Llamas!

Llamas are used for their wool and meat, so keeping them happy and fed is a big priority. These llamas were ready for a festival. Llamas are decorated according to their sex and status. There are always a lot of females and a few males. The males are decorated on their chests, and the females are not. The people knot these colored pieces of wool into the wool of the llama. The baby on was cute and curious beyond words. I wanted to take him home with me! Note the "earrings" they have on their ears!

Petroglyphs

These engravings may not be there forever because of erosion by blowing sand. I am glad we were able to see the llamas and symbols carved into the sides of the mountains. These ancient people were very fond of using hallucinogenics, so some of their carvings were a little "creative"- like the two headed llama, etc.

I did not know, but nothing decomposes in the desert because of the lack of moisture. If we had left an orange peel there, it would still be an orange peel years from now. The human waste of long ago is still there (YUCK!), and everywhere we went, we picked up any paper or garbage we saw to preserve this wonderful place.

Rainbow Valley

My favorite excursion- The Rainbow Valley. So called because the mountains are made up of different elements, such as copper, iron, gypsum or others, to create the color of the mountain. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We were lucky to have been the only two people on this tour, so we could spend as much time as we wanted. In the middle of this dry place were a few plants, and one actually had a bloom! We also saw the rica rica, which is a bush that is used as a tea or to infuse flavor to the pisco, a liquor here in Chile, that will KILL you if you drink too much. A branch of the bush is just shoved into the Pisco bottle, and the drink is called a rica rica sour. YUM!

Moon Valley

Our next excursion- also beautiful. Named "Moon Valley" because the surface resembles the surface of our moon, this place must be the starkest, but most serene place I have ever been. The topography has been created by the natural erosion by wind, and it is breathtaking! As we walked along paths, we all paused to hear the salt "crackle", as the sun causes this noise by the expanding of this mineral. It was amazing!

Atacama Salt Flats

Our first tour was to this salt flat and flamingo nature reserve. It was a beautiful day, and we watched dozens of flamingos snuffling up their food with those enormous beaks. The pink beauties were a bit away, but I tried to zoom with the camera, with some success. These birds fly at sunset, so we waited for the sun to go down and were rewarded with a beautiful reflection off the lake of the birds and the mountains. Peaceful!

Tierra Atacama Spa

I don't even know where to begin to explain this vacation. It was the BEST! We flew into Calama, Chile, a very small town witha smaller airport, Saturday morning, and were picked up by a van and taken to the SPA!!! In the middle of the DRIEST DESERT IN THE WORLD! These first pictures are of the airport, our room, the view around our room, and the spa. Eat your hearts out, people. This was one of those times I actually felt like a Queen!

Museo y Iglesia (Museum and Church)

Here's the best deal in town-

For 500 pesos, ($1.00 US), you can go to this fabulous little museum beside this huge Catholic Church, and it's all just off a new subway line. A few pictures of this museum and the basilica church for your enjoyment. The basilica is in honor of the Virgen del Carmen. John Paul II dedicated this basilica on his visit to Chile in 1987. The white cassock was worn by JP. Also, on the way back, we stopped at a little Arabic cafe and Richard had a Arabic coffee (YUCK! too strong for me) and 2 soapapillas, also for $1.00 US apiece. And who says there are no bargains these days!!!???