Chile Up There
When we rented a truck to visit Lauca National Park in Chile, we were shown the wrenches, jack, and spare tire. Jorge told us we would be fine as long as we had a full tank of gas. He also gave us his cell phone number so we could return the car after-hours. Unfortunately, jumper cables and a tow rope were not included with this rental.
The truck carried us from sea-level up to 12,000 feet. We quickly left the fertile valley of Arica, the northern-most town in Chile, entering the barren wasteland which lasted until 8,000 feet or so when the candelabra cactus begin to sparsely dot the rocky hillsides. Another 1,000 feet and wild brush joins the hillside. Yet further a few flowers and guanacos (a wild relative of the llama) add to the scenery. 2 hours later, by the time you reach Putre at 12,000 feet the gateway to the park, the hillsides are covered with alpine shrubs and the guanacos are starting to run out of breath. People should stop here for the night to avoid altitude sickness but we still had headaches in spite of spending the last month in Arequipa.
The next morning we awake refreshed and ready to go higher. Our truck does not. The first step to dealing with car trouble in tiny Putre is actually finding someone else who has a car and praying they have jumper cables. After 45 minutes we manage to talk to some construction workers who have a truck but no jumper cables but who call their coworkers who have both. For the next 45 minutes, 7 construction workers jump, push, fiddle with engine parts, and ultimately tow our truck around in circles in an effort to get it started. They finally give up and begin calling the Avis rental agencies on our behalf. The offices are all closed, but Jorge answers the third try to his cell phone, promising to send another vehicle. 3 hours later, Jorge’s promised vehicle arrives, and we are finally off to the park.
Until the sun sets, we spend the day with herds of vicunas (a wild relative of the alpaca with incredibly fine wool and lungs of steel), shy vizcachas, and flocks of flamingos feasting in lakes at an elevation of up to 15,000 feet. Snow-covered mountains tower over the already impossibly-high park where it’s easier for birds to hop around than fly in the thin air. We’re thankful for our truck which actually starts the next morning, but it wouldn’t have been too bad to be stuck up here another night.
Tags: Peru
Adam
I trust that Adam jumped up and down and squealed like a girl when he saw the vizcacha? It’s definitely as cute as a hedgehog (which we haven’t seen since fall, btw), plus, it looks _soft_ and cuddly.
p.s. Please bring me a live baby vicuna.