Blogs from San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region, Chile, South America - page 43

We crossed the border into Chile around 5pm and after a short drive we reached tarmac and a proper paved road! This was a novelty as the majority of roads in Bolivia are unmade gravel roads. After being stamped into Chile, walking over a disinfectant soaked mat and a rather half-hearted bag search which didnt follow any of the procedures and rules printed on the walls in the customs office we were back on our way. A few minutes later we were on the outskirts of San Pedro De Atacama where we saw some poeple erecting a large stage. Our driver told us that there was a free concert later that evening and we should go. They failed to tell us that it was a rather large celebration for San Pedroans which we later found out. ... read more

So I´ve decided to write one of the blogs...Steve can take the credit for the others...I just spell check them !! So arriving in Chile was quite a sensory shock...after spending 3 nights in the Bolivian desert (very cold), we then arrived in San Pedro de Attacama, the driest desert on earth (very hot). San Pedro has definitely cottoned onto the tourist needs and there are numerous hostels, restaurants & bars, together with a generous sprinkling of hippy travellers! The main tourist attraction in San Pedro is the Valle de Luna. We initially decided that we weren´t going to book ourselves on a tour as we´d had enough of the desert, but we changed our minds at the last minute, and we were very pleased we did. The scenery was amazing...the pictures should hopefully relay that....we ... read more

Hi all. Well the show is back on the road. In fact we´ve seen a lot of roads over the last week. The plan was to travel down to Uyuni and do a trip around the Salar de Uyuni, the world´s biggest salt flat covering 12,000 square km. First we took a bus south to Oruru from La Paz. All going to plan at this point - we only needed to either get the train or bus to Uyuni and all would be well with the world. However, the gods were not smiling on us, in fact their demeanor was to be positively hostile. Both the road to Uyuni and the trainline were closed because of a blockade and we were told that it would be dangerous to try the route. Rather than chancing our arm ... read more

They say that you can’t travel around South American and not have something stolen and the're right! On an overnight bus from San Pedro Atacama to Arica we had one of our bags stolen in a split second laps of concentration. We had a backpack (with Rich’s new camera in it!) on the shelf above our heads only because there wasn’t enough room by our legs. We had stopped at Calama to pick up other passengers and I got off the bus to get a drink, leaving Rich sat on the bus. A couple of guys got on the bus and walked up and down the isle, seemingly looking for their seats. Then one guy lent over Rich pretending to wave at someone outside, thus blocking Rich’s view whilst the other guy grabbed the bag. We ... read more

- FOOD: 3 course free meal served on the bus! Such a nice salad, great food all round with avocado in nearly everything, desert at last, pisco sours and LOTS of Chilean wine - AREA: Smooth bus journey but complex border crossing. Tiny, dusty town with a very touristy feel but with a perfect hostal. Restuarants with tables around open fires. Expensive (drinks at near to London prices). El Tatio geyser which is unmissable with a thermal bath; fake village?; Valle de la Luna which must be seen at sunset (intense colours). Archeological museum (lots of mummies) - PEOPLE: 3 roommates who knew friends from Sucre, new friends with plenty of travel tips, friendly locals, MANY tourists. - WEATHER: FREEZING when the sun went in. Sun 5th June: I got up at the same time the ... read more