From the thermal springs of El Tatio onto the salt plains of Uyuni then up to the highest city in the world..... it's been a speedy adventure getting here! Rejoined the tour group in San Pedro as planned and managed to see the most amazing sunset over the desert as I arrived there. We spent the next day watching the sun rise over the geysers then soaking in the hot water of the thermal pools. Unfortunately managed to get caught on camera (several of them?!) doing the mad dash from the pools to get dressed in the sub-zero conditions.... Brrr!

The next 3 days were spent in 4WD's entering the Eduardo Avaroa national park and crossing the Salar de Uyuni. This is the most spectacular place of nothingness I've ever been. Weird! We: visited Laguna's of toxic liquids (yes, I found out all about the chemical elements involved, sure you're not surprised!!), mud geysers and the Salvador Dali desert; stayed in hotels made of salt blocks; took a number of comedy perspective photos on the salt flats; walked on the surreal coral formations and around the giant cacti of the Isla de Pescados; visited a salt harvesting plant (they add iodine powder to prevent Bolivians from getting goitres don't you know!?!); and finished with a sunset trip to the train graveyard outside Uyuni.... Phew! Told you travelling is quite hectic!!

The bus to Potosi was uneventful, thank goodness! We spent half a day (too much) in the mine which was an unforgettable experience for a number of reasons..... Firstly, the moment of complete and utter panic that engulfed me when I saw our guide disappearing down a tiny hole to get to the next level down. Secondly, the beautiful colours of all the compounds in the rock glittering alongside the fools' gold (iron pyrite for those of you more technically minded, ahem!). Finally, the moment when I made up my first, and last, explosive - dynamite, nitro-glycerine, ammonium nitrate, an ignition block and a fuse - and the look on my face when they lit it whilst I was still holding it (don't worry Mum, it had a 3 minute fuse....allegedly!). VERY BIG BANG.

Got to head off to La Paz tomorrow, and the end of the tour. Really good to do it but even better to realise that I'm confident enough (and the Spanish is nigh-on fluent enough (not!)) to have done all of this by myself. Hurrah! Catch you in a few weeks, S x