The morning of the Monday, August 15th I wrote the last page of the previous week with the photographs of Cerros Pintados. I left my bivouac of the desert around midday. I again bypassed Chuquicamata above which a lot of bad forecasts stagnated. I was able at Calama around 14:00 in order to do shopping at Tottus, the full with diesel fuel as well as drinking water. Que nenni I did not find any. I decided to go to San Pedro de Atacama where I had seen on my arrival a truck discharging from the demi-johns of 20 liters. I arrived at San Pedro around 18:30, summer-time. I returned to my bivouac close to the entry of Valle of Luna.
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| en route | Chuquicamata |
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| Calama | en route San Pedro de Atacama |
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| Relief | |
The morning of the Tuesday, August 16th was mainly occupied in search of the shop of the salesman of water out of bottle of 20 liters while informing me gradually. The supermercado is located in the Calle Panchamama -S22° 54,872' W 068° 11,754'-. I bought the contents of two bottles at the amazing price of 3650 pesos one, paid 2000 pesos at Arica. Then I left in search of a postcard and post office to send it in France. Finally I sitted in Plaza de Armas to publish my site with a Wifi connection free but slow. The battery of my laptop lowered the arms right at the end of the publication, as in Arica! At the beginning of afternoon I returned to my bivouac.
On Wednesday, August 17th I returned again Plaza de Aromas to use Wifi connection. But alas it was very slow I could neither reach on my bank account, neither the site of the taxes nor to download the new version of QuoVadis. Mala Pata!
On Thursday, August 18th I returned to Plaza de Armas to try to have a good Wifi connection. Well not! Consequently I left for Lagunas Cejar y Piedra where expected me two disappointments, the first it did not have there birds of the three species of flamingo - James, Chilean and Andean-, the second it is not allowed any more to bivouac on the spot. After lunching I found a bivouac at a few kilometers at the edge of the track.
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| Bivouac on trail |
On Friday, August 19th I took again my progression towards Paso de Sico, border with Argentina. I found a bivouac at the exit of Socaire at 3350m.
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| Licancabur, last picture at sunset | en route |
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| en route | bivouac 3350m |
I left the bivouac of Socaire before the daybreak in order to see the sunrise on Lagunas Miscanti & Miňiques, great disappointment. Before arriving at Paso de Sico the track reaches the altitude of +4500 Mr. In Paso de Sico. no the border post.
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I left Chile on Sunday August 21st at Paso de Sico at 4050 meters high. Look at Crossing the border, here
I again made in August 2016 the trip of August 2002 but in the disorder. Of course I suffered from altitude and also from the cold in the night. I am not any more a young-man. But in the twilight of the life it is good to remember and make a report of his life. I would paraphrase the great poet Pablo Neruda while saying: “I Confess I have lived.” (Confieso que he vivido)
I again invite the Net surfers to follow the hyperlink: Atacama desert, Click the pictures to increase them
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