Balaton Budapest. Macedonian Wine Ohrid Skopje. Antwerp Flanders Top-5 Destinations. Haifa vs. DMZ Zone.
Bohol Manila. Cappadocia Edirne Istanbul Kars. You're welcome. Mouth full with a quick empanada I enquired about the first bus to San Pedro de Atacama, which almost sounded like an oasis to me at that moment. What came out of me was a hysterical laugh giving a great scare to the ticket-lady, and I promptly decided to turn my frustration into a ridiculous wave of happiness. So I locked my bag at the bus terminal, drank four cans of Red Bull and hopped into this town full of crackhead miners and pushy prostitutes.
Don't feel like a hour bus ride? I found the cheapest car rentals of Chile here! I tumbled out of the bus the morning after, exhausted and dehydrated. I put on my glasses and stared into the surreal volcanic desert that is called San Pedro de Atacama. I smiled and my mouth cracked open immediately, as the dry dust attacked my skin and turned my hair into straw. No one was living in there though, as every house was either a hostel, an overpriced restaurant or a travel agency. Tourist trap 2.
It reminded me a bit of Venice, where the only locals roaming the street intend to make money out of you. A tourist trap with only ONE working ATM that got plundered quickly by the thousands of tourists that temporarily inhabited this expensive tourist hole. Unbelievably ill-organized. As always, there is a reason tourists are going there though. A French guy I hung out with jumped out of his hammock and was ready to join as well, but too bad: There was only one place in the car and you obviously need breasts to deserve it.
We drove the bumpy road through Valle de la Luna and ended up in a gorgeous valley with the alarming name Valle de la Muerte Valley of Death. With my body covered in sand and an upcoming sunburn I watched these athletic men do their swift tricks until my hungry stomach demanded my return to the hostel. Abroad, I usually avoid anything that reeks of my own country like a contagious disease. Once I experienced the pleasure of talking in my own language, the first time after two months, I got comfortable though and made friends with two Dutchies.
