We arrived in San Pedro late at night, and first impressions were that it was a typical shabby northern Chilean desert town, but behind the adobe walls we found the San Pedro was a real party town, full of swanky establishments and night time entertainment. Around midday when all the locals were escaping the harshest sun in the world, it was a ghost town. We passed through San Pedro again near the end of our travels on our way to Salta, Northern Argentina.