Gap 2 - Boliving it Up

Day 116 – February 22

We got the 9:30am bus to the beachside city of La Serena, arriving 4pm. La Serena was founded in1544 and is Chile’s second oldest city.


The city has an attractive, colonial feel to it- with lovely wide streets
Me posing at the Plaza de Armas - a nice central park (does every city in South America have one of these?)

Then, Murray and I walked down to the beach (which actually took us almost an hour – we had no idea it was that far!!

Looking down the Avenue Francisco de Aguirre towards the lighthouse
Perfect timing for a lighthouse pic!

The beach was … ok. Clean, but dirt really – not sand. You can see the Cruz del Tercer Milenio in the background. It is a 96 meter high concrete cross over in Coquimbo which is illuminated at night.
LOTS of people down at the beach- it’s a popular Chilean beach destination (although the water is FREEZING cold), we are just catching the end of the summer season
Only a child would want to cover themselves in wet dirt – ewww!
Another view of the lighthouse
Me down at the beach

On the way back we also checked out the nearby Mercado La Recova – which sells handicrafts and dried fruits – kinda cute.

We had a nice dinner out in the Coquimbo area of town – which has been newly refurbished and has tons of great restaurants and bars. We had a great curry and a fabulous salad and got to know our guide Ursula a bit better.

Day 117 – February 23

This morning we went with Steve to visit the Museo Arqueologico. They had some…. Interesting diplays.

Including – shrunken heads
Ewwwwwwwww
And even a Moai from Rapa Nui (Easter Island)!!!
It was massive and REALLY impressive – we can’t wait to visit Easter Island some day
While we were having lunch we noticed this llama crossing the street….. odd
And while we were relaxing back in the plaza this dog came to stretch out near us. There are SO many homeless dogs in every single city – I find it so sad:( They come up wanting to be petted, but they just look SO mangy that you really can't....sad
We also went to the Kokoro No Niwa – a Japanese Garden which was a pleasant escape from the city
There was a ton of koi fish
Lovely view
Taking a bit of a nap in the sun
And ducks



Afterwards we met up with Steve for a bite to eat and had this fabulous hot dog loaded with avocado and cheese (amazingly good considering nether of us really likes hot dogs…)


Ah yes – the camera is back – thus the food photos are BACK!



That evening we got picked up at 9pm along with 4 other people in our group to go out to see the Observatorio Cerro Mamalluca (62km east of La Serena). Took us AGES to get there - but it was totally worth it. We had a fabulous guide who explained SO many things to us while pointing the telescope at clusters of stars, planets (Saturn was AMAZING), and even ….
The moon! He took this photo by putting our camera up close to the viewer – then we just had to zoom in!

Chile has the driest dessert in the world which means the sky only gets cloudy for about one week a year. This makes it a highly desirable spot for telescopes. The US and Europe have many of their largest telescopes in this area. The US is working on building a 50 million dollar telescope soon, which will take over 50 years to build! It was a fantastic trip – we learned so much and we were amazed by what we could see. Our moon is 1 light second away, where Mars is 2 light years away!

It really is mind boggling to think of our solar system as just a spec in our galaxy the milky way– they had one animation that showed our galaxy as part of a cluster of 50+ galaxies, which itself was only a spec in comparison to the almost infinite number of galaxies in the universe. The guys who put the animation together were Australian astronomers who spent 10 years compiling thousands of deep space photographs to create a 3-D view of the universe – amazing!

We got back from the tour at 2:30 am…. Such a strange time to finish – well worth it though.

Day 118 – February 24

We slept in today until just before checkout at noon (it was well needed)! After moving all of our bags to our guide Ursula’s room, we popped by the grocery store to pick up some yogurt to go with the cereal we have been carrying around for awhile (since we slept in too late for breakfast at the hostel)! Murray and I spent most of the day at the hotel working on photos and the blog.

In the evening we all hopped on a bus to a very nice shopping center where we saw the movie ‘Sweeny Todd’ in English!! We quite liked it, odd story for a musical though…. Afterwards we got some food and a beer before heading back to the hostel. When we got back we still had a few hours to kill until it was time to go to the bus station (safer to hang out at the hostel) so I whipped out my game of pick up sticks. The light was QUITE low in the lounge, but we had a good time trying to carefully remove each stick without moving any others. Finally at 1am we got in cabs to the bus station, not long after we arrived our bus pulled in. The bus was ok…. only semi-cama and not tons of leg room, but not horrible.

