesha's bed and almost left with her suitcase, it was one of our favorite hostels to date. But wait, there's more... The third night they accidentally overbooked the hostel. They gave away our beds!!! It was an oversight and was beginning to look like a grim situation for these Savvy Nomads when...Bam!!!!! Since, well, I had a new-found friendship with the owner I called him over to discuss the issue at hand. He replied with a smirk "I'm so sorry about this Samantha, we will just have to put you girls up in the condo across the street. Will that be o.k with you?" Hahahahahahahhah!!! The one with the rooftop pool?? Yup, that'll be just fine.  

     The place was PIMP!!!!!! It was a two bedroom modern palace with a kitchen, bathtub with HOT water (I have never in my life enjoyed a bath more than I did that night), and a 180° view of Santiago. We couldn't contain ourselves upon entering. We were squealing and jumping up and down and squealing some more and jumping and ...OK, you get it. We were stoked out of our minds. This type of thing doesn't happen, but it did. Hot water, oh my.

Mine

Side note...
I must briefly talk about the food in Chile for a moment. It sucks. Plain and simple. If you are on a meager backpacker budget such as ourselves, you eat "completos"...ans a ton of them. A completo is nothing more than a jazzed up hot dog, and by jazzed up I mean covered in mayonnaise, sauerkraut, ketsup, mustard and guacamole. Disgusting yes.. Making me look disgusting yes. Delicious??? Why, yes.

     Aesha and I get into the habit of not eating until its too late and we are hangry. 

Hers

           She is Gluten intolerant and can not have wheat...which means, no bread for her! We were cruising the gargantuan mall one steamy Santiago afternoon and realized that we were hangry. We approached the food court with apprehension then realized that they had completo place. Now, mind you, two healthy girls such as ourselves would never, ever consider eating hot dogs at a mall in America, but when in Chile....do as the Chileans do...eat mayonnaise drenched hot dogs. That, my friends is not where the story ends though. She ordered her completo "sin pan" which means without bread. You would have thought she pulled a gun on them or something. The wide eyed hot dog lady shreiked at Aesha in Spanish "EN SERIO!!!!!!!!??", which means SERIOUSLY!!!??? They couldn't seem to get it together. The place was crumbling before our very eyes. It took five sweaty cooks, two idiotic cashiers and a apathetic manager to finally grasp the concept that someone would actually order one of these slimy things without a bun...and she ordered two. What happened next made us laugh so hard we nearly pissed ourselves...for real. Uncontrollable laughter and just sheer madness. This is what they served her. EN SERIO!!!!!  Nuff said.  

Our day at The French Barber Shop and Restaurant. Fabulous.

Haircut anyone???

 Santiago is a classy city with a raging nightlife scene. It actually reminds me a lot of Chicago. The sun doesn't set here until 9:30 pm so people go out for dinner and drinks around midnight. This took some getting used to but eventually I got the hang of it. The city is beautiful, very cosmopolitan and is wrapped in an ornate coat of history. There are tons of cafes, shops, and plenty to see and do. Mostly we spent our days strolling through city parks and neighborhoods, sipping on espresso (I made a coffee drinker out of her), and enjoying the scenery. People watching quickly became our favorite pastime and we would just sit for hours and hours discussing the unique clothing choices of Chileans. It's quite a different style than what we commonly see at home, and we found it to be ultimately amusing, hilarious actually.
After a few pleasant days of sightseeing we were ready to head to the beach. VAMOS A LA PLAYA!!!!!

Viña del Mar
 We arrived in Viña by bus. It's only an hour and a half from Santiago and the drive was gorgeous. We've been dying to get to the beach. As excited as we were, we were not that impressed when we arrived. It's outrageously overpriced, the nightlife is comprable to spring break in the states (we are a tad bit old for that nonsense), and the beaches were not as admirable as we had hoped.

