Desiertoed

So, off we go to fabulous San Pedro de Atacama in the north of Chile. But to get to places in this long thin country you have to catch a train, then a taxi, then a bus, then a plane, then another bus (2 hour trip across the desierto), then arrive 13 hours later at your cheap, but prebooked, hostal to find the place utterly desiertoed at 9 at night. What to do? Why, just look around you, and you see in the feeble glimmer of a street light that the entire place is made up of a) hostales, b) restorantes and c) tour companies. It's a tourist town entirely! And it's made entirely of adobe, even to the seats at a internet cafe. We got a room at another hostal, picking our way across picturesque faux rustique bridges. I should be able to show you a picture of the ditch outside our door, which I fell into, and the shared (en plein air) facilities. Oh, and one of the plentiful cats. Here goes ...