Blogs from Antofagasta Region, Chile, South America - page 45

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Two - nil, two - nil. Inglettera!!!! Yes, we made it and managed to get a couple of pints in to celebrate. Thank you to Dave for using his Spanish to hurry our driver along and also to Chile for providing smooth, asphalt roads that you can speed along. Travelling at the same time as the world cup is great as other English travellers are drawn out of their respective hostals to the nearest TV screen showing the beautiful game. After-match analysis also provides respite from the usual questions of where you are from, how long you are travelling for and where you are going next.... We also managed to get a group together to book a reduced price sandboarding excursion the day after. Other than the landscape, San Pedro could be likened to streets of ... read more
Sandboarding
...And That´s How it´s Done!
Wipe-Out


I should not have worn a head scarf that day. Made me look like a dirty hippie. I should also not have declared my coca lollies as food (and wasn´t going to but was sucking on one at the time so I owned up). I didn´t realise that coca lollies are regarded by Chilean officials as an indication of drug traffickers. I was the only person on a busload of about 20 people to get a full scale drug search crossing from Bolivia into Chile. For those who don´t know, coca leaves are used everywhere in Bolivia and Peru (and have been for thousands of years) for the altitude and other ailments. They are somewhat controversial because they are the leaves of the same plant that is used to make cocaine, but you need ridiculous amounts ... read more


San Pedro the sequel, deze keer met de josse! Hou u klaar voor meer foto-geweld!... read more
... a lot of sheeps
Don Gorge disfrutando las casas adobes
Don Gorge a la bicicleta


Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and/or emailed us. It´s really lovely to log on and see comments or messages waiting. We are very aware that people are very busy with work etc, so we appreciate you taking the time to read and respond. We get to the bus station in Santiago in plenty of time, despite having reclimbed San Crostobel hill for a second time during our final afternoon. This time the last part of the ascent and the entire descent at a run! We calculate this to be 12ks. I just had the urge to expend energy prior to being couped up on a bus for 24 hours. I don´t think Brendan has forgiven me yet! Anyway, our bus was due to leave at 5pm. Just before 5 the Calama bus ... read more
Nothing but the best for us!
San Pedro village plaza.
An open fire in a restaurant in San Pedro.


Au Chili les mecs ont tous les cheveux longs et un bouc. On est allé dans la vallée de la lune qui ressemble à la lune. Hé oui on a même fait du VTT dans un espèce de canyon interminable qui s'appèle la quebrada del diablo. On a vu aussi un autre beau lac, un petit ruisseau au milieu du desert et des lamas (encore). Nous sommes un peu las de voyager de site touristique en site touristique, il faut remonter direction Arica, vers le Perou. On est capable de s'endormir en moins de 10 secondes dans n'importe quel bus maintenant. Les Péruviens vont élire leur président demain, du coup il y a la loi sèche et personne n'a le droit de vendre de l'alcool... il faut savoir que la loi est plus ou moins respectée ... read more
La vallée de la lune encore
La vallée de la lune toujours
photo stylée


Well Chile was a bit short lived really. We came over the border from Argentina by the skihn of our teeth as the day before it had been closed with snow... it is at over 10,000 feet high though. We started off in Santiago, where we met an american guy, Zach in our hostel. There was not too much to see really in Santiago, as the pictures I have will testify (but they will have to come later). We had some fun nights out before heading away, with our american traveller, from the smog and and to the coast to a place called Valpariso. This place was really nice with brightly coloured building disappearingh up the hillsides (often it was foggy here). We had a trip to a nearby beach resort, Vina del Mar, but it ... read more
Student protests at La Serena
La Serena
Valle de la Luna


... heb nog steeds last van een schrijvers-blok... read more
showing off ... again
to moon valley
snoopy in action


hmm, this is our first blog entry so treat it as experimental! We left santiago on monday night, and after an emotional send off we settled down to an 11 hour journey...what chileans call a marker pen journey, cos you have to paint your bum crack back on afterwards. This journey took us to our first stop on our trip from Chile to Venezuela- the city of Copiapo...which Darwin didn´t rate much (he said they were all obsessed with mining and it was quite dull) and nor do we really. It is however notable for the astonishing numbers of pregnant women (maybe its something in the water?) and for a serious lack of local conversation skills. Maybe the lack of talk has something to do with the number of babies and pregnant women...the scenery is also ... read more


Very long ride to San Pedro on a steaming bus, didn´t need my sleeping bag this time. Luckily had booked the bus with a stop aswell so we got lunch in a restaurant, much better than the onboard food. Quite quick stamping out of Argentina then 2 hours until we stamped into Chile! They can´t be bothered putting border control at the border, so just put it in the town on San Pedro. We got back on the bus after having every bag checked to be taken 2 blocks to the terminal, doh! The terminal is not what I expected, a large area of sand. Lots of hostel reps about but none for the hostel my mates were in so I asked for directions and they said 2 roads over. I could only see dirt no ... read more
Barbq with the boys
High Street
Death Valley


We´re now in San Pedro de Atacama. It´s like an oasis in a desert, a little touristy town in a vast dry desert and salt plain area. Visited Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and Geysers El Tatio. The terrain in Valle de la Luna is supposed to be similar to Mars wor. Suppose to catch sunset there, but in the end, we caught the full moon rising instead. Think it´s more appropriate since it´s called the Moon Valley. For the geysers, we had to wake up at 3.30am. It was freezing cold at -10degree. And worst, we have to combat the high altitude at 4,320 m.a.s.l. Managed to survive that though I felt breathless and stomach churning occassionally. But poor OSM, puke again. Will be going to Uyuni, Bolivia on a 3 days 4 WD ... read more
El Tatio Geysers




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