Renaca Beach

 However, Aesha hooped on the beach and attracted quite the coterie of onlookers . I'm deemed her "hoopsistant " and as a team we sure do know how to entice the crowd. Aesha being the star of course!!! We stayed two days and headed to Valparasio....one of the coolest cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Ciao for now!!!- The Savvy Nomad

  

SALAR DE UYUNI...almost there...
   So Aesha and I prematurely believed for a millisecond that we may have possibly struck gold because we were finally leaving La Paz...No such luck. We purchased our bus tickets out of that hell hole and were set to leave at 9:00 pm. We checked out of our hotel and were elated to finally be on our way to the Salt Flats in Uyuni.
Dun dun dun... At 6:00 pm our hotel received a call for me... Samantha...it's for you...
 "Samantha, it seems as though we have overbooked your bus ride to Uyuni. Also, I'm so sorry but the tourist bus (with heat and a meal) that you payed for is overbooked for several days as well. We can get you on a local bus tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm. It's a 12 hour bus ride but it is a comparable bus." What on Earth.... seriously??? 

Butterflies :)

OK...It's time for these chicas to have some fun. We have been stuck in our room after dark every night since we arrived in La Paz. We were over it!!!  So we researched the best party hostel, actually decided to put on make-up and attempted to dress up (our meager clothes and lack of shoes other than hikers and flip-flops severely hindered our attempts at looking good), and headed out for the evening. The best part....It was a costume party!!!!! And if you know Aesha and I....well, you know we love a good costume party!!! Finally, we thought, we caught a break.
      Don't worry, it didn't last long. The costumes were great, I became an insane pool shark (they have no clue how to play pool in this country), and the drinks were cheap. However, we still needed to leave on that local bus en la manana.
Mi en mi Amiga....arrived at the terminal. We were both worried that the bus would not have heat... This would pose a serious problem when you are cruising at 15,000 ft above sea level. Yup...you guessed it.. NO HEAT...and the toilet looked like something out of a M. Night Shyamalan movie...Not good my friends....not good.
    We made the best of it. It was an extremely disheveled day or five....but who's counting???
We made it to Uyuni. Booked a trip and headed out the next morning. We had no idea what was in store for us and at this point I didn't care. The closer I got to Chile the better, but.......What a treat!!!!
Day 1...Train Cemetery and Salt Flats

Train Cemetery,  Bolivia

Mind you, at this point I still did not possess a camera. I attempted to purchase one in La Paz but every last one of them was a knock-off and everyone there is an a-hole anyway (no, I'm not bitter..not at all). Aesha was brilliant in her photography and we had such a dynamite experience that I was secretly stoked I didn't have to deal with a camera of my own....Thanks Aesha I love you!!

Kick butt Train Cemetery!!

The Salt Flats were absolutely sensational. I was hesitant to go because at that point I certainly had enough Bolivia for a lifetime. However, I am completely stoked that I decided to join the team.

For some reason The American Flag was missing...weird.

 As we coasted along the flats I experienced a peculiar sense of emptiness. The eerie vastness of this space just creeps up on you. With over 4,000 sq miles, these are the largest Salt Flats in the world and they contain over 10 billion tons of salt. Over 40,000 years ago it was a gigantic prehistoric lake that eventually dried up and created these incredible salt flats. It's a super fascinating place and we both genuinely enjoyed the majestic beauty here.

Tigresa and Pantera rule Del Mundo!!!

Our Team, "Team Salty Dog" was a perfect combination of folks. Two Americans, two Bolivians, and two Hollanders. We were all jam packed in a Land Cruiser for three days. We really got to know each other.

Hector No!!!! Don't eat me!!!!

The first day was my favorite. The Salt Flats were sublime and I even brought a friend. Shhhhh. His name is Hector. He tried to attack me but after he realized that I was his only source of companionship he let me go. We are now besties...Sorry Aesha...

Sexy Tigresa Rosa!!

Perfecto!!!!

   I don't feel that it is necessary to mention my gorgeous companion Aesha and her passion for the Hoop, however, although she was beautiful as always that day there was something special here in the flats. Maybe it was the lack of depth...I'm not sure, but she rocked the hell out of that Hoop!!!

