San Pedro and horseback riding in the Atacama Desert

Sorry for the delay in updates; I have been working on my Spanish in Mendoza, Argentina.

I went to San Pedro after New Year Eve in the salt flats. San Pedro, while very touristy and somewhat expensive is surrounded by some of the most dramatic, spectacular landscapes I have ever seen. It is a adobe mountain town near the border of Bolivia, in the dry, barren Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert stretches over 765 miles, and rain has never been recorded in some localities. The food in San Pedro was fantastic too, which was particularly nice after my gastric misadventures in the salt flats. I met a few people on the bus ride from the salt flats, and we went horseback riding in the Valle de la Luna, or Valley of the Moon. My equestrian experience prior to this trip was pretty limited. Fortunately two of my new friends were very experienced, as our guide didn't exactly give us any instruction, and the horses - particularly mine - were quite temperamental. Not long after we started out into the lunar-esque, mountainous desert, we tried to take a picture. One of the other horses kicked my horse, who subsequently freaked out and almost threw me off. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about heading up the mountain for a 5- hour ride after that experience, but the scenery ended up being well worth it. There was hardly any vegetation covering the stark, sandy desert, and harsh winds whipped sand through the air. We watched a breathtaking sunset over the mountains before heading back to San Pedro. My horse was in rough shape by the end of the day after getting kicked, losing a horse shoe, and barely escaping injury after freaking out while going through a tunnel.

The following day we headed to Salta, Argentina, which proved to be a rather arduous process. The border crossing was tedious, and the Chilean border patrols exercised tortiselike speed. The process was painful enough that I opted to skip going back to Santiago, Chile after Mendoza. More stories soon on Salta, lakeside luxury for $30, cockroach hotel, Mendoza, and chocolate heaven.

I hope everyone is staying warm back home.