It all began at 4 o'clock this morning.

After downing some strong black coffee and some Bolivian coco pops, I headed out to find a taxi (phone taxi apps having miserably failed). Luckily, I only needed to walk 1 block, to find a sleeping taxi driver. A knock on the window was all that was needed and I was whisked away to La Paz's main bus terminal.

There, just about the only bus companies who'd opened up shop were those headed for Chile. Most buses from La Paz to Chile's northernmost city, Arica, leave around 5:30/6 in the morning.

My bus was a bit dilapidated but did the job, was comfortable, and came with a served breakfast and lunch. The trip from La Paz to Arica is without question the best bus ride I've done in South America, nee ride anywhere in the world, viewwise.

La Paz's surrounds were coated with snow in snowstorms last night, creating an awesome snowcapped scenery on the plateau surrounding La Paz. Just look at the photo album! Sure, it's weird leaving 30 degree London for snow in Bolivia in the middle of July, but SNOW! It was uttrely beautiful, and then it got even better.

The road to the Chilean border passes through the Sajama National Park, home to the highest point in Bolivia. In turn, on the Chilean side it borders the Lauca National Park, hence the bus ride passes through two awe-inspiring regions of natural beauty in one trip.

There's something about the altiplano scenery of Western Bolivia/Northern Chile/Southern Peru that makes me think this is the most beautiful region of God's Earth. The scenery in this part of the world is just biblical. I promise I'm trying to express genuine impressed(ness) rather than just trying to be fancy. It is phenomenal.

The Chilean border was rather smooth. The Bolivian customs was packed with truckers, shipping oil and gas to the Chilean ports (that were once Bolivia's - and Bolivia won't let anyone forget that!) Luckily, I was front of the queue for the bus passengers, and everything was very easy.

It appeared that they were resurfacing large portions of the highway immediately on the Chilean side of the border, meaning progress was slightly slower, but all that meant was it was easier to enjoy the gorgeous Lauca National Park.

Then it was time to descend from the world's longest mountain range into the world's driest desert - the Atacama!

Being brutally honest, the interns who'd been to Chile told me don't bother. Go somewhere in Bolivia. That wasn't happening because I wanted to see the Atacama.

It has never rained here. Never. Like, literally never. There's been a bit of dew in 2012 but that's it. There's no life even on a cellular level away from the rivers that flow down from the Andes. It again, was incredible.

I made it to Arica, pretty much on the Peruvian border, after about 10 hours on the bus from La Paz. I was knackered. At first I was incredibly confused. I could only see buses to Peru, and wondered how on earth Arica was connected to the rest of it's own country. But then I realised that the international and national terminal were seperate... that's how dopey and confused I was...

Arica's strange. Reminds me of Fuerteventura in February - as in post-recession Spain. Tonnes of empty holiday homes/flats (although here in Chile that's because it's winter). Arica is however a massive surf-spot. Among the world's best. That's it's only selling point.

The bus ride to Iquique was another four hours across lifeless desert. However, it's quite mountainous, and I was still excited to see the Atacama. This neck of the woods seems little known with western backpackers, most of them visiting the Atacama further south on their way to Uyuni. It was humbling seeing so many crosses where people had died having gone over the edge, and wrecked cars in the middle of the desert.

Around 8pm we rolled into Iquique, and with the extensive help of a couple helpful restauranters and a supermarket guard I found the right street of my rather nice hostel. Iquique is more of a middle-class Chilean beach resort + a gambling and shopping centre (there's a large duty-free complex just out of town) rather than backpacker hub. It also has an interesting history - the town got rich of harvesting bird poo for Nitrates, before the Germans in World War One invented the Haber Process when trying to make poisonous gas, in turn engineering a more efficient way of producing nitrate that destroyed the Chilean industry.

I had (finally) a nice pizza and a bizarre but decent Chilean Ale for dinner - because there really aren't cheap restaurants here... + I'm knackered!

Anyway - got another 36 hours to make the most of my time in Chile!

Vamos!