Time for wonderful dreaming! Where would I want to be in the world coming fortnight?

Right now I want to escape the rain! Enough, let’s go to the driest place on earth:

Chile’s Atacama desert & San Pedro de Atacama.

The landscape is surreally beautiful. Red canyons, grassy gorges, bare volcanos, turquoise thermal lakes, lagoons and geysers. Yet some parts of the region have never received a drop of rain, or at least not as long as people have been keeping track of such things.

The small town of San Pedro de Atacama, population 2,500— attracts bohemian types to its funky adobe hotels and restaurants. They’ve been coming here for decades, looking for “unplugged” getaways before the term even existed. Recently luxury hotels have popped up for the well-heeled travelers seeking to combine adventure with scrumptious meals, swimming pools and spa treatments.

You can get there by flying to Calama in the North of Chile or by a spectacular bus ride across the Andes from Salta in Argentina. Crossing the border at 4200m is breathtaking (literally) as is the view along the ride.

Wonderful Wednesday is a biweekly  series of places, festivals, destinations, hikes, etc etc where I would like to be in the world the coming 14 days, if no restrictions would apply.