Posts Tagged With: South America

Bolivia: Natural Wonders, Mystical Forces

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Mike

The Red Lagoon in Bolivia. Yes, it's actually red

Out of breath, we reached the top of Incahuasi. It wasn’t a very steep climb to the island’s peak, but the light-on-oxygen altitude made flatland lungs work harder.

Like a darkly dressed sentinel standing conspicuously in a seemingly endless expanse of snow, Incahuasi  juts toward the sky, watching over one of Earth’s most breathtaking beauties – the mystical Salar de Uyuni. At more than 11,000 feet above sea level, Incahuasi – which in the Quechua language of the ancient Incas means “Inca House”  – is but one of several islands in the middle of the Uyuni salt flats, the largest salt lake in the world. Not many outside of Bolivia realize that the Uyuni salt flats is actually a lake, because it’s dry for much of the year. Under that sea of salt, however, rivers run year-round and in places bubble to the surface, creating circular patterns in the otherwise smooth terrain. 

Bolivia's beautiful mountains

 But come summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the Uyuni salt flats is under water, rendering Incahuasi unreachable by the fleet of four-wheel drive vehicles that otherwise normally speed along the blindingly white-as-snow salt bed. Even submerged – perhaps more so because of the mirror-like effect the water creates – Uyuni takes your breath away. Any air I had left from that climb up Incahuasi was knocked right out of me by the stunning landscape before me. At the top of the island, I found a spot away from the other mesmerized tourists and sat to catch my breath. But instead, if only for a brief moment, I unwittingly held my breath as I caught my first glimpse of Uyuni from this amazing vantage point on Incahuasi.

Happy to have made it to the Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia

 Dear reader, I don’t care what your religious views are, and I certainly don’t try to impose whatever views I have on you, but let’s talk spirituality for a brief moment. This piece of Bolivia that encompasses Uyuni has been touched by the hand of a God – but if you prefer – some powerful – and perhaps playful – force. This salt lake, nearby lagoons, mountains, volcanic geysers, rock formations and deserts were not formed by accident. Someone or some thing more powerful than man did this. I sat on a rock contemplating the thought that force that created the Earth, stuck around this area of Bolivia for a nice stretch molding and creating what we see today in this part of Bolivia: a lagoon with waters so richly red it looks like the blood of thousands has been drained in it; other vivid-colored lagoons with three species of countless pink flamingos; mountains and volcanoes that humble us mere humans; mind-boggling layers and formations of ice and snow on high plain desert sands; liquefied lava-gurgling volcanic geysers belching big puffs of steam across a vast expanse; exotic and whimsical wildlife found nowhere else on Earth or in few other places. If you are not transported to some spiritual place in your brain while contemplating all that is Uyuni, you can’t possibly be alive.

yeah....really happy 🙂

Before I sat on that rocky island covered with coral and cacti some more than 900 years old, I had the privilege to stand in the middle of the salt flats and absorb its wonders from its very midst. The skies were overcast, unusual for this time of year I was told, but it gave Uyuni an even more wondrous ambiance.
With fellow English teachers – American Zac and Chilean Angello – and Spanish couple Alonso and Maria Alba, we set out to discover Uyuni with our Bolivian guide David. We signed up in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, with a tour agency, Atacama Mistica – also operating as Tierra Mistica – after consulting with several other tour agencies. Mistica seemed the most knowledgeable and trustworthy. With the exception of a couple of glitches – a mix up with the return bus to San Pedro at the border, and a previously undisclosed $10 charge for hot showers at the hostel – we were extremely pleased with Mistica. But we were especially pleased with our guide, David, who kept things running smoothly and yet didn’t make the tour feel as if it were some sort of marathon and that we were on a time schedule.