Day 119 – February 25

We spent most of today on the bus heading North to the dry desert regions of Chile (thank goodness we have this laptop with movies on it!!! It has really been such a life saver). It’s a bummer that we couldn’t have got a bus earlier the previous night so we didn’t have to spend all day on a bus, but this is apparently the end of the summer season, and things book up quick, especially if you need seats for 14 people!
A llama we saw from the bus - they were ALL over!
We arrived in San Pedro de Atacama at 7pm and walked the short distance to our cute little hotel (Takha Takha). Everyone got their own ‘cabin’ and they were surprisingly nice, considering it is a tiny town of mud huts. San Pedro is on the edge of the Atacama desert, located at an altitude of 2440 meters. It used to be a small village, but is now the backpackers gathering point of Northern Chile due to all of the tourist activities that are available.

We had a nice dinner out with the group, then went back to get some well needed BED sleep!

Day 120 – February 26

Pickup for our trip to the Tatio Geysers was at 4am today!!! The natural attraction lies within El Tatio geothermic basin and is located 90 kilometers north of San Pedro, approximately 4,320 meters above sea level.

Me & Steve freezing cold waiting for the sun to come up at the geysers!
The great fumaroles come up to the surface through fissures of the terrestrial crust, reaching temperatures of 85 Celsius (185 f.) and 10 meters in height. The temperatures in the morning are below zero.
The Geysers de El Tatio are one of the most striking places of this region, and are formed when a frozen underground river makes contact with hot rocks.
Steam and water come out of the geysers as the sun slowly heats them up.
They geyser boys (from left) Simon, Murray Steve, Troels, Ali & Adam
This is how they heated up the stuff for our breakfast (mighty hot steam!)

Murray and I trying to stay warm with our little cups of tea

Next, we went to a hot spring where we had a dip. It was only just barely warm in some places, and boiling hot in others (closer to where the geyser is spurting in hot water). I still can’t believe we stripped down to swimsuits in 5 Celsius to swim!! Burrrrr
Murray running to get into the spring & out of the cold
Ali, Murray & Troels in the hot spring
Me impersonating a floating head A COOL pic Murray took from the spring of Steve standing over where the hot geyser water enters the spring
More geysers
there were many nearby - check out the gurgling water here - VERY hot
On our drive back out of the area we could see geysers all over the place
But there was still frost & chilly weather
A funny little animal we saw on the way back that looked like a rabbit with a squirrel tail
Alpaca (similar to llamas) herds were everywhere!
On the way back we also stopped at a tiny little village which had this very old church perched above it
I bet you can't spot my camloflage orange top on the one street in the 'town'
Every house had a cross on top to ward off evil
There was a few cute little puppies hanging around
A local preparing llama for the bbq
Murray & Steve with their dueling llama kabobs
I had some coca tea and a goat cheese empanada (super yummy and home made)
Can you tell he liked it?
We especially liked the lack of refridgeration.....


We spotted this herder lady with a baby llama just as we were about to leave:)

We got back to the hotel at 12, and it was time for a much needed nap!

Our next tour picked us up at 4 to take us to the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). This valley is famous for its resemblance to the surface of the moon, owning to its different stratifications and the salt formations that are caused by natural environmental factors.

A lovely view on the way there
Crystals of salt can be seen here, caused by the effects of high pressure and the absence of humidity
Murray & Steve only just holding on to the cliff edge
Steve & Murray
Murray & Me
Tres Marias (Three Marias)
These formations are the result of intense erosion processes. They are composed of gravel, clay, salt, gems and quartz, and are approximately one million years old.
We had a little climb to check out the area (can you see me posing on the way down?)
For thousands of years strong winds have affected mountain ranges, creating huge fields of sand dunes
Lovely sunset at he Amphitheatre

We had a fabulous dinner out that evening(steak with chips and egg for Murray, Caesar salad for me) and we were lucky to have a table with just Anna & Ali (the nice Scottish couple in our group who is also moving to Sydney)!


Day 121 – February 27

Up nice and early to catch a bus that would take us to the Chilean / Bolivian border.

