CHILE
Arriving in Peru in 2011, I took a flight to the southeast in pursuit of better weather.  
When I arrived in Arequipa it was both cold and wet so I caught a bus and headed for sunny Chile. ​

Entering the main plaza of San Pedro de Atacama, I witnessed traditional dances performed by the indigenous Atacameno people.

The popularity of the adobe precordillera oasis stems from its position in the heart of some of northern Chile's most spectacular scenery.  A short distance away lies Chile's largest salt flat, its edges crinkled by volcanoes.  Here too are the fields of steaming geyers, a host of otherwordly rock formations and weird layer-cake landscapes.*

Graveyards have always intrigued me -- how different cultures treat their dead.  Near the sugar-white Iglesia San Pedro, I walked through the local graveyard.
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Located in a golden crescent of coastline, Iquique is fast becoming Chile's premier beach resort.  Besides surfers, paragliding pros, casino snobs and frenzied merchants, Iquique ships more fish meal than any other port in the world.*

*These captions are from Chile -- Lonely Planet's travel guide.