One view from Incahuasi

We opted for the 4-day tour, departing on Friday morning and returning to San Pedro on Monday. The total cost of the tour was $160. That included three meals a day, lodging, and transportation. It did not include fees to Bolivia’s national parks, about $20. We had considered the option of traveling to the city of Uyuni on our own – by bus – then perhaps hiring someone in that city to take us to points of interest. But in the end, the tour emerged as the better, more sensible option.
At 8 a.m., we were met at Mistica’s office and were driven in a van to the Chilean customs and border control office in San Pedro. Then another 40-minutes later we reached the Chile-Bolivia border. As I expected, things ran much smoother on the Chilean side of the border. On the Bolivian side, confusion and corruption reigned. All largely because the Bolivian border control officers are corrupt and looking to shake down tourists for cash with bogus demands for random fees.

Inside the salt hostel. Yes, it's made of salt and salt covers every inch of the floor

When we tried to re-enter Chile from Bolivia, for instance, one of the Bolivian guards tried to get Angello and the Spanish couple to pay an extra $15,000 Chilean pesos ($30) each when it was clear that they did not need to pay anything. He then pulled the two Americans in the group aside – Zac and I – and led us to a backroom – a kitchen – where he stated that all our documents were in order and there was no problem. One thing was missing, as he plainly put it: money for his own pockets. Without batting an eye, he asked if we had any money for him. He wanted us to give him money – out of sight of the others in line waiting to be processed out of Bolivia. I told him we had paid all the necessary fees and we weren’t going to pay any more money. When he again asked, in a much firmer tone I refused. He got the message. He said okay, hurriedly returned our passports – he was so nervous that he mistakenly handed me Zac’s passport after looking at the pictures in the two passports. I took it and simply handed it to Zac. The Bolivian border cop the sent Zac and I on our way. He, however, returned to the growing line of people and  continued to insist that the Spaniards and Angello pay some inexplicably obscure fee. That demand was resolved after they, too, held firm against paying anything beyond what Bolivian laws state and our tour company intervened. Lesson learned: Hold firm, just say no to corruption!

El Arbol de Piedra - The Stone Tree - in Bolivia's Altiplano - high desert

Despite the corrupt Bolivian border cop; a two-day bout with food poisoning or some other virus; a bit of trouble breathing at almost 16,000 feet above sea level (5,000 meters); freezing temperatures; hardly a good night’s sleep; four days without a hot shower and two with no shower at all; and punishing wind and desert conditions, Bolivia was incredibly magical and even worth enduring the hoops to get there. (By the way, my fellow Americans, instead of paying $135 for a 5-year visa to enter Bolivia, opt for the cheaper 3-day visa worth $40 – unless, of course, you plan multiple exits and entries or longer stays in Bolivia).

For nature lovers, I highly recommend Bolivia. It’s the most inexpensive country in South America and certainly one of the cheapest in the world. The overwhelmingly indigenous population isn’t exactly warm and friendly to outsiders, and they even look upon strangers with a wary eye, but once engaged they are friendly enough.

The air temperature was at least at the freezing point but the water felt like summer!

SENSE OF DANGER: Bolivia's boiling and steaming volcanic geysers

UYUNI CAMERA TRICKS: I appear shrunken and on top of the Coca Cola bottle by just placing the bottle closer to the camera and me stepping back and posing

DESERT FOX: Snapped photos of this desert dweller near the Chile-Bolivia border

ICE ON SAND: What's left of a snowstorm in the high desert of Bolivia. I'm at nearly 16,000 feet above sea level here. Bad idea running up this slope.

The Andes Mountains in Bolivia

One way to go across Uyuni salt flats

Uyuni plays optical tricks. Now I look bigger than the mountains

Flags from several countries near the first salt hotel in Uyuni, now a museum. But where's the Stars & Stripes?

Representing!

Zac and Angello doing a great job of keeping a low profile at the Bolivian border crossing

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‘More Forceful’ Revolution Awaits A New Day In Chile

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Mike

Sunset.

The night is still.

I lay in bed –

– my mind at rest.

The only sound I hear –

– the echo of my breath.

