A Road Trip Over the Andes
Can you imagine one of those totally unexpected situations, the ones you never even thought about? And once you draw it in your mind, it looks so cool and plausible that you just jump into it! This is one of those situations, which became already a legend between the borders of Argentina and Chile and not only there. A story of a road trip over the Andes: where you don't plan anything and those few things you try to plan, go wrong!
This is the "Jawollo Rainy Atacama Desert Roadkill Emergency State Adventure Austrian Guided Tour"
Everything started back in the Chaco, you can read about it in our previous article (link here).We were volunteering in a really isolated eco-hotel, where we met the only guests of those weeks: two young Austrian doctors, who just decided to take a year off of Europe and travel the World.
We cannot deny we liked them since the beginning, really opened and clever guys, great conversations and fun with them. When they left, we gave them our contacts but knowing that it would have been really hard to meet again.
Our trip moved on and went through lands abandoned by any Gods or Divinities. We pitched our tent randomly beside a river in Pozo Hondo and caught a bus at 4am to arrive in Tartagal, Argentina. Salta, our first city stop-over after Paraguay, has been even tougher to reach: 4 hours waiting, under a crazy burning sun, only to get a bloody lift. But in the end, thanks to this sweet couple, we made it!
We found a hostel, cooked dinner and checked our WhatsApp before bed. And a big surprise came straight from our Austrian friends: "Hey amigos! We rent a car and drive to San Pedro de Atacama. You wanna join? We leave tomorrow at 8am". We just looked at each other and started laughing. This is insane, we thought. And we asked them where is the rental car, of course we join!
And so it began, totally unexpected. Totally unprepared by our side but with a lot of trust to Lorenz and Clemens, these are their names. And they really had a plan: driving from Salta through the Jujuy province, visiting some big flat salt lakes and then reaching Paso Jama, a high altitude mountain pass to cross the border from Argentina to Chile and finally arriving in San Pedro de Atacama. Where the real tour will start!
What a great adventure we just jumped in, what a lucky coincidence! And everything seems to flow for the best on the first day: stunning landscapes, good company, deep freedom. Now we are really in the "on the road trip" mood!
Instead, this was just the calm before the storm. Something that only backpackers are used to deal with. Things that would not occur on expensive tours of thousands Euros planned second by second. Where even the number of times you can go to toilet is calculated.
A series of unbelievable events that it's hard to describe without a laugh, now that they are gone. First, another 4 hours waiting at the border. Nobody gives news, not even the police but apparently the government decided to close the pass for bad weather conditions. In such a sunny day, what are they talking about? Anyway, we wait. Not so many options, we have Atacama right on the other side. Nothing can stop us!
We cheer us up with some Frisbee and finally we pass, crossing one of the most incredible landscape we have ever seen: nothing but desert, from time to time a lake with flamingos and llamas. From the hot Argentina to volcanoes with snowy peaks, 6.000 m high.
We are finally in San Pedro and it seems that the problem at the border was just a formality. In the village, instead, the situation fast escalates reaching the dimension of an iceberg, straight in our faces. The streets are completely muddy and many flooded. Several travel agencies hang a sign that says "Tours Are Cancelled". The people don't look that happy either. We even meet friends from Berlin, Matja and Caro: they tell us that it rains non stop since two days and it will go on for the next 10.
Ahah are you kidding? This has to be a joke. We are in San Pedro de Atacama, the driest place on Earth. What's going on? All four of us are a bit lost. We still need to find accommodation, therefore we need internet connection. Many bars are also shut down, we don't understand.
We enter one of the few agencies still open, just for some information. And the worst truth nobody wants to hear is waiting for us: "This is the effect of the Bolivian Altiplano winter that happens once a year. One week of heavy rain, nothing that bad. But San Pedro is not prepared for it and every year it's the same story, more or less all the activities are blocked". We cannot believe it! It's raining once a year for a few days and everything gets almost destroyed or interrupted? And when are we here, exactly? Right during those rainy days, seriously?
Rad, the Tunisian worker, goes on: "You could have gone to the Moon Valley. Beautiful! But it's closed. There are some incredible hidden salt lagoons: however the road has collapsed. The countless stars in the night sky are mesmerising but not when it's raining cats and dogs." It sounds like Rad is having fun with us disoriented four Europeans.
We anyway thank him for his help and move to the Airbnb that, in the meantime, the guys have found. At least something good! A bit shocked but still positive, we drive there trying to avoid the worst flooded streets. "However it's impossible that all the attractions are closed, we have a car!" we think.
We go to bed, to get back some energy and be ready for the day after, somehow it will work out. But it just keeps on pouring water all night long, a lot of water! And the view of the car parked in the garden completely surrounded by a lake, it's like a bitter coffee for breakfast: really hard to drink. In addition, they declared the state of emergency in San Pedro. There is no electricity and nobody knows when the rain will stop. We slowly understand that maybe, we are currently not in the best place on Earth!