Flat tires suck!!!!

   We were on our way to a hotel made completely out of salt when we got a flat tire...In the middle of nowhere!!! Thank goodness these guys are trained for this kind of thing. Several other tourist trucks stopped to help. They had that tire fixed in record time! It was incredible!!
The Salt Hotel was pretty much just a tourist trap but I fell right into that trap and bought a ton of stuff...per usual!  

Next stop...Incahuasi or Pescado (Fish) Island, located on the Salar.

No Fumar Hector!!!

This island  completely blew our minds. Here we are in the middle of miles upon miles of nothing but salt, then this mysterious island pops up. Loaded with what seemed to be an infinite number of cactuses...literally thousands and thousands of them!! Many over 15 feet high. We hiked to the top of the island and had an astounding 360° view of the Salar. It was freaking amazing! The only problem was that Hector kept trying to smoke. Bad boy Hector!!!!!!! 

Pescado Island

Oowwwweeeeee!!!

   The weather at the Salar de Uyuni is completely unpredictable. It was exceedingly hot in the morning, it then later started raining and the wind was whipping and roaring at around 30 miles an hour...and at night we pretty much froze to death!!! We literally slept in every layer we own but it was sooooo worth it!! 

We stayed in the Hostel de Salar.  Everything was made of salt! It was an incredibly unique experience. Is was basic but the bright decor and intimacy well made up for the lack of anything we may have craved, like hot water perhaps (a luxury to us backpackers). Team Salty Dog had dinner together and we all got a bit more acquainted with one another. What an experience!!! Even our beds were made of salt!!!

Chilean Flamingos

DAY 2... Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarkota Lagoons the Volcano, The Stone Tree, and the famous Red Lagoon...

One of several inactive volcanoes in the area

There are three types of flamingos indigenous to the Salar: Chilean, James's and Andean. The Chilean are the most attractive (hahahaha...). This was one of the highlights of the trip.These birds are remarkably beautiful and the lagoons themselves are completely different than anything I have ever seen before. Too bad the lagoons stunk so bad we almost puked. Apparently flamingo poop is ridiculously stinky. Ewwwwww!! 

Poopy birdies

Most of the second day was spent driving along the flats. Other than some great photo opportunities it was quite uneventful.... 
Oh except when our car exploded. That was great!!! Once again...many other tourist vehicles were around to help. This time it seemed like something very serious. Now, I'm no mechanic, but when parts are taken off, saws come out, tubes are being cut and glued and tied together, water is being poured in a million different places and the car is smoking, Houston....we may have a problem.

Holy shitballs!!!

 

I really tried to get some writing done!!

The scoop: The car was completely fixed in under ten minutes. Are you kidding me???? Haha!! It was riconkulous!!! Yeah buddies!! Muchas Gracias!!! We were now on our way to The Stone Tree to stop for some lunch and relaxation time. I attempted to write but my paparazzi (thanks Aesha) kept taking photos of me, thus distracting my train of thought. It's hard being so damn famous.

Stone Rock

It was a day of sensory overload in every sense of the meaning. We were mentally exhausted and the altitude was starting to get to us but when we arrived at Stone Rock the contrast of the different shades of red and bronze tones rejuvenated our spirits. So many beautiful things to take in here at the Salar!!!!!

     It started hailing golf balls on us on the way to the Red Lagoon...and what??????? It started to snow. Awesome.

Red Lagoon

The second night was mellow and we were in bed quite early...We had a 5am start the next day. We woke up to a full blown blizzard. It was completely ludicrous!!! 

I ran away from Chicago to get away from the snow!!!!!

DAY 3...GEYSERS AND FINALLY...CHILE!!!!!!

Team Salty Dog

 

Up up up!!! Get up Team Salty Dog!! We are heading to the geysers!! WooHoo! In a blizzard...Fun.

Stinky Sulfur!!