Distant drums break the night’s silence. It’s a rhythm that halts and haunts. I’ve heard these distant drums before. They come regularly with nightfall.

Just before the sun starts its descent and completely vanishes in the horizon of the silent desert, the syncopated slow bang begins, traveling like a creeping fog. I don’t know the reason for the drumming. I do remain curious and someday will have an answer. But as I lay here in bed studying the cracked ceiling, there’s that low rhythmic sound again of a single bass drum.

Boom. Boom.

Boom, boom, boom.

Boom. Boom.

Boom, boom, boom.

Boom. boom.

Boom, boom, boom.

Tonight, the drumming carries a special message – or so I imagine that it does – a message that revolt is in the air. A promise that it will come with the new day.

Boom, boom.

Boom, boom, boom.

Boom, boom…

My breathing locks in. I inhale with each BOOM, BOOM, BOOM of the drum, and exhale with every BOOM, BOOM. Then I wonder: what this city some like to refer to as “Calamity” instead of its true name Calama, will look like come Monday when its people take to the streets to stage a mass demonstration against the federal government in Santiago.

The leaders of Calama and residents say with the protest they hope to send a strong message to the federal government – that the people of Calama have clear demands and will no longer be ignored.

Translation: Use the copper to educate. Four students dead.

Long before I got here, there’s been protest in the air in Chile. Students have been on the streets for months, clashing with riot police in their quest for public education reform. In a nutshell, they want free college education for all.

Some of the demonstrations have been peaceful. Others have been extremely violent. Police have been seriously attacked and students severely beaten. Protesters have overturned and burned vehicles. Public and private property has been set ablaze and windows smashed. Trying to extinguish fires, firefighters have also been attacked. Molotov cocktails, rocks and all sorts of projectiles have been hurled at police vehicles with serious consequences and police have responded with tear gas and water canons.

School sessions at universities have virtually ground to a halt as the massive protests have spread across the country. The students are well-organized and prepared to disrupt. The government has rejected the students’ calls for free education for all Chileans, and so the students have increasingly grown more angry and violent. Chileans tell me they don’t like the violence that has interrupted day-to-day life and seemingly become part of the nation’s fabric.

Labor unions have also staged acts of civil disobedience for their own gains. And now, an entire city – Calama – plans a shutdown and challenge the government in Santiago, over money.

With the sunrise on Monday, another gauntlet of police will be on the streets of a Chilean city. This time the demonstrators will not be a bunch of idealistic youths, but city officials and residents of all stripes in Calama. This, you might say, will be a revolt organized by the establishment. And what do they want? A bigger piece of the pie.

Calama and the surrounding region is where the nation’s copper mines are located. With Chile’s standing as the largest copper producer in the world – the largest open-pit copper mine in the world is in Chile – the region draws billions of dollars in copper export revenue. But according to residents of Calama, most of the money goes directly to the federal government, which then decides how it should be spent.

According to the people of Calama, barely a drop is spent to improve Calama. The good people of Calama want a greater chunk of that revenue generated from the copper mines to stay in Calama. Calama needs it, they say, to improve the overall appearance of the city.

Posters plastered all over Calama announce the protest August 29, 2011

There is no argument Calama desperately needs improvements in its infrastructure and appearance. It’s one of the dirtiest, smelliest, ugliest cities I’ve ever seen. And I won’t get any argument from the people who were born and reared here. They’re the ones who say that Calama is the worst city in Chile and they blame the government for taking and not giving, at least not sufficiently.

There is plenty of money in the pockets of people in Calama thanks to the mining industry in the region. But many of the people who work in Calama escape to their homes in Santiago, Antofagasta and Iquique, or other towns miles away. That’s where they really spend their money. Most, if not all, the copper mine executives work Monday through Thursday in Calama and live in housing provided by the mines, then fly or drive home on Thursday, homes far away from Calama. They wouldn’t think of relocating their families to Calama. For them, Calama is just a place that allows them a well-paying job. So they take their paychecks to other cities they call home.