We decide to go for a walk and check the conditions of the village, as the main priority now is to bring the car somewhere safer. The situation is just surreal: rivers instead of streets, mud, rocks and avalanches almost everywhere, huge puddles to cross. Some images explain better than any words.
Our mission is not going to see natural attractions anymore but escape from Nature itself and its consequences: San Pedro became the Apocalyptic Atacama.
Lorenz and Clemens, worried about the rented car, find a way out the village, creating a zigzag through the few good streets left. But the news are anyway bad. They say that the border to Argentina is closed and there is no real way out of Chile, unless driving South for 500 km. Everything sounds so irrational!
We go back and, while walking, we take a look at a woman: she is carrying buckets full of water out of her home. She smiles and tells us: "When it's raining, it's bad! But it's only once a year." We don't have much to say, probably we should learn our South American's lesson number 1. Once back, the guys decide to pack all their belongings and try to cross the border. It's too risky to wait, they could remain stuck and pay a lot of money for some days of delay at the rental.
In less than 24 hours, our road trip in one of the most incredible places on Earth became a rescue mission. For a car and ourselves too! Lorenz and Clemens are right, they have to leave. We hug them, plan to definitely meet again somewhere in Europe and we wish them good luck.
We are alone again. Only Fabio and Johanna. Travelsauria needs to find a solution by itself. Therefore, we state that the Airbnb is unfortunately too expensive, even if comfortable and we begin to search for a hostel. More surprises have to come!
"Nobody is entering into the city these days. Everybody left!" tells us the first hostel receptionist. In fact, we find an empty hostel but super expensive: "My boss has to pay the bills anyway and therefore he raises the prices. A few customers that have to pay for all the others that are not here".
This is exactly the opposite of what normally happens on a regular price market. When there is no demand, you lower the prices to create a better offer. But this is South America, lesson number 2!
We continue our search, it's really hard to find an accommodation where water is not dripping from the roof, in the kitchen or even over the beds. We finally find a decent place, we choose our room and plan to start hitchhiking early the next morning, the only way out of the city.
At dinner, we just keep wondering how weird is the situation and how come that, even when we want to be tourists, our fate brings us always "off the beaten track". Two of the weirdest days we have ever lived, where humans are just completely affected by the strength of Nature, but just temporarily. And they know it in advance!
The message we find in the bathroom of the hostel, while a new storm is thundering over our heads, is pretty emblematic. Road trip, lesson number 3: "Be responsible with you water usage - you are at the driest place on Earth".
We cannot deny we liked them since the beginning, really opened and clever guys, great conversations and fun with them. When they left, we gave them our contacts but knowing that it would have been really hard to meet again.
Our trip moved on and went through lands abandoned by any Gods or Divinities. We pitched our tent randomly beside a river in Pozo Hondo and caught a bus at 4am to arrive in Tartagal, Argentina. Salta, our first city stop-over after Paraguay, has been even tougher to reach: 4 hours waiting, under a crazy burning sun, only to get a bloody lift. But in the end, thanks to this sweet couple, we made it!
We found a hostel, cooked dinner and checked our WhatsApp before bed. And a big surprise came straight from our Austrian friends: "Hey amigos! We rent a car and drive to San Pedro de Atacama. You wanna join? We leave tomorrow at 8am". We just looked at each other and started laughing. This is insane, we thought. And we asked them where is the rental car, of course we join!
And so it began, totally unexpected. Totally unprepared by our side but with a lot of trust to Lorenz and Clemens, these are their names. And they really had a plan: driving from Salta through the Jujuy province, visiting some big flat salt lakes and then reaching Paso Jama, a high altitude mountain pass to cross the border from Argentina to Chile and finally arriving in San Pedro de Atacama. Where the real tour will start!
What a great adventure we just jumped in, what a lucky coincidence! And everything seems to flow for the best on the first day: stunning landscapes, good company, deep freedom. Now we are really in the "on the road trip" mood!
Instead, this was just the calm before the storm. Something that only backpackers are used to deal with. Things that would not occur on expensive tours of thousands Euros planned second by second. Where even the number of times you can go to toilet is calculated.
A series of unbelievable events that it's hard to describe without a laugh, now that they are gone. First, another 4 hours waiting at the border. Nobody gives news, not even the police but apparently the government decided to close the pass for bad weather conditions. In such a sunny day, what are they talking about? Anyway, we wait. Not so many options, we have Atacama right on the other side. Nothing can stop us!
We cheer us up with some Frisbee and finally we pass, crossing one of the most incredible landscape we have ever seen: nothing but desert, from time to time a lake with flamingos and llamas. From the hot Argentina to volcanoes with snowy peaks, 6.000 m high.
