Yesterday, with some trepidation, I began the climb from
sea-level at Arica – the last
Chilean city south of the Peruvian border – to the Andean village of Putre (pictured above), the gateway to Parque
Nacional Lauca (pictured below). This would be my first visit to Putre since in three years,
and the altitude of 3,500 meters (11,482 feet) above sea level would be a test
for both my bronchitis-ravaged lungs and for my aging Nissan Terrano, which
suffered a blown head gasket last year.
The Nissan, despite the nearly 250,000 km (150,000 miles) on
the engine, passed with flying colors. In the 125 km from Arica, the
temperature needle never reached halfway and, while it uses more fuel at these
altitudes, it arrived with nary a glitch. I wish I could say the same of myself
but, while most of my bronchitis symptoms have gone away, I have a relict
cough, and I know my lungs aren’t yet at full capacity in the thin atmosphere
of the high Andes.
Most visitors spend a night in Putre, where the climate is
mild enough to grow basic crops like potatoes and alfalfa, before continuing to
the park, where altitudes are nearly 1,000 meters higher. I’m spending two,
partly because I was concerned enough about my health to bypass the higher
altitudes this time, and partly because the international highway to Bolivia,
which passes through the park, is undergoing repairs and experiencing major
traffic delays.
In fact, on arrival in Putre, I felt a notable dizziness as
soon as I parked the car and walked around the village in search of lunch. Fortunately,
I quickly found the Kuchu Marka pub, where I barely nibbled on a mediocre midday
meal but, more notably, drank two large cups of mate de coca, an infusion made
the notorious coca leaf (pictured below). In principle, the coca leaf is illegal in Chile but,
in reality, it’s tolerated in small quantities, especially in small communities
like Putre, most of whose inhabitants are indigenous Aymara people. It’s a well-known
remedy against symptoms of altitude sickness.
When I first visited Putre, in 1979, the only accommodations
were a simple refugio operated by Conaf, the
agency in charge of Chile’s national parks. Today, if not quite unrecognizable,
it’s dramatically changed, what with stylish accommodations like the
Italian-run Terrace Lodge and the
Aymara-operated Chakana Mountain Lodge
(pictured below, owned by the founders of Talca’s Casa
Chueca). Kuchu Marca, which set the pace for Andean cuisine a few years
ago, has declined, but Cantaverdi has taken up the slack, as the best place in
town to get a well-grilled llama steak.
Several Putre-based agencies run day trips and longer
excursions to the park, with its snow-topped volcanoes, spectacular bird life
in its deep blue lakes and lush marshes, and herds of wild vicuñas. The village
also has modern services, including cell phones and easy Internet connections,
and even a new ATM at its BancoEstado. Compared with three decades ago, it’s
enough to take your breath away – in which case you may need another infusion
of mate de coca.