Similarly, the government takes most of the revenue out of the Calama area to be spent nationwide. Calama residents say that’s unfair, that their city bears the brunt of the mining operations, is severely impacted by the mines and the people they draw, and for that reason Calama should be allowed more of the money generated by the mines.

And so the stage is set for civil action Monday, in a bid to retain some greater portion of the billions of dollars generated by the copper mines.

After months and years of talking to Santiago and getting nowhere, Calama has decided to take it to the streets. It will be the second time they stage a citywide protest – the last one was in June – but city officials promise this time action will be “more forceful” so that “everyone in Chile hears us” and so that “we get a more concrete response from the government.”

Most businesses will not open on Monday. Marches through city streets and rallies will be held. And the aggrieved students fighting for a free education will sure to join in. And the “more forceful” approach to be taken?

As I lay here in bed, the drums banging slowly, accompanied by the echo of my breath, I think “this is Chile,” and that “more forceful” approach could really mean something – or nothing.

Off the wall?: "Students For A Right" to a free education

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A Beauty Spark Of Horrors

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Mike

Beautiful things can sometimes cloud otherwise good judgment. You see a beautiful woman or man or some fancy car and you start to drip with want and drool with desire. Not even for a moment do you stop to consider that perhaps beneath that seductive beauty lurks the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

You would think I would have learned that lesson by now. I once dated a woman whose outward appearance was beautiful – acquaintances and friends were always keen to remind me of that – but what they did not see was her ugliness. She was not a very nice person, after all. I saw that and ended that relationship stat.

But we sometimes forget and again and again allow ourselves to be seduced by looks. That’s exactly what I did last weekend, and it was mighty foolish of me. I had failed to do my homework, look deeper. And I paid the price.

I was really looking forward to the weekend in Iquique. The Chilean town was supposedly the place on the northern coast to relax, have a good time. Friends from work had offered to give me a ride there and all I needed was to reserve a hotel. So I went online and started to search. And after passing on a few ugly ducklings, I found the hotel – a real beauty – the Spark Hotel right near the beach in Iquique. I was smitten: new, modern, super cool rooms with perfect ocean views and all the modern conveniences. The $118 cost per night included wireless Internet and breakfast. Instead of learning more about this vision of loveliness by the sea, I moved quickly to reserve my spot. Had I taken the time to do a simple Internet search, I would have learned that yes, she is a beauty, but one filled with behavior unbecoming.

The sushi bar and restaurant. Looks are deceiving.

A cautionary note left on Tripadvisor.es by a previous guest: “Reserving a hotel based on photos posted on the Internet is not always a good idea.” Ah, someone else had failed to heed the message. She goes on to blast the hotel for its lack of cleanliness and rude staff, which brings me to the nightmare I lived at the Spark – not to be confused with Sparks Hotels – which is spelled with an ‘s’ at the end.

I have stayed at all manner of lodging around the world – from five-star hotels to no star dumps – and I can’t ever recall being treated so rudely by a hotel staff. Even in a $7 a night hostel in Colombia I stayed in during this journey, the staff was extremely polite, helpful, attentive and moved quickly to fix problems. Not at Spark. No way. Their job apparently is to make their guests’ stay an utterly and thoroughly unpleasant experience. Think I’m exaggerating? Do a Google search of Spark Hotel in Iquique and read the reviews others have left. Had I taken the time to do that, I wouldn’t have suffered what I went through on my otherwise spectacular weekend in Iquique. As it turns out, my experience was the same as others who have stayed at Spark.

