November 8 2016. La Quinta Inn Orlando Airport
So here we are in our hotel room glued to the TV as we watch what either way will be a game changing election.... We are stressed and I have never claimed any different I am socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Tomorrow we will wake to a new day, and a new way our country will move........ So, on a positive note, we are off again. Tomorrow we fly to Santiago Chile. We overnight, then fly to the Atacama desert. Back to Santiago, then to Easter Island. Back to Santiago, then to Buenos Aires. Next we fly to Ushuaia Argentina where we catch an expedition ship for a 12 day cruise to Antarctica. This is very exciting for us as Antarctica will be out last continent. I feel a sense of accomplishment and great privilege to have been afforded the opportunity to visit all 7 continents. This has been a very complex trip for me to plan with all of the air transfers, tours, hotels etc.... If it all works according to plan it will be a miracle. If it does not work out according to plan, it will be an adventure, Either way, we are looking forward to all that lies ahead of us !!
So here we are in our hotel room glued to the TV as we watch what either way will be a game changing election.... We are stressed and I have never claimed any different I am socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Tomorrow we will wake to a new day, and a new way our country will move........ So, on a positive note, we are off again. Tomorrow we fly to Santiago Chile. We overnight, then fly to the Atacama desert. Back to Santiago, then to Easter Island. Back to Santiago, then to Buenos Aires. Next we fly to Ushuaia Argentina where we catch an expedition ship for a 12 day cruise to Antarctica. This is very exciting for us as Antarctica will be out last continent. I feel a sense of accomplishment and great privilege to have been afforded the opportunity to visit all 7 continents. This has been a very complex trip for me to plan with all of the air transfers, tours, hotels etc.... If it all works according to plan it will be a miracle. If it does not work out according to plan, it will be an adventure, Either way, we are looking forward to all that lies ahead of us !!
Not an easy trip to pack for - sunny beaches and deserts to Antarctica !
Crew is optimistic that he is coming along.....
11-11-16. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Well despite common sense that indicated we should have gotten sleep for our7:00 AM flight to Santiago, we could not peel ourselves away from the election results. We finally turned the TV off at 3:00 AM after Trumps speech but I was still too wound up to sleep. Our flight had a change over in Panama City. When we were landing I was able to see the entrance to the Panama Canal and 100s of huge tankers queuing up. We landed in Santiago 12:10 AM, but spent an hour and a half in customs, then another hour at immigration. Luckily we literally walkers across the street to our hotel and got to bedat 3:00 AM. We actually slept 6 straight hours. We then walked back across the street to the airport, flew to Calama, then caught our transfer to San Pedro. We are staying in a small Hotel, very basic. We settled in and walked about 15 minutes in to town for dinner. We both really felt the altitude. We were up at 4:15 AM today for our tour to see the Taito geysers. It was only 90 km but took about an hour and 45 minutes due to the gravel roads. We walked around the geysers, then ate breakfast. The geysers are located in the Andes mountains at about 4320 meters above sea level. We headed back home with stops in a small town called Machuca, and several photo stops. We saw lots of Vicunas which are the wild ancestor of the domesticated alpaca. We had planned to take a sunset tour tonight, but decided to stay in and try to get some rest and hopefully shake off this altitude sickness ! Tomorrow AM we have a 6:00 AM pick up for a tour. Sure hoping for some sleep tonight !
Well despite common sense that indicated we should have gotten sleep for our7:00 AM flight to Santiago, we could not peel ourselves away from the election results. We finally turned the TV off at 3:00 AM after Trumps speech but I was still too wound up to sleep. Our flight had a change over in Panama City. When we were landing I was able to see the entrance to the Panama Canal and 100s of huge tankers queuing up. We landed in Santiago 12:10 AM, but spent an hour and a half in customs, then another hour at immigration. Luckily we literally walkers across the street to our hotel and got to bedat 3:00 AM. We actually slept 6 straight hours. We then walked back across the street to the airport, flew to Calama, then caught our transfer to San Pedro. We are staying in a small Hotel, very basic. We settled in and walked about 15 minutes in to town for dinner. We both really felt the altitude. We were up at 4:15 AM today for our tour to see the Taito geysers. It was only 90 km but took about an hour and 45 minutes due to the gravel roads. We walked around the geysers, then ate breakfast. The geysers are located in the Andes mountains at about 4320 meters above sea level. We headed back home with stops in a small town called Machuca, and several photo stops. We saw lots of Vicunas which are the wild ancestor of the domesticated alpaca. We had planned to take a sunset tour tonight, but decided to stay in and try to get some rest and hopefully shake off this altitude sickness ! Tomorrow AM we have a 6:00 AM pick up for a tour. Sure hoping for some sleep tonight !