The Solar de Manaña geyser basin is a collection of bubbling, boiling, and muddy sulfur pools and a geyser or two... It boasts a fantastic collection of colors and this creates a very dramatic effect against the mountains in the background. And yummmmy, there is just something about that sulfur smell...Hahahahaa

There are no railings, no safety restraints, nada. It's severely slippery, the water is boiling over and we felt that at any moment the ground was about to cave in. No Gracias!!!

We didn't stick around long...We need to get to Chile!!
Please....all I want is Chile!!

Bubbling brew!!! Hahahahaha

 

We had an insanely long and bumpy ride to the border during a white washed blizzard, but we made it!!! Chile...I love you already! 

 It was freezing in the Salar that day and we couldn't wait to get to San Pedro in the Atacama Desert. Well, we got exactly what we asked for!!! We woke up to a blizzard and were in 100° dry desert heart in 10 hours. Holy hell I almost did a freaking back-flip!! We have been so busy enjoying Chile that I have been severely slacking on the blog...sorry for that!! I promise there will be a new one in a day or two...Chile is perfect...

Love from Vina Del Mar, Chile- The Savvy Nomad

"THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS ROAD" El Camino de la Muerte!! 
La Paz to Corioco, Bolivia
SHEER MADNESS!!!!!

  I can´t sleep. I toss and turn as intrusive images lure me into an ambush of lucid dreams. Avalanches, landslides, plunging off cliffs to my eminent death, being mauled by pumas as well as a variety of other horrid scenarios occupy my brain.. I need to sleep. Tomorrow is a huge day. Tomorrow I will race (ok..ride) a mountain bike 40 miles down the Andes Mountains in Bolivia reaching speeds of up to 45 miles an hour. This road is deemed the most dangerous road in the world and I´m going to bike down it? What the hell is wrong with me??? I turn over to see Aesha in her bed wide awake staring at me. It´s 2.30 am. We just look at each other with a knowing glance...are we freaking crazy???

I'm not scurrrrred.

BESTIES :)

We are still awake when the alarm sounds. Something about the idiocy of this ride actually petrified me. Maybe it´s the the 1900 ft staight cliff drop offs, or the fact that it is a single lane road and at most places no wider than 10 ft across. Maybe it´s the fact that I will be on a mountain bike in the Amazon jungle. Maybe I just want that damn t-shirt they give you if you finish..you know the one that says " I survived The Death Road" Who knows...all I know is it certainly got my blood pumping, and for that...I thank you Death Road!!!!!

Uno, dos, tres...SALTAR!!!!

             We arrived at Madness Bike Adventure in the wee hours of  the morning. The adrenaline rush that starts to take over you body before you are about to voluntarily experience something that may considerably alter your life is an intense feeling. We watched the videos…we knew what to expect yet somehow we were incapable of saying no. I will admit, perhaps I  influenced Aesha quite a bit, but she conquered those 40 miles like a champ!! I know she would have regretted it if she decided to stay home and visit more lame ass ruins…hahahah

Lil ol' bridge

  Our guide Octavio was fluent in both Spanish and English, so we completely understood him when he made us sign the waivers (no fault), just in case something happened. He promised us it was very safe and that we had nothing to worry about!! I have gotten so used to the rain that when the sun was out that day and the crisp breeze tickled my nose, I had a moment with myself…this is going to be an amazing experience, and amazing it was!!! Absolutely one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had in my entire life. Scary…hell yes….fun as shit…you bet!!!!
     After a brief safety demonstration and the fitting of our gloves, helmets and the ever-so-sexy rain pants we were on our way up the mountain. Our minivan inched its way up to 15,000 ft and as we twisted and turned every corner all I could think of is the fact that we needed to get down this mountain…on a bike.
We arrived at the top where the actual Yungus “Death Road” begins and Octavio requested we check out our brakes…Really? Wow, thanks…I certainly hope that they work at this point!

