Day 21: San - tee - ahh - go!

Mood: Sleepy
Music: The Beatles (Best of, the blue one)

Today started at stupid o'clock as I had set my alarm for 4am. When this went out I poked my head outside and saw another smattering of starts in the sky. This meant I could take my camera and the tripod, helpfully lent by a very kind American (with whose party I had been sharing many of the excursions over the last two days) and head out to the observatory platform in order to take some photos of the night sky.

After an hour or so I was back in bed until 7am when I was up and out and heading to Calama airport. The flight to Santiago was just less than two hours and I was there before I knew it. The bags, however, took just over an hour to get off the plane and onto the baggage belt. During this time I saw the man waiting for me the other side of the arrivals screen, holding up a sign saying "Mrs Greenshields". I assumed that given the rarity of the name and that I was expecting someone with my name on a board. Once the bag did arrive, I informed my guide for the day that I wasn't a she but was infact Mr Greenshields...

Once back at the hotel I was given a short space of time to have lunch before my city tour would begin. I made for one of the restaurants next door to my hotel and found myself in a 'Beeferie' . Knowing I didn't have long I ordered myself a salad (I know you don't make friends with...) which was supposed to be a "roast beef" salad. After 35 minutes (almost 15 after I was due to be picked up) this eventually arrived. It turned out to have slices of thick fillet steak in it and athough I was annoyed that I was late, the steak was very good.

The city tour was with the same guy who picked me up from the airport. His English was very good and he was also very enthusiastic about the city in which he lives. He is married to an Englaish woman and has children around my age but enjoys what he does and enjoys himself in life. It was very refreshing to have someone so positive again telling me about their home town.

We visited a "handycraft" market to start with, which was at the very top of town (bounded by the rising Andes mountain range). I was initially expecting this to be another 'tat bizarre' but instead I found myself in a area of small boutique shops selling handmade items from each of the shopkeepers. There were items forged from copper ( the main export from Chile), carved from wood, jewelery made from silver and local stones and paintings from artists at work in full view of the passing public. All in all much better than I'd expected. It is a shame my baggage is rammed to overflowing already!

We then toured several of the important areas and buildings in the city. The Cathedral is, to me, the most beautiful that I have yet seen in South America. It doesn't have the gold and silver lavisheries that many of the other churches I've seen do. It's charm lies in it's understated beauty. I have a few photos from inside and hopefully you'll see what I mean.

Eventually I ended up back at the hotel and proceeded to book a taxi out to one of the largest and newest shopping centres in the city in order to locate and purchase a couple of replica football strips, as requested by Phil (he who is looking after my flat while I'm away) the night before. The centre itself could be anywhere in the western world with Nike shops, MNG, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Addidas to name but a few chain stores you'd see in any similar place in the UK.

This evening I went to another of the local restaurants to my hotel and found the service to be equally slow. This evening it took me well over a half hour to be served with my cold starter. I was getting to the point that due to my general state of fatigue today, I was almost asleep at the table. The rest of the meal was very nice, I was possibly a little too tired to appreciate it to its full however.

Tomorrow I get some wine tasting in hopefully!

Night all!

PS. Things I've noted:

1. Santiago is the cleanest, prettiest and most European looking city I've seen so far in South America.
2. People don't use their horn here *nearly* as much as they do anywhere else I've been.
3. My bathroom in this hotel room makes Palf's look big. Somehow it contains a bath smaller than the shower from my last hotel.

Day 20: Dune!

Mood: Relaxed
Music: Air - Talkie Walkie

Today started early, not entirely out of choice, but as I'd woken up at about 4am I decided to stick my head outside and see what I could see skywards. The stars were as clear as I've seen in my life and so I then proceeded to try in vain to photograph skywards without a tripod. No matter what I used to prop the camera up with I just couldn't get anything decent out and eventually I gave up. This was not before a member of staff came into sight with a torch wondering what the light outside was. He caught me in a pair of shorts, a toweling gown and a pair of flip flops out the back of my porch trying to prop my camera up with a pair of shoes! I guess it could have been worse...

