19th/20th March Putre

The journey to Putre was long and exhausting. After about 450km, we arrived at our hotel (Terrace Lodge) in the late afternoon. Putre is already located at an altitude of 3500m and is well suited for acclimatizing to the altitude. As often in Chile, the price-performance ratio was very poor. Mold on the walls. The bedside lamp did not work. The room was small and dark. I only went into the bathroom with sandals. But at least the heating worked! The absolute highlight, however, was breakfast. For 8 people, there was hardly anything to eat. The little that the hostess brought us was exactly counted. 2 mini slices of cheese for each person. These 2 slices fit on a 5x8 cm wooden board. One cup of coffee was free, each additional cup had to be paid for. The French tour group sitting next to us at the table were appalled. Fortunately, we only stayed there for one night. The second night we stayed in another hotel (La Chakana). Bright rooms, clean and heating. Clearly more recommendable in the same price range.

After breakfast, we drove to Suriplaza. Suriplaza is a large volcanic high plateau surrounded by colorful volcano mountains. The landscape is indescribably beautiful. And the many llamas, vicuñas and alpacas we saw along the way always fascinated me. I was particularly taken with the alpacas with their fluffy fur and funny look. We even got to witness the birth of a llama.

The altitude (over 5000m) did put a bit of a strain on us. At intervals, we measured the oxygen saturation of our blood. Sometimes it was below 80%. Under normal circumstances, we would have ended up in the intensive care unit...