Termas Socos, a humble hideaway tucked into Chile’s very desert “middle-of-nowhere,” an oasis of green in a land of brown, where one visits to soak in the hottest thermal baths I’ve ever dipped toe in; or to sauna by wood fire; or to just sit among the sweet breezes and rustling leaves of the towering eucalyptus trees rising from the slight valley. If you visit, keep an eye on your wine bottle because even isolated Termas Socos isn’t immune from the scourge of wine boosting.
Termas Socos was relaxing to the nth, but all good things must move on, as did we. This part of Chile is goat country, land of the cabra, the only animals who can make a go of it in the cactus and dirt. Herds of them roam the hills. In Chile one frequently finds themselves either on the coast or in the Andes…there is very little in between. We headed north, along the coast, ma’ o meno’.
After a brief stopover in La Serena the car made a hard right and we found ourselves entering the Andes, via the agriculturally rich Elqui valley system, land of abundant fruit and produce, rolling green vineyards…and herds of goats.
The Elqui Valley is notable for several unique characteristics. Valle Elqui is the pisco capital of Chile, the brandy spirit distilled from fermented muscatel grapes of Pisco Sour fame, producing over 90% of Chile’s pisco. The vineyards stretch through the valleys like a finely woven bright green rug.
The Elqui Valley is world famous for its night skies, at least among astronomers. Its dry climate and high altitude make it one of the world’s very best locations for viewing the night sky, and several of the world’s more important observatories are perched high in the surrounding mountains. We visited the Cerro Mamalluca observatory, operated for public use by the township of Vicuña. Sandwiched between a discussion on Incan cosmology and traditional Andean music, we peered through glass at the rings of Saturn, the stripes of Jupiter, the clusters of galaxies, the pairings of star systems, and various other stellar high notes, all the while being graced by streaks of fire across the night sky. The night skies over Valle Elqui almost have more white in them than black. If you love the heavens, you must visit – you will not be disappointed.
At one point, one of the kids in our group asked the guide where a certain star was located in the sky. “Por alla,” was the answer. A silent pause, and then the whole group broke into laughter. Maybe I understand directions given in Spanish afterall.
In Valle Elqui’s upper reaches the Río Cochiguás flows through a raw land of cactus and rock and light and stillness. It was proclaimed in the 60’s, by whom exactly I’m not sure, that the Age of Aquarius had shifted the Earth’s geomagnetic center from the Himalayas to the Elqui Valley, and those believers had come to Valle Elqui searching, believing, and bringing all things Zen and expansive with them, including, possibly, some stray UFOs. As we searched for that wily geomagnetic center under rocks and behind trees, I noticed Andrea, how happy and radiant she appeared, and it struck me that perhaps the center of all things exists not in places external, but within. Anyways, it was fun searching.
Perhaps there is no geomagnetic route that will deliver us any closer to the true center. I really don’t know. But the congregation of this Vicuña church is confident that salvation is not attainable via the electromagnetic route!
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