09/05/2011
One of the reasons I went to bed at 7:30pm last night was because we were up at 5am this morning.
Most of the trip has been fairly comfortable but it was flipping freezing this morning - several layers, legwarmers and gloves just about kept it at bay but I was still not enjoying it.
We had pancakes and tea for breakfast - the tea was by far the most important part.
Our first stop was some geysers, which are essentially massive spurts of air shooting out of the ground and they look wicked. They smell a bit eggy but the hissing sound and massive streams of mist made it an interesting experience - they looked especially cool as the sun was rising behind them.
But it was freezing cold, so we quickly moved on.
And wow, the next stop sure was worth getting up early for.
Natural. Hot. Springs.
In other words, a natural hot tub outside with a view of mountains and the sun rising. After not washing for a couple of days and being couped up in a 4x4.
I never wanted to leave.
But we left as Emilio, Hannah and I were going to the Chilean border to head down to San Pedro de Atacama - it worked out really neatly, and saved me going all the way back up to Uyuni and then getting a bus right back down to Chile again.
The Chilean immigration was a bit annoying - they get really annoyed with people buying stuff cheaply and then importing it so bringing any plants or natural stuff into the country is illegal.
This means my bags had to be searched - luckily they left most of my stuff in as packing my bags is really damn difficult.
And then I was in to Chile.
The bus took us into the centre of San Pedro de Atacama, a little town with unpaved streets that is mainly used by tourists as a base to explore all the natural wonders in the surrounding area exactly like I will be doing.
I found a hostel where I got a dormitory for fairly cheap, though Chile is a lot more expensive than Bolivia which is going to get annoying. I have been getting a dormitory for 3 pounds a night and a full meal for about the same price but this is going to change here - I think I will eat a lot of street food, by which I mean street-cooked food not rubbish picked off the street.
At least I thought I would be eating street food, and then I found a place doing a set menu for around 6 pounds - seeing as this was lunch combined with dinner, I figured that was justified.
And it was absolutely delicious. First course was a mixed salad, then chicken and potatoes in some mustardy sauce which was just divine and then finished off with ice cream.
I could get used to the food here.
I went back and met the guys I'm sharing a dorm with - one Aussie, one German-born Aussie and one Dutch. They seem like cool people.
I then treated myself to a cappuccino whilst sitting outside overlooking the main plaza - it's only 2400m above sea level here so it's warm enough to sit outside in the early evening.
I'm liking Chile so far.
JG
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