Met a guy from Paraguay called Edgar at the hostel and ended up getting the local bus to Cachi together, via the very scenic Cuesta del Obispo route. The views of the mountains and the valley were stunning. The bus climbed higher and higher along a very windy, gravelled road. The bus was full when we left Salta but it still stopped along the way for more and more people to get on. At one point there was no space at all. Then as we climbed up the mountain, people ...

We had a great time in San Pedro de Atacama, even with the freezing nights, and were so lucky to see all the festivities. The few days we were there was spent looking round the beautiful 17th century church of San Pedro, visiting the Archaeological Museum "Gustavo Le Paige" were we learnt about the Atacameno culture and its developments through the Inca invasion and Spanish conquest. Of interest were the shamanic paraphernalia, including hallucinogenic ...