Submitted by Nicolas Caceres on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Chile sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
This week was highlighted by our visit to the Atacama Desert. At this destination, we explored many breathtaking locations. Destinations such as Las Salas de Atacama which is the richest foundation of lithium found in the world. We swam in Laguna Cejar, which contained 43% salt in the water, and in Geyser Springs, which was like swimming in a hot tub. To top off these experiences, we climbed to amazing viewpoints where we could see the Atacama at it fullest.
Upon arrival, I was struck by the landscape. I have never been to a desert before so I was expecting a landscape like I see in the movies – barren and void of life. To my surprise, there were actually sections where you can see plants and life for miles. Whenever we traveled by bus, I couldn’t take my eyes off the vast desert. This new perspective of the world was amazing to me. The other aspect of the Atacama Desert I liked was the simplicity of living. The town we stayed in, San Pedro de Atacama, was a modest town progressing toward tourism. With dirt streets where drivers don’t bother to read the speed limits, because pedestrians are most of the time in the way, was a new perspective of living that I experienced. After a while, I started hypothetically thinking of being able to live in a town where most of my necessities become huge luxuries. Upon staying in this town for four days, I decided it would be an ideal situation to live in San Pedro de Atacama. The journey to the Atacama Desert has definitely been my favorite excursion so far.
