Far from chilly in Chile

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We´ve had an amazing week in Bolivia and just arrived in Chile, our third country so far. We started our adventure in Bolivia in the capital, La Paz. A very busy and hectic city - too much so for A. Women in local dress - including bowler hats - make up the majority and gringos the minority. The highlight of La Paz was probably watching the new James Bond film as by happy coincidence, it is mainly set in Bolivia. The reactions of the Bolivian audience, particularly to the overweight cop demanding ´documentos por favor´from Daniel Craig, was hilarious and a real treat.

We then journeyed south over very bad roads and then via a spotlessly clean train to Uyuni, a tourist town in the middle of the desert which services the gringos wishing to take a tour of the ´Salar´(salt flats) and volcanic region. The landscape is amazing, breathtaking and completely inhospitable, whether the climate is searing heat, biting cold or ruthless wind. We shared our jeep, and three day tour with four fantistically fun Isrealis who had come equipped for the salt flats, meaning the had bought toy soldiers, a dinosaur, eggs etc to take comedic pictures in the striking landscape - apparently it is a competitive pursuit in Israel. The bright white, endless salt and the cloudless blue sky means you can play with perspective in photos so A and I passed a hilarious couple of hours with them pretending to be chased by dinosaurs and hatching out of eggs. When in Rome, I guess...!

The next two days involved early starts, chilly extremities and stunning sunrises over martian-like scenery and multicouloured lagoons. Neither of us have ever been anywhere like it. We transfered on to the hot and dusty tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama and spent yesterday planning our escape! We fly to the Lakes District tomorrow and A is positively salivating at the prospect of casting a line again. He was unsuccessful in Peru, on Lake Titicaca, so trout of Chile beware...

We have certainly noticed a difference in price in Chile having been spoiled by Bolivian and Peru exchange rates. I was sorry not to spend more time in Bolivia as we felt we´d got under the skin of Peru much more, but the Chileans are fantastic so far and we are looking forward to staying in one place for a few days when we reach Puerto Varas.

Off now for a visit to the ´Valle de Luna´at sunset. Hope all is well with everyone back home...
x

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