On The Road -- Santiago to San Pedro

* this entry from 3/25 *
The Small Picture, Bus Ride -- Santiago to San Pedro

My backpack squishes through narrow silver stalls. Down the stairs to the platform, the green line, the red line, up the stairs, up the escalator, to the Tur Bus Terminal -- destination San Pedro, a small town in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile.

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A semi-cama bus, the bus attendant hands pillows out to passengers, hands out bags of snack food. A ride down smooth roads, the Pacific Coast to the left, the Coast Range to the right.

The bus slows to a stop. The front door opens and a gentleman appears with a big basket of sweet bread. He walks down the aisle inquiring if passengers would like to purchase some.

The bus moves again. Long stretches of grain colored shrub.

The fellow is near the front of the bus. At an underpass, the bus stops and the gentleman walks down the front stairs holding on to the wall, his large silver watch shiny.

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This afternoon's reading -- Napolean Hill mentions 80 trillion electrical cells in our body. Thoughts -- the concept of humans as atoms, the planets cells, and the universe an organism so big it can't be fathomed.

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David Blaine appears on the flat screen. He's traveling, showing his talent to random subjects. Their reactions convey comprehension; whether, shocked, repulsed, awed --they get it. His magic, a universal language.

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Dakota Fanning is blindfolded and told to sing a lullaby, Hushabye Mountain. It's the War of the Worlds on the flat screen. A fight against space aliens to save humanity.

Out the window, the evening eveloped in darkness, a recipe to stir the imagination. The skies between Santiago and San Pedro are said to be some of the best for viewing outerspace. Due to this, many observatories surround the area. And maybe aliens too, as there have been many reports of UFO sightings and crop circle formations in the region.

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The Amazon produces 20% of the world's oxygen. Images of dry riverbeds of the Amazon -- the 2005 drought mainly caused by warmer ocean temperatures. Brazilian officials fly quarts of relief water to villages of the affected areas. It's remarked that everyone in the world is tied to this ecosystem. Had there been no water aid, the village people would be forced to leave the area as climate refugees. This region can be considered a vital organ of the planet.

The documentary continues, images of scientists speaking, their credentials written in white below their faces.

"When your past has been physically erased, your friends' houses gone, elementary, junior and highschool gone, place where you had your first kiss gone, photos and loved ones." The Hurricane Katrina victim continues. "After a tragedy like this, you would think that people would start getting serious about the environment."

The idea of climate refugees, of conflict and wars over what remains of the Earth's resources.

Climate protection as a win-win situation -- it makes the animals and trees happy, and puts money back in people's pockets; example: the little red light on idle dvd players costs roughly $60bucks a year.

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Woke up to ears popping, climbing up in altitude. A swollen deltoid at the thyphoid fever injection site. Sand and sky.


Some 30 hours later, a sign marks the arrival to San Pedro de Atacama -- population 1900something.


desert and snow capped volcanoes


San Pedro de Atacama



...at the moment, Hotel Inka Andina, Cusco - Peru
The JOY!!! a private room, private bathroom, toilet paper, and wifi. Views from the second story -- a man pushing a cart of coconuts and Totta, a fastfood bakery with Chicha Morado (purple corn drink) and cake combos. Spent the morning finding coffee-to-go, a three-fold process.

Step one: confused conversation with a little girl running a small cafe.
Step two: bought instant coffee for .50 Soles from a small convenience store.
Step three: asked a lady to borrow a cup and hot water.

And now, a serious caffeine buzz (poured toooo much instant coffee in the cup..oops).