The day normal started with a trek (bit of a walk) that took us out along a large ridge and then along the top of a sand dune. The echo from the top was awesome and came back at you on at least 3 separate occasions. From there we ran straight down a very steep sand dune which was great fun. Photos were taken of us on the way down, and my foot prints can be seen on the far right hand side. After that we hopped back onto the bus and were driven back to the resort. From there I ended up in the jacuzzi reading my book before moving onto a sun lounger to avoid getting too sun burnt.

After lunch I went on a brief cycle ride. I didn't get very far as the roads were still flooded and going the back way out of the resort was quite long winded and I had an excursion to catch.

This afternoon's excursion was to go and see the salt flats of the Atacama desert. Unfortunately they were closed due to the thunderstorm that was approaching. As this was a 45 minute drive from the resort it took up most of the rest of the day. The rain was quite heavy in places while in the bus in both directions. So much again for the driest place on earth!

This evening I've been told that my transfer is at 7:50am to the airport tomorrow morning so I'm now all packed ready to go. Time for dinner now :)

Day 19: Moon / Death Valley

Mood: Cheery
Music: Placebo - Without you I'm nothing

Hello... Today started quite some time ago and I've done quite a bit since I'll try my best though! I woke very early this morning, not entirely on purpose, but given I'd been told that the sky can be very clear just before dawn I thought I'd have a peak. Sadly when I drew the curtains I saw that the sun was on it's way up and as such I tucked myself back into bed.

When morning proper came I headed out on a guided tour of the local pre-Inca ruins. This fort was taken by the Incas and then again by the Spaniards when they came here. This was not, however, until after they'd been once defeated by the locals and on their return, with a large native army, they beheaded 300 of the local warriors and put their heads on view around the fort as a warning to further resistance. Nice Spaniards that they were... We then went into town and had a look at the local church and all of the tat bizarres that have sprung up over the past 10 or so years that tourism has been piling foreigners into the town.

After lunch I kicked back on a sun lounger near the jacuzzi (I think I might treat myself to a bit of jacuzzi time tomorrow) and read my book. I spotted my second definite spelling error in the edition that I've got, prompting the question on Facebook (is it normal to spot spelling errors in such a text?).

At 4:30pm we set off for a tour of Moon valley followed by a brief trip to Death valley. Moon valley was where NASA tested the Mars rover before it's trip out into space as the surface of the valley is similar to the expected surface of mars. The rocks are a deep red in places, filled with criss crossing veins of white rock (I can't explain this at all) and there are large deep brown sand dunes of volcanic ash / sand. We walked along the top of a ridge that ran down the centre of the site and it is from the end of this Rolf is pictured looking out. In the distance you can see more rain falling over the Atacama desert. The rain mostly avoided us and we only got a few light spits of rain as we looked at an old salt mine near the Moon valley site. After this we briefly visited Death Valley, where much sand boarding is done during the day. This is a rocky barren valley in which, as by the name, nothing lives.

On the way back I asked to be let out of the bus a little early so I could walk the last 400m back to the hotel and take in the sunset lighting up the deep red rocks behind the hotel. Now I'm sat in the bar area, waiting for some of the other English speaking guests that I've spent the day with to come back for dinner.

And on that note I'll leave you for another day. Goodnight. :)

Day 18: Into Chile!

Mood: Happy
Music: None

Today started fairly early and without a shower (no hot water). We set out over more of the same terrain as I had yesterday. The first stop was at a set of rock formations that has been clearly shaped by the receding waters quite some time ago... Given that this was over 4km above sea level *really* quite some time ago. There is a formation known as the stone tree as it looks pretty much like a tree, cunningly.

Onwards from there we came to a red lake, the red colour comes from an animal that lives therein. After that was a geothermal area with steam spewing up into the air with the constant sulfurous whiff. Next was a green lake (actually very bright turquoise). The colour of this is due to the mercury content of the lake. Then we went up and over to the Bolivian border post (at which Rolf is pictured).

I had to wait here for almost 2 hours to be picked up. Partly because we'd made such good time in the morning and partly because the bus coming to pick me up was 40 minutes late. In the end we drove high up onto the hill to try to get a mobile phone signal but as we were just starting to get reception we spotted a white bus coming over the hill. This was indeed my ride and it took me down into San Pedro de Atacama from there.