Here’s a typical review of Spark on TripAdvisor, which I wish I had seen before I took the plunge:

Headline: “looks like a 5 star, but service is a 1 star if that!” 
what a total joke of a hotel! me and my boyfriend wanted to treat ourselves to a 5 star hotel for six nights while we were in Iquique, we totally picked the wrong place to rest and relax, the staff are quite honestly the rudest and unhelpful people i have ever come across in my life, the rooms looks amazing but that’s it! no room service menus (ok not the end of the world) but being woken up at 7am by banging and drilling noises as they are still building the hotel! (which is NOT mentioned on the website) we asked to move to a lower level in hope that we will not be subjected to the early wake up call, but the reception was so dam rude, she basically said ok you want to leave then! how are they are going to make money! we couldn’t get into another hotel so we just put it up with for the six nights, i also asked if the hotel had a local map of the area or some information about the area, the answer was a simple no! our breakfast never turned up in the mornings, and to top it all off the maid would knock at the door at 9 am to clean the room! what a joke and if you said no please can you come back later, she never showed up! There is a backpackers opposite this hotel and believe me you would be far better of staying there! — Submitted by a couple from England, May 23, 2010
By “she” I believe they are referring to Gemma, who must be related to the hotel owner, how else to explain how she gets to keep her job with so many references to her and the rest of the incompetent staff on hotel and travel Web sites.
Here’s another review I wish I had seen (I translated from Spanish to English):
Headline: “Bad experience at this Hotel”
Spent a holiday in this beautiful city with my mother, I wanted to find a hotel and this hotel was recommended. With the poor reception, little concern for guests, dirty, poor breakfast quality, the only thing that saved it for us is that the rooms are spacious and have good ocean view, if it is from the 5th floor up.
Waiters of the restaurant seemed to view guests as a nuisance if one has an interest in dining there.
I will never again stay at this hotel. – Submitted by Ceanpela of Santiago, Chile, May 31, 2011
And there are many more like it, even with negative reviews right under people’s noses, they still end up booking. Why? Because they are blinded by beautiful pictures that scream “come to me!” And people fall for that. For me, lesson learned, again. 🙂

The Presidential Suite at Spark Hotel - But don't be a sucker for this beauty

As I read the reviews I shook my head in agreement. I could have written them myself, given my similar experience with Spark. Here’s what happened:
I booked a room online after looking at the photographs. And indeed the hotel is nice. The problem is the hotel staff, from the reception desk to the restaurant to housekeeping. They all seem to hate their jobs and to not want to do it. Even routine requests or questions would spark – pun intended – roll of eyes or an outright rude reply. I don’t have a problem with people hating their jobs, but if your job involves dealing with the public, maybe you should be in another line of work.
When I made the hotel reservation, I noted that I would arrive by bus from Calama at 5 a.m. on Friday. But with the offer of a ride to Iquique I actually would get there at 11 p.m. on Thursday.
I explained that to my Chilean friends who were giving me a lift because they so happen to live in Iquique. They said if it turned out to be a problem, I could stay with them that night – I graciously turned them down and said I could just sit in the hotel lobby for an hour and wait for midnight. Soon as that clock struck 12, it would be Friday.
I actually arrived at the hotel around 11:30 p.m., and the front desk receptionist rightly pointed out that they weren’t expecting me until Friday. True, I said, but it’s only 30 minutes until it’s Friday – rather than pay for an extra day I can either return in 30 minutes or just go spend the night at my friends’. She said that should not be necessary, that she would call her manager to check if I could check in a half hour early and not be charged for four nights instead of the booked three. After she made calls, talked to her manager who said it was fine, and did the necessary check-in paperwork, it was almost midnight. Okay, I asked again, so this is for three nights? Yes, she asserted. No problem. Three nights at $118 a night. Cool. She asked if I would like the password for the hotel’s wireless Internet – how thoughtful to ask – and I said yes. Before I went to bed, I fired up my laptop to check my e-mail. But the Internet was not working. Oh, I’ll deal with it in the morning. I went to bed.