Yes..that's the road

     I sized up my competition. I felt as if I  had an advantage over the girls but the guys were just so much bigger than I and they would undoubtedly be able to gain more momentum and speed than me. This doesn’t mean I didn’t try my damnest to kick their butts down that mountain, but alas, the sheer magnitude of their body mass, compared with their choice to almost never use their brakes, made them take the lead over me. It’s ok…as Octavio repeatedly said “this is NOT a competition” hahaha yeah right…do you know who you are talking to???
 The first 20 miles of the road is on asphalt and it’s not closed to through traffic. This part scared the bejesus out of us, but the need for speed won me over and I was Ralampago on that bike!!! The lower you crouch, the faster you go….it was stupid fun.

Love you Mom and Dad!!!

The landscape was a scene out of a Lord of the Rings movie. Sweeping snow capped mountains and gorgeous lush valleys and meandering rivers below. Karst formations meeting beautiful red and pink sandstone. Perrinkle skies dazzling with dreamy white clouds that seemed to be smiling down at us. I was expecting a rainbow and a leprechaun at some point but they never showed.
     It was quite chilly at 15,000 ft but as we speedily descended, we were able to shed layers. The Death Road is unique in the sense that it joins the Andes mountains with the Amazon Rain forest. The vegetation was lush and tropical and boasts many different types of flowers including my favorite…orchids.

The second half of the journey is where the road gets it’s  famous “most dangerous road” status. Sharp, hairpin turns, 2000 ft drops, only a few feet to wrangle your bike, cascading waterfalls (on your head), streams flowing directly over the road, which is made from rocks and gravel,, not to mention the seemingly never-ending mass rock wall. To my left all I see is the mountains behind and the valley soooo far below. On my right I am met with a rock wall ascending 1000’s of feet, covered with jungle vines and wild orchids…and in front of me….well it's difficult to say because there are so many 90 degree turns I was never sure what was going to meet me around each corner. It was completely breathtaking (not sure if it was the elevation or the fact I was holding my breath half of the time) and there were times when I just stopped (my brakes did work!!) and just took it all in. 

      I cried at one point because it  just felt so good to be alive and able to experience the world in this capacity. I felt one with nature. The adrenaline was replaced with appreciation. A deep appreciation for nature and the sheer elegance and natural beauty of my surroundings. I still really loved the speed though…  

Light as a feather...

   Our guide was actually so impressed with me he seriously offered me a job as a guide. Hmmmmmm a tour guide in Bolivia….ummm I’m going to have to pass as most of you know how I feel about my experiences here in Bolivia. Now if we were in Thailand or Hawaii perhaps…who knows!!!!
     The trip down  the mountain took 4 hours to complete because we stopped at a spectacular waterfall to have lunch, take photos, and breathe...
     This is a MUST do if you ever come to Bolivia and has been one of the best experiences I have ever had whilst traveling. It’s not for the faint at heart but if you know how to ride a bike and are not afraid of heights , altitude sickness, getting hit by cars or boulders ,falling off of cliffs, or just plain fainting…this is for you…Sheer Madness!!!!

Aesha the "Fierce" Badass!!!

A nice little surprise...After the ride we were taken to a posh hotel in Corioco for a fabulous buffet lunch and were allowed plenty time to swim in the pool. Pool??? It’s been so rainy and gross the past month we were shocked (and nervous to have to be in a bathing suit) yet overjoyed. The backdrop was gorgeous and we stuffed our faces and swam and sipped on crisp cold brews. It was a perfect ending to a perfectly insane day. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pool and beers!! Great times!!!!

Me at el Camino de la Muerte

To my Mother:
 I want to let you know Mom, that I wont be doing this again, so don’t worry!!!This whole blog was a trick Mom, you see...this is all I really did that day!!!!I love you! (see right)
Next blog....later today.. a 3 day jeep trip across the Largest Salt Flats in the world, the Salar de Uyuni. It shall be another epic part of this amazing journey on this road called life. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!
-The Savvy Nomad