The Atacama desert is one of the driest places on the planet, but I arrived in the middle of a thunderstorm. The first road we tried to access the hotel via was blocked as two cars had got stuck trying to cross a small stream that was flooded due to the rain. One of them was being washed a little downstream even though the crossing was only about 6m wide.

I've now updated all of my photos to date, posted a couple of videos and have updated my blog with all of the entries I'd written while I was out of contact. I think that'll do for now.

:)

Day 17: To the middle of nowhere!

Mood: Cold (Ok, so it's not a mood but it's how I feel right now!)
Music: Supergrass - I should coco

Well... yesterday I thought I was in the middle of nowhere... I'll get back to that.

Today started back on the dirt tracks that yesterday's journey ended on. They did start getting less road like and more track like until what designated the road was the bit of ground that more people had driven over.

The scenery changed from rocky mountainous terrain to what was quite clearly a seabed with volcanos rising up out of the sand. The terrain stayed like this until we passed a set lava flow. Wave like formations were visible. Our next stop was a lake containing flamingos, after this there was a series of lakes, the third of which had a strong sulfurous wiff about it.

We travelled onwards, up over a long pass between two high peaks. Then we came down over a long plain of red clay, rocks strewn every few feet. It could be used for a film based on the surface of mars!

After that we first saw the hotel I am in tonight. There are no other buildings around here... I mean none... probably nothing within 40km of the building. This really is the arse end of nowhere.

Tomorrow I move on to the Chilean border and into the Atacama desert. It rained for periods, hailed some and also was snowing here a little today. Apparently it's only going to get warmer and drier from here on.

Day 16: The Salt Flats

Mood: (OMFG is about as close as my brain can put it into words)
Music: Zero 7 - When it falls
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever ago

Well, oh my... where to start?? Today we set off just after 9am. My guide said that it might not be possible to cross the Salar (Salt flats) because of the depth of the water. The driver decided to give it a go however and we made a bee line down to the area mined for salt just outside Uyuni. Here I first saw the mirrored surface of the salt falts, covered with 2 inches of water for as far as the eye can see. In total they cover over 12,000 square kilometers of land. Here I also took the photos of the men digging and filling their truck with the salt. This is the main production area for salt on the lake and their produce is shipped all over South America and beyond. Once there the driver of our Toyota Land Cruiser tied a plasic sack over the front bumper, in order to stop too much salt water getting into the engine bay.

From there we drove on out to the first hotel built on the lake. This was a small, ever so slightly raised patch with a museum inside (closed). It was from here the photo of me stood in the water (about 1cm) was taken. I also suffered my first lost item of the trip. I took my tripod out of the car in order to take a couple of photos of myself on the timer but in the end I gave the camera to Roberto (my guide) and then forgot to pick it up again afterwards. I only realised when it wasn't strapped on to the back of my rucksack when I got to the hotel this evening.

Anyway... Initially we weren't sure if we were going to be able to continue past here, but our driver spoke to another who was heading in the opposite direction and said that it was fine to cross to Fish Island, where we were heading for lunch.

The island is called such as it looks just like a fish from above when it's reflection is visible in the water. I could see it growing slowly from the horizon but as I had no idea how large it was, I couldn't tell how far away it was at all. As we got closer, the things that looked like stick poking up from rocks from miles away, turned out to be huge cacti. These are up to 1200 years old and some are over 12m tall! I walked around the track marked in stone up to the top of the island and took video of the circular view from the top. It is from here that the photos of the flats with cacti in the forground were taken.

After lunch we headed onwards. We had crossed some 70km of flats so far and were now heading 40km back not too far from whence we'd come. Not long before we hit land, we passed some very vibrantly coloured flamingos.

From landfall we made out way along bumpy sandy tracks the remaining 100km to the hotel, stopping off at an old Incan necropolis. The Incans had found naturally hollow coral formations on top of a hill (the whole area was under water a very long time ago) and had buried their dead inside along with pottery and other artifacts. Bones, skulls and pieces of broken pottery can still be seen in each of the natual tombs there today.

My hotel is on the edge of a hill, overlooking the tiny village of San Perdo de Quemez. There is no electricity in the village and I've not seen a single bar of reception on my telephone in over 36 hours. The owner of the hotel said he'd run the generator from 6 until 10pm and as such, as soon as it kicked in I began the arduous task of charging all of the electronic gadgets I have with me.

