A fresh update from Chile! The past days I’ve been exploring the Arica y Parinacota region from the coast to the mountains while freecamping at hot springs and ruins. One of them was the Termas de Jurasi. Yes, nice warm hot springs; good enough to keep a hitchhiker clean, though smelly of sulfur.
It’s kind of a weird idea to sit down in a warm natural pool of water heated by the core of the earth that could decide to erupt your ass off any second. I know that’s not really how it works, but coming to think of it, it’s like passive badassery.
Most of the time I was some 4500 meters above sea level. And FYI: altitude sickness is a Real Thing with Nasty Consequences. I sometimes wish I’d grown up above level. I’ve seen more alpacas, vicuñas, and the occasional donkey than people in the past few days. But I’ve barely been so in touch with mama nature. I wasn’t aware that there’s a special kind of flamingo that lives at this temperature and altitude, but nonetheless, they were seeking the warmth just like me under the smelly blanket of a hot spring.
The landscapes here are surreal and if you’re into this, make your way to Chile one day to try this out. Any soreness from bad roads can dissipate when bathing in the hot waters of a hot spring.
I’m currently back at the breathable level of 1000 meters above sea level in Huara in the next province. Is it the Atacama desert you’re wondering about? It’s next!
on a positive note, you can fart at a hot spring and noone will know.
How do you know?