SAN PEDRO de ATACAMA

You know your in for a treat when this is the insignificant scenery that precedes the supposedly awesome Salt Plains.

WHERE: SAN PEDRO de ATACAMA

WHERE (less detailed): back in CHILE, but this time the very north of Chile

Only Paul would think to ruin scenery like this with a silly bandana

WHEN: days 213-215
WEATHER IS: no change on the hot and sunny front.
TEMPERATURE IS: usual mid to low-30’s, as per usual

Now that's so much better isn't it?

PEOPLE ARE: nice enough. Our tour operator turns out to have lived in Ealing and is extra-helpful booking our bus at the end of the tour and arranging accommodation for us. We looked at a few agencies and decide to go with the one whose 4x4 didn’t flip over in the desert (although Paul thought the £10 saved per head was worth the risk.)...

Julie, better watch out for those tan-lines

FOOD IS: patchy. We have a great dinner one night but return to the same establishment the next morning and have very mediocre omelettes. We also buy our own bodyweight in water (actually 6ltrs per person) in preparation for our trip.

the girl's live life on the edge, well actually about 10ft from the edge, but have you seen the edge? It's pretty scary over there.

HIGHLIGHTS/LOWLIGHTS: our 10hr bus ride takes us above 3,000m and gives us our first taste of altitude sickness as we wake up after a little nap with dreadful headaches...we subsequently find out that beef, fizzy drinks, caffeine and milk tend to increase the severity of sickness. Paul realises his dinner of steak and cola, and his breakfast of cereal and a cup of tea might not have been the wisest of choices... while kicking our heels ahead of our departure we decide to take in some local sights. Rhaani and Julie watch the sunset at Valley de la Luna while Paul tries his hand at sand-boarding...

Snowboarding... Surfing... you can now add Sandboarding to the list of boardsports Paul blows at

UP NEXT: the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Plains) tour.