En El Norte--Mines, Ranches, Deserts

Yesterday morning at 6:30 I was returning from my nine day adventure to the north with my parents and roommate to see my Papá's brother, sister, and brother-in-law. It was a great nine days and there are definitely lots of things to blog about (hopefully I can do it in one post). So I wouldn't forget what we did each day I decided to make a note on my phone and thank goodness I did! Okay, so about those nine days in the north....

We left Valpo on Friday the 18th at 10:30ish in the morning. The cheapest way to travel in Chile is usually on a bus line so that's how we went--twelve hours in a tour bus. I have ridden on bus rides that long before with my ISA crew and stuff but having our parents there sure was nice. Mama had packed lunch and dinner sandwiches for us and it just reminded me a lot of how we traveled when I was a kid. This day was also special because I tried horse for the first time--it was in a jerky, but nevertheless I ate it, and no--I don't like it. Anyways we had a couple of detours on the trip there one was because we couldn't get through the main road in one of the towns we were going through (protest or something I think) and so we arrived in Copiapó sometime around eleven that night. My uncle picked us up from the bus station and we drove about twenty miles to this little ranch they were building in the desert. We had all sorts of food and wine, danced the night away (well Papá and I at least), and then went to bed. This is the place we stayed on all but two days of the trip:

The next morning I woke up and at breakfast Papá and his brother decided to make a beer drink that was so delicious! I can't tell you the secret of what was in it but...yumm they were right about it being tasty. That same day we went out to a big rock that was a monument (I think) and we could look out over all of the desert.

That afternoon we kind of just hung out around the ranch and read our books. It is very cold in the north at night (like Valpo) so we started sleeping with hot water bottles in our beds for our feet...you wouldn't believe the difference they make!

Sunday was our beach day! We went down to a little beach town that would've been destroyed if there ever was a tsunami and then started off-roading until we came to the end of the trail. We got out of the pick-up and were on the edge of some cliffs with the most beautiful beach below! The whole day was spent on this little piece of heaven. There was also a mural of Neruda and John Legend painted into one of the caves. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.

Monday, the following day, was a slow day in the Atacama--I hung out in a hammock under the northern sun reading Allende's House of the Spirits. There were many times on this trip that I was very thankful to having grown up in a small farm town where the days are long and the noise in the air is the chickens in the coop and wind blowing through the trees.

On Tuesday we left the ranch and headed to my tia's house where we were able to check our emails and let our parents know we were all right. We had lunch and then headed to El Salvador where my uncle lives. All in all the trip was about three hours on the road. At my uncles house we were able to shower with hot water (the water on the ranch was very cold) and had a nice dinner.

We woke up the next morning and went all around the city of El Salvador which is basically a small mining town (most of the towns in the north are). There was a shrine to the Virgin Mother over looking the whole city. We went to the market and bought groceries for lunch and then after lunch left the house for an adventure through the desert. In the hidden hills of the desert we looked out over the edge of a cliff at one of the mines, came across an abandon cart, saw the Incan trail, a river filled with salt, and yelled at the empty mountains letting our voices echo from end to end of the vast expanse of earth.

Chilean elliptical--they are everwhere

We are in mining country baby!

Shrine to Our Mother

Papá cheering on the soccer team...

Stranded...

Los hermanos

See all the salt on the edges?

“Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you'll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life.” -Neruda

This is where he is trying to convince me that this rock is a meteor.

Mine

Start to the Inca Trail

Yelling at a plane overhead to help us

The yellow markers mark all of the trail.

The next afternoon we headed back for the ranch to meet up with the rest of our family. My uncle's daughter and her novio were there and we had a big dinner with good wine. The next morning we went to the flea market in Copiapó where we bought things for the late lunch we would have.

My cousin's novio is a great cook and we all hung out drinking imported beer and Chilean wine, eating and talking, dancing and having a great time at the outside table from about three in the afternoon until late in the evening hours.

Locos--so tasty

The next day we hung out at the house and my tia's son came out for an asado in the afternoon before we left. We got on the bus around eight at night and slept until we pulled into our home city which had been taken over by a sling of rainy days. It was a wonderful trip to the north and I am thankful that I was able to experience another piece of this amazing country.