A long 16 hour bus ride from la Serena was extended a little after being held at a stand still as a result of a horrific head on accident between a semi trailer and a mini van. Quick reminder of how easily these things can happen and how fast life can be taken away on these treacherous roads in South America.
Managed to sleep ok and arrived mid morning in San Pedro de atacama. The stepping stone into Death Valley and a common border cross into Bolivia.
This town was ultra baron... Real desert! After some searching found our teracota wall straw roof hostel and got some wifi. Great catch up on face time with my California mum before cruising the streets in search of some tour agencies. Sand boarding was a must for me and locked it in for that afternoon. After some umming and ahhing I decided that I was going to leave san Pedro the following morning to cross the salt flats on a 3 day tour into Bolivia leaving the ballarat boys behind.
Driving through some very baron desert in the Death Valley to get to the sand dunes was some fantastic scenery and the dunes blew my knowledge of such from Saturday mornings for Matty's cup training out at kurnell. They were pretty huge! First couple runs were average trying to remember my solo snow boarding expierence in year 10. Caught the hang of it after a few go's and me and Bez were even attempting so little kickers- so fun but really exhausting! Got some sick action pix! afternoon was topped off by an amazing sunset and scenery of one of San Pedro's active volcanos! Even got to wash it down with a frosty lager - have to one of the coolest outlooks I'd had! Standing cliff side truly was amazing!
Back to the hostel to feed some hungry bellys. Couple of beers and games of Yanef and went out for another brew with a Brazilian guy I met Bruno who I was going to tour with the following day.
Goodbye to the legendary boys from ballarat as I was on the early rise. Knew I was going to be meeting them in lapaz so wasn't to emotional.
San Pedro wow! Really just a little taste of what I was going to encounter in the days to follow