So what do I take back from the Atacma ?
- Just putting pictures of Laguna Caxa, Laguna Miscanti, Valle de la Lune, the Geyser at el Tatio, the desert around Paranal, and Mano de la Desierto next to each other makes one realize that the desert may always look meagre but at the same time also quite diverse. It is not just yellow sand dunes as in cartoons. Like in Antarctica, life has adapted to this extreme environment and flourishes in niches.
- The long history of human presence in the Atacama (spanning from the Chinchorro in 7000 BC to the the nitrate towns of Santa Laura and Humberstone abandoned in 1961), and the artefacts that the dryness of the desert preserves make it an interesting place for archaeologist, anthropologists — and the casual tourist.
- The telescopes at ALMA, Paranal, and La Silla spewing out new discoveries in a weekly rhythm thereby changing our understanding of the universe bit by bit. Maybe these are not relevant for daily life. Society as a whole and also a sustainable economy that relies on inventing new products require these investments in basic research in my opinion. And I feel my tax money is better spend in building and operating these giant machines that solely exist for the purpose of enhancing our knowledge than in saving bankrupt banks that no longer serve their overall economic function.
- Discovering the surrounding area of San Pedro using tour operators rather than a rental car does not allow to go at ones own pace. On the other hand it ensures meeting many nice, and interesting people with many different stories and backgrounds. I enjoyed it!