A view of just one of the 2,800 volcanoes in Chile

Just after the border were the three 4x4 trucks that would take us on our desert crossing excursion. We ended up in a truck with Dale (the Canadian) and Donna (from England) as well as our driver and the cook for the group. Unfortunately Murray and I got stuck with the back seat which was SO cramped and uncomfortable. He had to sit sideways with his feet on my lap to have any sense of semi comfort – bleh.
The Bolivian immigration office where we had our passports stamped
The bus that everyone used to as a shield to go the toilet, Murray was NOT happy that he didn't go until last...
Our Group!!

The it was off to explore the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina ‘Eduardo Avaroa’ (Eduardo Avaroa National Andean Wildlife Reserve).

The 3 trucks
Stark landscape
Our first stop was Laguna Blanco (White Lagoon) Second stop was Laguna Verde – at 5000 meters (16,400 feet). It is a striking blue-green lake – which is due to the high concentrations of lead, sulphur, copper and other minerals.
Third stop was more Hot Springs (nice foot dip – but none of us could be bothered to dig out our swimsuits since the bags were all securely strapped to the top of the truck) and then we had a nice lunch prepared by our team cook.
Fourth stop was geysers
They were bubbling and boiling all over the place
Our truck - Donna, Murray (looking quite happy as you can tell from that gesture....), Dale & Me
Finally – we arrived in Laguna Colorada where we stayed the night. Laguna Colorada is a large red lagoon, the color is due to algae and plankton growth in the mineral rich waters.
Murray snapping away
The trucks
Checking on the tires and the engine
Me, Anna & Donna hanging by the trucks
Laguna Colorada
There was a few flamingos around
I love how you can see their path out to the red bits
and swimming a bit
Ready for flight! Absolutely gorgeous

We had two large rooms in the building above with 7 beds in each room, so we split into the boys and the girls.

Since Laguna Colorada is located at 4,278 meters (14,031 feet), we all had quite bad headaches from the altitude. We were told the best cure was to drink coca tea (it is legal here)! So we each had a cup of coca tea, along with some loose coca leaves (which sink as they become wet). It tastes a bit like a bitter green tea, I quite like it. Not sure if it was the ibuprofen, the tea, or the cookies, but I sure felt better after that snack.

It was crazy windy and cold outside, so we spent the rest of the afternoon in our rooms, lots of great girly (i.e. weddings and relationships) chat in our room!

Dinner was fabulous – amazing since our cook only had portable stoves to cook on! First a lovely vegetable broth soup, followed by salad, chicken, potatoes and rice – lovely (we were quite impressed – we didn’t expect such nice food).

Afterwards we pretty much just hit the sack (well, we had one glass of wine first). A lot of people were feeling quite unwell from the altitude, and we were all tired from getting in and out of the truck to see things all day long.

Day 122 – February 28

We had a bit of a sleep in (9ish) then had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, bread, jams, tea, etc.

First stop was Arbol de Piedra (stone tree)

There was also some cool rock formations near the stone tree which Murray the Mountain climber loved
Steve even held Murray up - quite strong I must say!
Me & Murray posing at another lagoon (which had TONS of flamingos which you can see in the background)
The journey
We stopped for lunch at another lagoon - that's Donna, Me, Jules, Anna & Rachel
Long long dusty road
Murray had a bit of time for some weight (stone) lifting
And we saw some gorgeous little llamas
We LOVED how the local herders marked them as their own by tying pieces of string to their ears
bahhhhh
you lookin' at me?


Mama & Baby - too cute
Our driver was happy to have a stop - can you tell?
Me listening as Dale explained his fancy gps tool to me
Lovely views & relflections
Mountains in the lagoon

Me, Simon & Anna at a stop

Then we worked our way across to Villa Alota where we were due to spend the night

When we got there we found out the group had decided Murray and I should get the only double room (due to our cramped 4x4 trip….). We were happy to accept......

although the concrete floors ....and concrete base for our thin mattress didn’t exactly spell luxury! (but hey - we weren't complaining - I was VERY happy to have our own room).

We had a snack of crackers, butter, jam and cocoa tea, and then just relaxed for awhile.

The town is TINY! Just one main dusty street and one uber tiny store (they didn’t even have coca cola)!