A blurry entrance to the Panama canal
En route to Calama
Runway at Calama airport
En route form Calama to San Pedro
Main St. in San Pedro
Following pics are from the Taito Geysers
Loved these Vicunas which looked like a cross between a llama and a deer
After a 4:15 AM departure - we were served breakfast following our walk around the geysers
There were allot of active volcanoes - en route back to San Pedro
More Vicunas
Little town we stopped to visit - Machuca
My new little buddy
Our first flamingo viewings, and my best flamingo impression
Another volcano
Back in San Pedro
Outside of our hotel
Inside courtyard of our hotel
View from roof top of hotel
1-12-16. San Pedro de Atacama
We head a great tour today. About an hour and a half South this time to the Antiplatus lagoons where we walked and ate breakfast. The Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques were both picture perfect. Then onto the salt flats, Salor Atacama where we watched flamingos at Laguna Chaxa, then a stop in a little town called Trocana. The salt flats are an area of about 3000 km in the middle of the Atacama desert. The Atacama desert is the driest non polar desert in the world. We got back to the hotel around 2:30 PM. The scenery today was very diverse with golden tumbleweed mountainsides, a small forest that had a pack of all different colored llamas hanging around, a deep red rock canyon, volcanoes everywhere some with little puffs of smoke coming out of them, miles of salt flats and rainbow colored rocky hills. This town is totally centered around tourism, there is no other industry here. Most people are transient workers. It is a very harsh climate, dry, windy, dusty, cold nights and hot days. There are dogs everywhere, huge dogs, but they just coexist with all the people quite nicely. I am glad we came, but would not want to spend more than a couple of days here. We have a 5:00 AM pick up to the airport tomorrow. We will overnight in Santiago, then off Monday for our Easter Island adventure.
We head a great tour today. About an hour and a half South this time to the Antiplatus lagoons where we walked and ate breakfast. The Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques were both picture perfect. Then onto the salt flats, Salor Atacama where we watched flamingos at Laguna Chaxa, then a stop in a little town called Trocana. The salt flats are an area of about 3000 km in the middle of the Atacama desert. The Atacama desert is the driest non polar desert in the world. We got back to the hotel around 2:30 PM. The scenery today was very diverse with golden tumbleweed mountainsides, a small forest that had a pack of all different colored llamas hanging around, a deep red rock canyon, volcanoes everywhere some with little puffs of smoke coming out of them, miles of salt flats and rainbow colored rocky hills. This town is totally centered around tourism, there is no other industry here. Most people are transient workers. It is a very harsh climate, dry, windy, dusty, cold nights and hot days. There are dogs everywhere, huge dogs, but they just coexist with all the people quite nicely. I am glad we came, but would not want to spend more than a couple of days here. We have a 5:00 AM pick up to the airport tomorrow. We will overnight in Santiago, then off Monday for our Easter Island adventure.
Up early and en route to the Antiplatus lagoons
We were told it was rare to see a desert fox
Views of the Lagoons
Hut built next to lagoon with volcano in background
More vicunas
At the Lagoon Miniques
At the Lagoon Miscanti - these ducks built nests out on the water to protect from predators
Hiking around the lagoon
En route to the Salor Atacama - salt flats
Watch our for the Vicunas !
Jon and I at the Tropic of Cancer
Going my way ?
Hiking around Laguna Chaxa
Not sure what this bird was, but he looked like sandpiper...
Yes I am fascinated by Flamingoes - I think this is the first time I was able to catch them in flight..
Next stop - Easer Island !