Since a while ago, I was preparing a trip to San Pedro de Atacama with some friends from Paranal. Curiously and without realizing it, we scheduled the trip for the Easter weekend. This was messy! First, there are a lot of tourists in a long weekend; second, accommodation prices rise; third, accommodation availability drops considerably. To spice it up a little bit, our group size was changing quite fast: started with 4, then 2+2, then 2+2+2, 2+2 again, back to 4 and finally 2+2. In the end, we arrived as two groups of two, with 4 different bookings in 3 hostels. One group (mine) was there just to have fun and the other group was there for a meditation weekend. Basically, we only saw the other group twice during the three days.
We arrived in San Pedro at 1:30 in the morning and had to find the hostel outside the center. When we finally found it, it was not that nice and people were not as friendly as we wished. We met a group of crazy chileans and ended up doing a lot of noise that night in the hostel. The next day we decided to leave, made up an excuse for the reservations we still had and searched for another one. We used the other reservation we had and went to this really nice adobe hostel, closer to the center and less expensive, ran by a young couple. Very good choice! In that same afternoon we managed to book a tour to three lagoons inside the Atacama salt flat. In one of them you could bathe and the water was so salty that you would float without any effort. Perfect for relaxing! We ended the tour with a beautiful sunset, drinking pisco sour and talking about ancient shamanism with the guides. For the next morning we booked a tour to the geysers, departing at 4 am. We heroically decided to not sleep that night, went to a bar until 2 am and then had a strange encounter with the hostel owner, back in the hostel, which by chance was half brasilian. We spent the two hours left talking with him around a drink. No need to say, afterwards we slept the whole trip. I had already seen the geysers so it was not as spectacular as before. However, on our way back, we stopped at a very picturesque village, Machuca, where only 8 people live permanently. We were promised some llama meat but it was all gone when we arrived.
This was my third time in San Pedro and it was worth it for the people and the moments created by chance. There was however another small detail that worked out very well: Easter. I had always spent Easter in family, far away from the big cities and very close to the traditions, specially the catholic traditions that mark this date. In San Pedro, as the small village it is and despite all the tourists, I found this small space, where tradition still remains. On the Holy Friday, at night, there was a procession coming out of the church, going around town and into the church again. On Sunday, there was also a prayer in the morning. For a minute there, I lost myself and was back home, with my family, and San Pedro felt just like any other small town...
Since a while ago, I was preparing a trip to San Pedro de Atacama with some friends from Paranal. Curiously and without realizing it, we scheduled the trip for the Easter weekend. This was messy! First, there are a lot of tourists in a long weekend; second, accommodation prices rise; third, accommodation availability drops considerably. To spice it up a little bit, our group size was changing quite fast: started with 4, then 2+2, then 2+2+2, 2+2 again, back to 4 and finally 2+2. In the end, we arrived as two groups of two, with 4 different bookings in 3 hostels. One group (mine) was there just to have fun and the other group was there for a meditation weekend. Basically, we only saw the other group twice during the three days.
We arrived in San Pedro at 1:30 in the morning and had to find the hostel outside the center. When we finally found it, it was not that nice and people were not as friendly as we wished. We met a group of crazy chileans and ended up doing a lot of noise that night in the hostel. The next day we decided to leave, made up an excuse for the reservations we still had and searched for another one. We used the other reservation we had and went to this really nice adobe hostel, closer to the center and less expensive, ran by a young couple. Very good choice! In that same afternoon we managed to book a tour to three lagoons inside the Atacama salt flat. In one of them you could bathe and the water was so salty that you would float without any effort. Perfect for relaxing! We ended the tour with a beautiful sunset, drinking pisco sour and talking about ancient shamanism with the guides. For the next morning we booked a tour to the geysers, departing at 4 am. We heroically decided to not sleep that night, went to a bar until 2 am and then had a strange encounter with the hostel owner, back in the hostel, which by chance was half brasilian. We spent the two hours left talking with him around a drink. No need to say, afterwards we slept the whole trip. I had already seen the geysers so it was not as spectacular as before. However, on our way back, we stopped at a very picturesque village, Machuca, where only 8 people live permanently. We were promised some llama meat but it was all gone when we arrived.
This was my third time in San Pedro and it was worth it for the people and the moments created by chance. There was however another small detail that worked out very well: Easter. I had always spent Easter in family, far away from the big cities and very close to the traditions, specially the catholic traditions that mark this date. In San Pedro, as the small village it is and despite all the tourists, I found this small space, where tradition still remains. On the Holy Friday, at night, there was a procession coming out of the church, going around town and into the church again. On Sunday, there was also a prayer in the morning. For a minute there, I lost myself and was back home, with my family, and San Pedro felt just like any other small town...
2 comments:
Ahh granda caparro!!
Fdx, eu sabia que não devia ter metido essa foto... :|
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