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As soon as we cross the Chilean border we notice a difference in levels of wealth between the two countries, Bolivia and Chile. The Chilean road leading through the desert in front of us is fully tarmac, with painted lines and the occasional signpost, whereas the Bolivian roads we’ve just left were dirt tracks at the best of times. The Chilean border control officers are super smart in their co-ordinated uniforms and the border control building itself is contemporary in design and looks pretty much brand new. In comparison the Bolivian border office was a small hut in a dusty field where all the tour jeeps were parked up higgledy piggledy with tourists’ bags strewn all over the ground ready to be searched.
San Pedro is the first town reached after the Bolivia/ Chile border and reinforces the idea that we’ve arrived in a completely different country. In fact, Chile is what they call, the success story of South America. It is the most economically advanced, the most European in nature and, to follow suit, the most conservative of South American people live here. This is evidenced in San Pedro when we discover loud music and dancing are strictly prohibited here, even though it is one of the most popular tourist towns in the country, due to its location in the Atacama desert, within easy reach of the Bolivian Altiplano and the striking desert valleys of the Moon and Mars. It is entirely constructed in adobe brick, but not because this is the only material that can be afforded. The artisan community have preserved the original nature of the town and any new hotels or restaurants built must retain the same low rise design using adobe.
We have the opportunity to explore the mud hills of the Valley of Mars, just outside the town- bizarre formations which prove to be a fun mud playground, before heading off to our penultimate destination La Serena.
San Pedro is the first town reached after the Bolivia/ Chile border and reinforces the idea that we’ve arrived in a completely different country. In fact, Chile is what they call, the success story of South America. It is the most economically advanced, the most European in nature and, to follow suit, the most conservative of South American people live here. This is evidenced in San Pedro when we discover loud music and dancing are strictly prohibited here, even though it is one of the most popular tourist towns in the country, due to its location in the Atacama desert, within easy reach of the Bolivian Altiplano and the striking desert valleys of the Moon and Mars. It is entirely constructed in adobe brick, but not because this is the only material that can be afforded. The artisan community have preserved the original nature of the town and any new hotels or restaurants built must retain the same low rise design using adobe.
We have the opportunity to explore the mud hills of the Valley of Mars, just outside the town- bizarre formations which prove to be a fun mud playground, before heading off to our penultimate destination La Serena.
