What a difference a tour makes

Editor's note: Justin Cox, a Scott City native, is writing about his experiences while living in Chile for six months.

I spent last weekend in San Pedro de Atacama, a five-hour bus ride east of my home in Antofagasta, Chile. San Pedro (population 5,000) is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the northern half of the continent despite the fact that it is hours from the nearest city, dusty, dry, cold and expensive. Situated in the Andes Mountains, San Pedro is the launching point for tours to the many natural wonders surrounding the town.

In the States, I have had the opportunity to visit Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, and the mountains, geysers and huge subterranean salt lake that I saw last weekend rivals the best American national parks in terms of awe-inspiring beauty.

The parallels do not extend far beyond that, though. First, I only met two other Americans while I was in San Pedro. Most of the tourists were Western Europeans.

But what I found the most interesting was the differences in the infrastructure between American national parks and similar places here in Latin America.

First, it's obvious that large-scale tourism has only recently found San Pedro de Atacama. The roads remain unpaved, but in the last year the town has gotten its first ATM and 24-hour electricity. Internet cafes have sprung up all over town. But once out of town and at the attractions, one can imagine the work that will occur in the next few years.

Getting to the huge geyser fields at Tatio in time for sunrise (when they are their most dramatic) requires leaving at 4 a.m. for the two-hour, infinitely bumpy bus ride over a sandy path through the desert. But the early departure, rough ride, and biting cold are not enough to discourage a few hundred tourists from visiting the geysers every morning.

In direct contrast to Yellowstone, once at the geyser field, we were allowed to wander wherever we wanted without restriction. We were warned on the bus to be careful of the boiling hot water and steam, but there was nothing to stop anyone from being seriously injured except for his or her own sense of self-preservation. Unfortunately for two people in the last 10 years, the instinct of self-preservation wasn't enough; two European tourists in the past decade lost their lives when they fell into the field's largest geyser.

You can't buy T-shirts at the field, or a burger. Bathrooms are conspicuously absent, though we stopped in a village with exactly five inhabitants on the way back for empanadas, bathrooms and pictures with their llamas. But then, there aren't obnoxious concession stands, long lines or cookie-cutter tours to sour a completely breathtaking experience either. Convenience versus unspoiled beauty ... I'm not sure we can have both.

Justin Cox is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and is spending six months teaching English in Chile.