After getting up at the ungodly hour of just 4:15. we were on our way to Sol de Mañana, the world's highest geothermal field, located almost two hours south toward Chile. We all welcomed the car's heat as the dorm last night had been among the coldest we've ever stayed in. The six of us all slept in the warmest clothes we had brought with us, including wearing hats and gloves. Aren't you glad you didn't accompany us on this part of our amazing trip to South America?!
While Steven dozed en route, I took photos of the beautiful sunrise.
When we arrived at six at Sol de Mañana, our first sight wasn't a geyser, but a well in an artificial geothermal field that emitted pressurized steam, that was visible up to 164 feet high. Even so, it was pretty spectacular, I thought.
It reminded us of a small Yellowstone, complete with bubbling mud pots, geysers, and the acrid smell of sulfur. Unlike Yellowstone, however, there were no boardwalks! We were free to walk wherever we wanted around the geothermal field but needed to exercise extreme caution. The crust was thin, so one false step could send us into boiling mud!
I remember its being so darn cold there even my pen refused to work so I couldn't take any notes!
Leaving the "fire and brimstone behind" we set off for Aguas Termales de Polques, a hot-spring pool situated at the base of Cerro Polques or Polques Hill, known for its intense volcanic activity.
This enormous salty lagoon featured small thermal water swimming pools where we were encouraged to take a dip as the water was famous for releasing the symptoms of arthritis and rheumatism. The water temperature, about 82 degrees at 7ish, was certainly warm enough but the air temperature was still too chilly for us.
I preferred instead to walk nearer the salty lagoon and away from all the people.
A little while later, we were on the road again, this time to Salvador Dalí Desert, an extremely barren valley in southwestern Bolivia where we stopped for only a few minutes.
From its name, I had expected an emerald-green coloring but it was a pale imitation of that so somewhat disappointing.
As Anna, Steven and I were the only ones going on to San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile, we said a sad goodbye to Isaac, our superlative driver/cook, Fabio and Candy and her boyfriend. The tour agency had previously reserved seats on a bus for us at the minuscule immigration office.
The moment we crossed the border into Chile, we had the luxury again of topnotch paved roads - something we hadn't experienced, it seemed, for a long time!
We had read that the most popular tourist destination in perhaps all of Chile was San Pedro de Atacama, located in the heart of the Atacama Desert and in the middle of some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. We couldn't wait to see if the area lived up to all that hype during the next few days!
Since we arrived in the town by just mid-morning, we had plenty of time to discover its sights. The town's Iglesia San Pedro was one of the Altiplano's largest churches. It was miraculously constructed in 1744 without the use of a single nail. Instead, the builders used cactus sinews to tie the roof beams and door hinges.
The small town's main drag was mostly a car-free zone which made it so pleasant to pop in and out of the many shops and souvenir stores, grab a bite at one of the local cafes or look at menus at the upscale restaurants. So-called 'civilization' was such fun after the very barren landscapes we had been privileged to see in Bolivia's Southwestern Circuit! The heat was also especially welcome after the chilly salas or salt deserts we'd just driven through.
Months ago, I had made reservations for us to go on a few tours the next couple of days with one of the town's many travel agencies. So, after reconfirming our tours and paying the balance, we walked back to our very humble abode. I was very taken aback by its appearance after reading the stellar reviews on booking.com. But, the host was pleasant and its two rooms included a large courtyard which Steven enjoyed while I worked on the computer - surprise, surprise!
Isaac explained the best time to visit the place, known in English as Morning Sun, was first thing in the morning so we could watch the geysers boiling and the sun rising at the same time.
Sol de Mañana extended over four square miles and was between 15,748 and 16,404 feet altitude! Characterized by intense volcanic activities and fumaroles it got its name because the temperature at sunrise differs between the air and the steam.
What made it more challenging (or was that more exciting?) was the steam made it more difficult to know exactly where it was safe to walk.
It was interesting to observe the life of the geysers. When they were calm, the main and secondary depressions were filled with light-blue water and sulfide.
But, later from the depths of the earth, we heard a rumble, and soon small clouds of steam rose above the basin. Then it all stopped to occur again.
Isaac revealed that several tourists had died after getting too close to some of the mud pots and falling into them. Sol de Mañana was in such a remote location in southern Bolivia that medical services were too far away to offer assistance.
Sol de Mañana offered picturesque and spectacular landscapes unique to Bolivia. When I read that the geothermal field has been investigated for the potential of geothermal power generation, I was thankful we were lucky enough to be there prior to any possible development.
When I wandered back, I dipped my legs into the warm waters and chatted with Anna, the lovely woman from Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Fabio, a Bolivian whom we had nicknamed as the Golden Boy.
The desert was characterized by landscapes that resembled the surrealist paintings and colors used by the famous Spanish painter. The peculiar sight reminded me of a sculpture park as rocks dotted the huge landscape.
Steven and I are well into planning our next overseas adventure which begins on August 13 and ends on December 20th. I mention that because we will be spending over a month in Spain, including time in its Costa Brava area in late October, home to Dalí. I look forward to seeing his masterpieces and discovering if they remind me of this region of Bolivia!
Almost the last thing we saw on the Bolivian side of the border with Chile was Laguna Verde or Green Lake or Lagoon, created by a chemical reaction, with the backdrop of the towering Volcan Licancabur.
Just a few minutes away was the neighboring Laguna Blanca.
As we neared the border with Chile and, sadly, the end of our almost three day tour with Cordillera Travellers, Isaac pointed out a meteor crater just like what we'd seen yesterday.
Anna celebrating at the border sign!
Next post: Visiting ALMA, the world's biggest observatory.
Posted on March 26th, 2018, on a lovely spring day in Littleton, Colorado.
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