Dinner was nice again, spaghetti with tomato sauce and salad. Afterwards we played a group game of cards. We played game where everyone is dealt a card and can’t look at it before putting it on their forehead. Then you have to judge based on how everyone is looking at you, whether you have the lowest card or not. You have the option to go out and have a drink of your own drink, or stay in and risk having to drink the penalty shot. It was good fun, and we played until what we felt was a late hour (turned out we were all in bed by 10:30 – the dessert sunset really throws you off)!

The group (from left) Adam, Rachel, Anna, Ursula, Jules, Donna, Hazel, Me, Ali, Simon & Troels chugging some Pisco
Murray & Ali contemplating the quality of the cheap cherry liquor we had bought
Hmmmm what card to I have???
Murray & I posing with our cards and the group's stash of wine that we had carried along for the trip
Adad, Rachel, Anna & our guide Ursula look quite pleased with their cards!
I lost the very last game and thus had to have my little shot straight from the bottle:( yuck
Steve with his losing 2 card and loser shot (this is when we ran out of cherry and started using wine...)

And one more shot for Ali!

A good fun night!!!!

Day 123 – February 29

Setting off for our last day in the 4x4s
We stopped in a little village - how cute is this little boy in the wheel barrow?
All of the ladies wear these traditional hats
Off to school
CUTIE!
We also stopped at some mud flats
Such an odd looking landscape
The boys (from left) Steve, Troels, Ali, Simon, Murray & Adam
The girls (from left) Jules, Rachel, Ursula, Anna, Me & Hazel

Steve & Murray working on their kung fu moves

We also went to Cemetario del trenTren (Train Cemetary), the main attraction near Uyuni, a collection of rusting railway relics. Me playing damsel in distress

In the afternoon we arrived in the city of Uyuni. We got some lunch at the tour office, checked in to the hotel, took some MUCH needed showers, and then headed out to the salt flats to enjoy the sunset.

A locasl woman in traditional dress with a baby all snug on her back
Salt toilet
A cute little salt hotel (build out of salt blocks) in a little town nearby the salt flats

Twice submerged by a large, high-altitude latke, the salt flats now cover a total area of over 12,000 square km (7440 square miles) and is one of Bolivia’s main salt mining centers. The last large lake dried up about 8000 years ago, leaving the small lakes of Poopo and Ururu, as well as the salt flats of Uyuni.

Ali & Anna at the flats Ursula on a salt island
Salty feet (quite a good natural exfoliator)
We took our 4x4s out to the salt flats, which unfortunately had been quite flooded recently (we were supposed to spend most of the day at the salt flats, driving through them, but due to the flooding we were not allowed to). Luckily our guides were great and took us out for sunset instead.

Some of the parts were still flooded (looked like lakes – granted they were super shallow).

The vastness of the salt flats made for some cool photos……….

Steve & Murray
Murray & I
Me giving Murray a little push
Salt piles ready for collection
One of the other trucks racing us to the next viewpoint
The famous salt hotel - the only one ON the flat (and made of salt)
A bit of perspective
Murray & I
Murray thought he was too old to do his flying sidekick, but check out that height and form! However he limped around the next day... ha ha
Steve & Murray jumping for joy

Murray is getting quite strong - he can even hold me with one hand!
Murray & I jumping doing our DAILY exercise routine...ha ha NOT...Gordos!
Ali & Murray getting ready for something.......
HI YA!
Steve giving Rachel a drink
Rachel held quite a few people on her back as well
Murray holding the sun
Salty legs!!
Murray & Steve loved the sunset!
But eventually we had to head back to the trucks cause it was FREEZING cold!! (and this is summer!)
Sunset on the salt flats
"HOUSE OF FLYING MUZ DAGGERS" at Cinemas near you!
Me, Ursula, Anna & Donna taking refuge in the truck
Later that eveing we had some fantastic pizza at a restaurant called Minuteman (owned by a guy from Boston)

Anna & Ali liked their pizza too! (it really was GOOD!)

One last fact....
Despite its isolation and challenging climate (cold and blustery most of the year), Uyuni has earned the nickname of Hija Predilecta de Boliva (Bolivia’s Favorite Daughter). Most of its hard residents are either Public Sector workers or salt miners in the dried out saltbeds, with tour operators at a close third.

SO - finally got this blog up and published. We are quite behind now due to the UBER slow connections we have had lately, and blogger problems, but we will try and catch up soon. Right now we are in Puno, Peru and tomorrow we travel to Cusco.