car drivers are much more advanced than their counterparts in Europe. Here they have evolved to such a level, that they do not use indicators, only the car horn. The following is a helpful guide should you ever travel here: one beep of the horn means I am turning right. one beep of the horn means I am turning left. one beep of the horn means I am going straight on. one beep of the horn means I might stop to talk to a friend I have just seen on the pavement. one beep of the horn means I have no idea where I am. ONE BEEP OF THE HORN MEANS RUN !!!!... read more

On a sunny Tuesday morning the adventure began. The 4x4 comprised of Wendy, myself, Nilla (Australian) and Neil (anglo-australian). Joining us were Eduardo, the driver, and Agustina, our cook. Off we zoomed on a 4 day trip which promised volcanoes, flamingos, hot springs and a multitude of llamas. Our trip started promisingly – the car started – and off we went out of Tupiza, following the by now recognisable river bed and dirt track. The scenery as we went into the mountains was spectacular. Red sandstone reaching up nearly 4000 metres. To the joy of everyone, I was pointing out areas that appeared to be where Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid was filmed. You can imagine their happiness being tuck in the car while I quoted every line I know from the film – which ... read more

what have the Romans ever done for Bolivia ? let me tell you dear readers - absolutely nothing ! ! if they could have been bothered to invade and conquer a couple of thousand years ago, we would now have not just straight roads, but ones that are not merely dried up river beds. in fact these ones are almost motorways compared to those that are just tracks across fields. There are times however, that one would wish for even a track rather than just having your bus drive across fields !! to be fair, there is a new road being built which will help dramatically. the only slight drawback that I noticed, is that rather than built one part of the road and then move on to the next stretch, the Bolivians came up ... read more

there I was, walking the railways at last, hoping for a train with empty wagons to roll past for me to jump on and meet Dean Moriarty . Just to sit back, chew some coca leaves and chill all the way to somewhere. Sadly this dream failed on two levels. Firstly, he is a fictional character ( or possibly not) and secondly there was no train. It could be argued that walking along railway tracks is a dangerous hobby and not to be encouraged. Luckily on this particular line, there are only two trains a week and one was the day before. The only danger is that in South America the next train could be the day after. In fact our biggest danger was sunstroke and the circling eagles. I kid ye not. When walking here, ... read more

Wednesday is the 5 year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis. I can’t let it go un-recognised, but we will be incommunicado, as we are about to head off on a 4 day tour of the salt desert in Bolivia, in a 4x4! What better way to celebrate!!?!? Those of you who remember the period between 6 July 2006 and the end of my treatment in March 2007 will agree that whilst it wasn’t great, it could have been worse! Lots of you have been around even longer and would agree that Gordon and I have had our share of bad luck! In fact, I remember Gordon saying years ago that we were getting other peoples share of too because we were so good at dealing with it!! Whatever, for the record, I want it noted ... read more

And so, the intrepid travellers followed the Andes further north and settled in the town of Salta. This brought on great sadness, not due to Salta which is a beautiful colonial town, as it meant an end to the adventure in Argentina. Let's address Salta first of all. Like all of Argentina it's inhabitants are very friendly and would glad do anything to help you. It is a mishmash of modern stores and stalls at the side of the road selling lampshades. I gazed upon some of those lampshades longingly I have to confess. By the second day, W had firmly ensconced herself in a cafe called Van Gogh. I was unaware that he had travelled here and to my lack of surprise he hadn't - however there was a photocopy of a painting of his ... read more

ok, after an overnight hostel in San Juan ( a place that has some streets ,a cathedral, a tower and a supermarket ) we headed towards San Agustin, being a central point for trips to the parks of Talampaya and Ischigualasto. The hostel booked here advertised itself as being perfect for our needs. The only thing it failed to mention was that it was not exactly clean. It is difficult not t be rude, for the atmosphere and the staff were fantastic. At night we would all sit in the kitchen, drinking wine, beer and fernet, while listening to music and laughing and chatting with each other. That part was excellent. The major downfall was that it was not exactly clean. Squalid and filthy are probably too strong words to use, so I will settle for ... read more