Your average room with a view

The next morning, I walked up to the front desk and encountered my first dose of rudeness from a woman named Gemma, who apparently has been at her job for quite sometime because many of the negative reviews going back more than a year reference her, though not by name. I told Gemma that Internet was not working and before I could finish speaking to ask when would it be up and running, she said: “What do you want me to do about it?!” With that, she stepped away to the other end of the reception desk, shuffling some papers. I started to follow her to the other end of the reception area when she walked back toward me with a face that seemed to say “Leave me alone”.
Okay, did I say something wrong? Did I offend her in some way? I had never met this woman before, so why was she being so nasty? I turned to the doorman and he said there had been many previous complaints about the Internet not working. So why did that silly girl so happily offer the password to a Wi-Fi that doesn’t work? So maybe they ought to remove that amenity from their advertisement, no? Doorman nodded yes. At that point another staff person appeared at the front desk. He was wearing a blue blazer like the others, but he looked like a manager. He at least offered a solution: We’ll give you a cable so you can connect that way. Cool. A problem solver. That’s more like it.
I went out for some sightseeing.
The next morning after I showered, I could not find the large bottle of Nivea skin lotion I had brought with me. I searched all over the room. Lotion gone. And the hotel does not provide lotion. I stopped at the front desk to report the lotion missing, and told the front desk manager that I wasn’t suggesting that the maid had stolen it, but that perhaps she simply tossed out by mistake. He called the person in charge of housekeeping and he repeated to me what she said: “We don’t take things from the rooms”. Okay fine, but I’m just…nevermind. Out to the beach I went.
That night I turned on the lights to the bathroom and it tripped something. The electricity went out and with no power, the heating system started to beep…beep…beep…beep…incessantly. Not wanting to deal with the rude front desk, I tried to resolve the matter myself by going to the circuit box in the room. But nothing I did resolved the problem. So I called. And what did I get? Sorry, it’s 2 a.m., nothing we can do about it. Seriously? So how am I supposed to sleep through that beeping noise? I’ll have to wait until the morning, I’m told. So I tried to use my iPod and then a pillow over my head to drown out the noise.

Next morning, called again they sent someone up and from outside the room he fixed the problem. Well only partially. While some lights came on, others such as the ones in the bathroom still were not working. I called him back.

King size bed, king size lack of sleep

Second time around, problem solved.

Checkout time and none too soon. Suddenly, my $118 rate is $143. Wait a minute. After a lot of back and forth, they agree that I am right. I pay the bill, check my bag with the concierge and go for a walk. When I return, front desk guy, who at this point has removed his name tag, tells me I stayed four nights instead of three and I still owe for a night. I explain. He obviously doesn’t believe me and he continues to demand that I pay him another $118 before he releases my bag to me. So now my bag is a hostage. And I can’t believe this is happening. In a few short moments, my friends are coming to pick me up to return to Calama and we have a long drive ahead, so I need to be done with this, I tell him. He picks up the phone and starts explaining the situation to someone on the phone. He Hangs up and insists that I pay up. I tell him he needs to call the receptionist from the night I arrived or the person she spoke to who approved my three-night stay. He finally does that after trying to prove that I owe for the extra night. I tell him that I had options to stay with my friends that night but because the hotel receptionist said it’s not a problem after consulting her boss I decided to stay. Besides, it was only a half hour, less after she got off the phone.
He puts me on the phone with her and what does she do? Outright lies! She says she doesn’t remember telling me that it was okay. She then says she doesn’t recall what she told me that night. At that point, I blew a gasket. I demanded my bag. He refused and picked up the phone to call someone else.
After he got on the phone again and he was distracted, the doorman/concierge emerged from who knows where and I handed him my ticket for my bag. Clueless as to what was happening, he went to the storage room and brought it to me. I had freed my bag! So now I could just walk out the door, call American Express and dispute the charges. I was so done dealing with these idiots. But I waited for him to get off the phone. I overheard him telling the person on the phone that I am American. He also gave the person my name. He hung up the phone, walked over to me and said “We won’t charge you for an extra night.” Really, and what was all this?
So dear reader, the moral of this story is this: If you ever find yourself in need of a hotel, don’t be blinded by beauty. Play detective and do a little investigating. There are too many Sparks out there with outward beauty and ugly inside.
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