There is a candle beside my bed and some matches in case I want light after 10pm...

Dinner time now so I'll leave it there.

Hopefully you'll forgive me if these posts have to go up in a few days time, once I get back to the land of communication!

PS. This evening there was an wonderful electrical storm all the way around the horizon.

Day 15: Potosi to Uyuni

Day 15: Bananas, Dynamite and Desert

Mood: Awestruck
Music: Manic Street Preachers - Forever delayed

Today started with a trip to the Potosi mines. It was from here that the Spaniards gained the Silver that adorns the alters of much of Latin America and beyond. The trip starts with a visit to the miners market. From here it is customary to purchase gifts of coca leaves, cigarettes and drink (96% per volume) for the miners. It is also possible to purchase dynamite, fuses, detonators and explosive packing materials, all for less than £1.50. It is both legal to sell and buy these items in the streets surrounding the mines but if you head two blocks further out from where we were you will face an 8 year jail term for their possession.

From here we stopped off to pick up overalls, boots and a hard hat and were driven up to the mines. The first we tried to visit wasn't open as it was a day or two after a major celebration for the miners and they were taking the day off. This meant heading further up the mountain to fine something that was open. A short drive later we pulled up outside a small hole in the rock with a sign outside professing to be a Silver and Zinc mine. The mountain itself, as I learnt in the mineral section of the Mint museum, contains at least silver, gold, tin, copper, zinc, nickle and aluminium ores. We pressed into the narrow mine, which was virtually flat into the mountain for its most part. In several places the walls were shored up with wood, some of which was largely cracked and breaking.

We pressed on and I was shown an alter to which the miners pray for safety. The further in we went, the more we were forced to duck to almost crawling to fit through the gaps in the rock. Large pits where a mineral seam had been followed down stretched away in places and care was taken to avoid these. At the end of the tunnels we found a miner at work, placing mineral rocks into a wheel barrow. He passed us twice while we were exploring. His only tools were a shovel and a pick axe, there was evidence of blasting but none while we were present.

I was told that the man would be paid £5 for 8 hours of back breaking dangerous pit work. It was about then that the reality of the mine really started to hit. Hundreds die annually in the mines, apparently two had done so the day before I visited. It is estimated that since colonial times the mine has claimed somewhere between 6 and 8 million lives. The dust thrown up by the mining activity is the main cause of death. The average worker started in the mine aged about 14 and was lucky to live to 30 years old. It is the blood of the indigenous people that stains those church alters, candlesticks and other silver items.

The mountain itself is apparently several hundred meters smaller than it first was and is still shrinking my 1cm per year. The use of explosives to blast on the surface as banned when several hundred people died in a single land slip caused by such blasting. The mountain itself shows little sign of this ban as all surfaces resemble a open cast mine, on top of the deep shafts sunk into it.

After leaving the mine and a nice lunch we set off for the 3.5 hour drive to Uyuni. The scenery slowly changed from fairly steep lush mountainous terrain to drier, rolling hills. The road at times looked like a white snake carved into the side of the mountains we passed. The drying hills, with large cacti rising up out of the rocks gave way to occasional lush green valleys. These became fewer and the riverbeds we passed became more frequently dry and lifeless.

Eventually we came into vew of the salt flats over several hills and then followed the road down into the town of Uyuni. The hotel I am staying at was through this town and out into the desert beyond. It stands on a lone outcrop of rocks several kilometers out into the flat desert and gives fantastic views of the area, bounded by snow peaked mountains in the far distance.

On the way in we'd seen large dark clouds raining in the distance and these clouds continue to build and drift over the desert as I started on a walk around the hotel area. As I was starting my walk back to the hotel complex I noticed a small puff of sand being picked up by the wind in the distance. Quite earily this cloud of dust grew until it stretched out for most of the horizon. Luckily I made it back to the hotel just as this passed but it was getting a little frightening for a few minutes, mostly in fear of having my camera sandblasted in the dust storm.

Tonight I ate in the restaurant here with Roberto, my guide, and then played pool and table football against him in the games room before we parted to our respective rooms.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the salt flats themselves, currently a few cm underwater and looking rather mirror like from a distance. As there is no internet here I'll just post this when I next can.

Goodnight for now.