Hola Amigos! I felt I had to update my blog after doing so much the last few weeks. I am currently in Argentina now, which is brilliant. The last time I wrote was from La Serena, I went onwards to Antofagasta in Chile which is not a normal stop for backpackers. It was quite pleasant with local markets with hardly any tourists around & so many pelicans along the bay. I only spent a day here but I decided to ditch my trainers which lasted me on my travels; it truly was a sad day but the amount of times I fell due to no grip in the last month it had to be done.

I went onwards to San Pedro de Atacama which surprsingly is in the Atacama Desert. This is the driest desert in the world. It was weird to be in a town in the middle of nowhere. It was quite small & found myself staying probably a day too long, but it was nice just to chill out. I went on a few tours while in San Pedro; one of which was the biggest salt flat in Chile with varieties of Flamingos & Altiplanicias Lagoons with vivid blue colours. The other tour was Valle de Luna with various craters & watched the sunset; it really could be the landscape of the moon.

I then found myself travelling to Iquique, Chile where I decided to spend the bicentenary celebrations on the 18th September when they started the war to independence from Spain. They will have similar celebrations in 4/5 years time when they actually gained independence. It is a nice sea-side city with typical features; llama farm & huge skate park for the kids. I celebrated with friends from my hostel with barbeque & drinks during the day. Unfortunately the day was marred with my mobile getting stolen but it was kind of my fault as I left it in dorm not locked away. Also I met the ex-asst director of Neighbours at the hostel - I was a little awe-struck!!

The next day I went to Bolivia. It was never my plan to go to this Country but heard good things from fellow travellers from the place. I stupidly went from sea-level to La Paz (3.7km above sea) which I would not recommend! The first couple of days I was out of breath walking up hills after just a few metres; it was unbelievable. I gradually got used to the altitude and the customs here. The first thing you notice when you come to Bolivia is the way women dress. Particularly in La Paz with their bowler hats, big skirts & colourful garments. La Paz has got a good nightlife & is dirt cheap for meals, drinks or anything (you can lay your hands on anything on the Black market). While here I booked an archaeological tour of Tiwanaku where families worshipped the sun. One thing I might regret is not cycling the death road but my reason for not doing so is it's got 'death' in the title of the activity.

I then went to the capital of Bolivia; Sucre. It was certainly different to La Paz with it being more relaxing without the hustle & bustle of many markets. I learnt quite a bit of the history of Bolivia in Casa de Libertad which was fascinating. Poor old country has been taken from all angles from surrounding neighbours. While here also went to see dinosaur footprints on this giant vast wall - to my surprise is not even protected. I met a really nice Dutch couple when I went on a hike down an Inca trail near Sucre & hanged out with them for a couple of days. I also experienced my first stomach problems on my trip; knew it was going to happen sooner than later.

I then went to Tupiza; which is a quaint town with a cowboy Western feel to the place. I was planning only to spend a couple of days before heading onto Argentina. However I got convinced to go on a four day tour to Uyuni; I was not sure as I saw lagoons/salt flats near San Pedro. What I will say is that it was one of the best tours I have been on my travels. There were four of us in the group; all English & everyone really friendly. We had a great driver called Pablo & a good cook Deborah which delivered fantastic wholesome food. The experiences on the trip was mind-blowing; we were going to these small communities & playing football with the kids, views of unbelievable lagoons (green, blue & red!!) and a hot natural spa pool in the middle of nowhere! The best day for me was the last day in Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats); it was AMAZING!! Especially the Isla de Pescado with tons of Cacti on the island in the middle of the Salt flats. There was a little hindrance of the trip & that it was bloody freezing at night, but you can always layer up. Also reached up to 5km above sea-level this is above anything else in Europe. Big thumbs up for Bolivia!! I will write about Argentina in a separate blog. Take care.