Arriving at the Chilean border was definitely a bit of a culture shock. As Ian put it, "It's like crossing the border from Mexico to the United States!" Everything was different from the cleanliness and architecture to the much higher prices. On a side note, Americans apparently have to pay $100 when arriving by plane to Chile, but if you cross the border on land it doesn't cost anything.

We arrived in Arica, Chile early in the morning from our overnight bus ride and they are two hours ahead on the time change but nothing opens till around 11am in Arica. It was definitely a pleasant change of pace to move from the colder, more rainy climate of the Peruvian Andes to the nice warm beaches of Arica. This city is called the city of eternal Spring, and it definitely lives up to its name because it was beautiful. We were so excited to be back by the water and have the warmth that we skipped going to Parque Nacional Lauca to enjoy a couple days of rest and sun. The city is well known not only for its great climate, but also for its great surf. We didn't get to make it to the surf beaches because they are a little way outside of town, but we did enjoy the slower pace of things and strolling down the nice pedestrian streets of the town. We also were lucky to arrive on the weekend that they were celebrating their folkloric heritage. It was interesting to see so many people dressed up in their traditional costumes, and they had a parade that was just different groups dancing through the streets and waving the flags of their particular neighbourhoods or schools. After the parade they set up food stands selling American style hot dogs and had rappers up on stage. At that point, I felt right back at home and thought that Chile is the like the United States of South America.

On the night of the second day we took yet another overnight bus to San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert. This is the driest desert in the world, and, ironically, it rained while we were there. They told us that this was the first time it has rained in five years. I guess it was good for them, but it put a little bit of a damper on our plans to go sandboarding and mountain biking. However, we did get to go to the Valley of the Moon to see the salt on the ground and hills that looks like snow. It was a strange sight to see sand dunes that look like those of the Sahara next to mountains that look to be covered in snow.

The town itself is a backpacker's paradise because almost the entire little town is composed of young travellers and small bars and restaurants. Apparently they also have a Full Moon party in the Valley of the Moon, which we tried to attend. However, when we found out that it was a several kilometre walk to the valley and no rides back, we gave up and joined the festivities in the streets of the town.

So far, Chile has been a great experience and not as much of a culture shock from America as the other places in South America I've seen. Now we are headed for four days to Bolivia to see the Salar de Uyuni, which is an enormous salt bed that is now covered in about 2 inches of water all the way across (probably 20-30 miles across). Till next time, Cheers (www.offexploring.com/mattmcgee).