We are finally in San Pedro and it seems that the problem at the border was just a formality. In the village, instead, the situation fast escalates reaching the dimension of an iceberg, straight in our faces. The streets are completely muddy and many flooded. Several travel agencies hang a sign that says "Tours Are Cancelled". The people don't look that happy either. We even meet friends from Berlin, Matja and Caro: they tell us that it rains non stop since two days and it will go on for the next 10.
Ahah are you kidding? This has to be a joke. We are in San Pedro de Atacama, the driest place on Earth. What's going on? All four of us are a bit lost. We still need to find accommodation, therefore we need internet connection. Many bars are also shut down, we don't understand.
We enter one of the few agencies still open, just for some information. And the worst truth nobody wants to hear is waiting for us: "This is the effect of the Bolivian Altiplano winter that happens once a year. One week of heavy rain, nothing that bad. But San Pedro is not prepared for it and every year it's the same story, more or less all the activities are blocked". We cannot believe it! It's raining once a year for a few days and everything gets almost destroyed or interrupted? And when are we here, exactly? Right during those rainy days, seriously?
Rad, the Tunisian worker, goes on: "You could have gone to the Moon Valley. Beautiful! But it's closed. There are some incredible hidden salt lagoons: however the road has collapsed. The countless stars in the night sky are mesmerising but not when it's raining cats and dogs." It sounds like Rad is having fun with us disoriented four Europeans.
We anyway thank him for his help and move to the Airbnb that, in the meantime, the guys have found. At least something good! A bit shocked but still positive, we drive there trying to avoid the worst flooded streets. "However it's impossible that all the attractions are closed, we have a car!" we think.
We go to bed, to get back some energy and be ready for the day after, somehow it will work out. But it just keeps on pouring water all night long, a lot of water! And the view of the car parked in the garden completely surrounded by a lake, it's like a bitter coffee for breakfast: really hard to drink. In addition, they declared the state of emergency in San Pedro. There is no electricity and nobody knows when the rain will stop. We slowly understand that maybe, we are currently not in the best place on Earth!
We decide to go for a walk and check the conditions of the village, as the main priority now is to bring the car somewhere safer. The situation is just surreal: rivers instead of streets, mud, rocks and avalanches almost everywhere, huge puddles to cross. Some images explain better than any words.
Our mission is not going to see natural attractions anymore but escape from Nature itself and its consequences: San Pedro became the Apocalyptic Atacama.
Lorenz and Clemens, worried about the rented car, find a way out the village, creating a zigzag through the few good streets left. But the news are anyway bad. They say that the border to Argentina is closed and there is no real way out of Chile, unless driving South for 500 km. Everything sounds so irrational!
We go back and, while walking, we take a look at a woman: she is carrying buckets full of water out of her home. She smiles and tells us: "When it's raining, it's bad! But it's only once a year." We don't have much to say, probably we should learn our South American's lesson number 1. Once back, the guys decide to pack all their belongings and try to cross the border. It's too risky to wait, they could remain stuck and pay a lot of money for some days of delay at the rental.
In less than 24 hours, our road trip in one of the most incredible places on Earth became a rescue mission. For a car and ourselves too! Lorenz and Clemens are right, they have to leave. We hug them, plan to definitely meet again somewhere in Europe and we wish them good luck.
We are alone again. Only Fabio and Johanna. Travelsauria needs to find a solution by itself. Therefore, we state that the Airbnb is unfortunately too expensive, even if comfortable and we begin to search for a hostel. More surprises have to come!
"Nobody is entering into the city these days. Everybody left!" tells us the first hostel receptionist. In fact, we find an empty hostel but super expensive: "My boss has to pay the bills anyway and therefore he raises the prices. A few customers that have to pay for all the others that are not here".
This is exactly the opposite of what normally happens on a regular price market. When there is no demand, you lower the prices to create a better offer. But this is South America, lesson number 2!
We continue our search, it's really hard to find an accommodation where water is not dripping from the roof, in the kitchen or even over the beds. We finally find a decent place, we choose our room and plan to start hitchhiking early the next morning, the only way out of the city.
At dinner, we just keep wondering how weird is the situation and how come that, even when we want to be tourists, our fate brings us always "off the beaten track". Two of the weirdest days we have ever lived, where humans are just completely affected by the strength of Nature, but just temporarily. And they know it in advance!
The message we find in the bathroom of the hostel, while a new storm is thundering over our heads, is pretty emblematic. Road trip, lesson number 3: "Be responsible with you water usage - you are at the driest place on Earth".
Yes, the driest indeed! Thank you San Pedro, see you some when again.
And never forget...
Risk Curiosity!
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