Here in the driest desert on earth, in a rocky valley populated bởi withered pillars of salt and stone and an enormous sand dune that doubles as a pedestrian highway, I find myself scrambling, hands and feet, up a jagged outcropping ... and waiting for the sun to set on the "Valley of the Moon."

This is Chile's Valle de la Luna, the legendary moon valley, crowned on all sides bởi volcanic peaks that cascade as far as the eye can see. It's these peaks that grab my attention now. One bởi one they're painted in the pinks and reds of the setting sun, and the valley becomes a kaleidoscope of new shapes...