Lagoons of Atacama

Being 'long term' residents in a place allows us to observe the ebb and flow of guests at the hostel. We begin to feel like old hands, giving newcomers advice on where to go to hire bikes, how to find the sand dunes, and how to negotiate the slow process of getting one's clothes laundered. We hark back to past friends that have left the hostel, who in reality only moved on a few days ago.

Although unbounded by the Monday to Friday routine of the workplace, travellers seem to congregate in places around the weekends. And so, in a repeat of last Friday's influx, the hostel is again full. This time it is an English invasion and we found ourselves swapping familiar landmarks and stories from 'Blighty', with slang and cultural references flowing thick and fast, much to the German guests' wry amusement.

For lunch I put together a rice bowl 'Chile style'.

Arroz

A slice of charred red pepper covered quesillo cheese (like a salty mozzarella), alongside guacamole and a kind of aubergine salad.

The big lunch preceded another tour out into the weird and wonderful landscape of Atacama. This time we were bused out to Laguna Cejar - a lagoon that sits in the middle of the salt flats (salar) of Atacama. While this lagoon is protected, its complement, Laguna Piedra, is open to those willing to take a dip in the refreshing water.

Laguna Cejar and Mt. Lascar

The water is highly saline, like the Dead Sea, that the bathers are buoyed up to the surface without effort. We crunched our way barefoot over the white and salty ground and joined the bobbing crowd. At this time of year, the water is also quite cold, although patches had been heated by the sun, leading us to gasp involuntarily as patches of different temperatures flowed past.

Laguna Piedra

A path hewn through the salt crystals leads farther out into the largely featureless salt flats. Suddenly, either side of the road appeared two large wells of blue reflective water.

Ojo

These are the Ojos (Eyes) del Salar. Apparently formed through erosion, the pair of deep, perfectly circular pools form a mirror, looking glassily skywards - when people aren't leaping in them.

Sunset over Laguna Tebinquinche

Our final stop was Laguna Tebinquinche, where we awaited la puesta del sol (sunset), while drinking pisco sours and observing the reflection of Licancabur turn an ever deeper violet.