San Pedro--the pueblo

San Pedro de Atacama is a delightful mix of rustic adobe huts, satellite discs, dirt roads, excursion agencies, salsa music, hostals, tourist shops, good food, tour buses, and bikes.

The main plaza--paved with flagstones as a contrast with the dirt roads in the rest of the village

The shops here reminded us all of Peru.  We hadn't seen anything like this anywhere else in Chile and the girls made a big issue about pointing it out.  I was impressed--they even noticed when we would hear Peruvian music in a shop or restaurant.

Distinctive to this area were the many dishes, picture frames, and other knick-knacks made from the shells of saguaro cacti.  The cactus has recently been put under protection so presumably this industry will come to an end, but there are still many such items in the shops.   

Tulip scored some loot

Many of the mud walls had glass bottles built into them in some way

We saw this huge truck backing from the narrow street into this tiny opening, with about an inch to spare on each side.  It was impressive!

One of the local restaurants