2nd April 2002 - 22.12
GMT
Coast
to Coast
We
waited with our stuff at the border post in San Pedro and
the bus from Calama arrived almost in time. The ride was,
as expected, fantastic. Lagoons, volcanoes and tarmac until
the border post with Argentina, here some paper work and then
on a rather bad dirt track. The landscape changed as we descended;
a salt lake with octagonal crystals and the descent at night
of the breath taking Cuesta de Lipan, which scared the shit
out of us.
We arrived in Salta around 22:30, without a single peso and
very few US-$. And we were not willing to spent a single dime
on a room. We planned to get another bus and spent the night
on the road, but there were only buses the next morning. Passengers
were leaving the platform and suspicious people were closing
in to spent the night at the bus station or do even worse.
After some more examination of the surroundings I found a
gas station with a 24 hours convenience store. That was the
place to be, we moved over with our stuff and checked in into
the "Shell-Hotel".
So we spent the night writing dairy, eating, watching TV and
sleeping at the table.
Morning came, we walked into the city, ate some more, got
cash from the ATM and then got on the bus to the cataracts
of Iguazu.
We stayed on the argentinean side for 2 or 3 nights. It's
definitely more expensive and all the closed shops were depressing,
but I was afraid of the crime, we might face on the brazilian
side.
And what about the cataracts ? Yes, they are amazing. Believe
everything you hear about them. Spend there 2 or 3 days and
make sure, you'll see both sides.
And
what else ?
Not
much. We took a bus to Ros' hometown Campinas and spent there
some time with their family. Later on our way to São
Paulo airport we had to cross the "city". Man, am
I lucky that I don't live there.
Additional info
Collahuasi
You can't enter the mine without invitation. There are fences,
hi-tech security systems and armed guards. You have to know
somebody in the inside.
Around
Aucanquilcha
Perfect for the bike. Nice dirt track, no problem with orientation.
Polan is abandoned, there is no supply at all in the area.
Ollague
There are 2 or 3 buses a week from/to Calama. These buses
depends on the train from Uyuni, Bolivia. Normally, you should
get lucky and get a ride on a jeep or truck after some hours
of waiting, but don't depend on it. Ollague has one place
to eat. They also offer one basic room.
San
Pedro de Atacama
Internet, travel agencies, grocery stores, restaurants, bicycle
rent, horse riding, ice cream, robbery on camping grounds.
In my opinion San Pedro is way too touristic, but a fine place
to get your logistics in place and to have a shower.
PROFIL1
- I
Structure & Evolution
of Aucanquilcha
Located wholly within
N. Chile,Aucanquilcha volcano
is the site of the world's highest mine (sulphur) and permanent
human habitation (Figure 17.1 and 17.3). Topographically,
it forms a ridge extending about 10 km in an E-W direction,
made up of several distinct cones and craters. It is one of
the largest volcanic edifices in N. Chile. A well preserved
débris flow (DF) is conspicuous on TM images (Francis & Wells,
1988), but its source region on the volcano is obscured because
its proximal portions are largely obscured by extensive moraines
(M). This indicates an age in excess of 10,000 yr for the
avalanche. During glacial times, the ice cap on the volcano
was extremely extensive (~45 km2), since moraines can be traced
continuously over the high plateau south of the main ridge,
reaching down to approximately 4, 600 m. Although the summit
region is obscured by snow and ice on the TM image, a few
post-glacial lava flows (LF) are apparent on the upper flanks.
Sulphur is currently mined in the summit region of the edifice,
which is extensively altered by fumarolic activity (Figure
17.2). Feeble fumarolic activity is encountered at the present
day within pits and shafts worked for sulphur. Clark (1970)
reported an unsual assemblage of native sulphur-covellite
"Cu5.5x FexS6.5" in the fumarolic sulphur deposits. There
are no records of historic eruptions. Extrusion of lava from
a summit vent appears to have been the most recent activity.
Current Activity Feeble fumarolic activity persists to the
present day and is most obvious within shallow sulphur mine
workings
map http://www.collahuasi.cl/comp1_1.html
aucan volcano.indstate.edu/ cvz/aucaimg.html
http://www.skimountaineer.com
http://www.w-o-w.com/adventure-articles/HighAndes1995.html
http://www.aucanquilcha.com/
|