Our night in the salt hotel will be remembered by Scott waking in the middle of the night (we are guessing after an apnoeic episode with the altitude) disorientated and in pitch blackness as there was no electricity. I can only imagine he must have been a bit oxygen deprived, and combined with sensory deprivation from lack of sight and ear plugs blocking out any sound, it sent him into a mild panic. He woke me a bit upset and reluctant to keep the torch light on as he didn't want to disturb the others in our dorm. His heart was going ten to the dozen and I did my best to try and calm him. Slowly he orientated himself and started to relax after we left the bedroom and sat in the dining area with the head torch on. We went back to bed but unfortunately neither of us managed to get much sleep after that - the experience has left Scott a bit on edge.

Luckily the day improved from there on and we were met with yet more visual feasts and endless photo opportunities! After a yummy breakfast of scrambled egg on bread and a delicious toffee spread called 'Dulce de Leche' (I refer to the breakfast purely because it was refreshing change from the usual hostal breakfast of stale bread and marmalade!) we set off in the 4 x 4 towards the active volcano Ollgue. After a 2 hr drive we reached its base where solidified lava flows left a striking impact on the landscape. The lunar looking scape was speckled by peaks and troughs and funny holes in the rock and was a delight to explore. Overhead we could see steam rising from the volcano.

20 mins after this pit stop we reached the first of 4 lagoons filled with bright pink flamingoes. It was a truly heavenly site and I'm sure the photos will not do it justice - bright blue sky and wispy white clouds floating like feathers over a sparkling azure lake - perfectly mirroring the mountains on the horizon. A small group of llamas peppered the water's edge and bright pink flashes could be seen as the flamingoes fed. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better we shortly reached another lagoon similar to the first but even more extensive. It was here we breaked for lunch - a civilised affair of chicken drum sticks, pasta and veg. The afternoon brought yet more visual delights and changing scenery as we drove off road over stones and boulders through the Siloli desert. The landscape was arid and red/brown due to the copper and sulphur content. We could see the mountain range separating us from Chile and the Attacama desert where we will be heading tomorrow. Scott particularly enjoyed our last stop which was another interesting rock/lava formation - one of which was called the 'Tree of Stone' due to its shape almost looking exactly like a tree. The boys in our group managed to scale the highest of these towering rock formations - but I didn't fancy the challenge myself as I figured the descent would be more of a challenge! We completed the days drive at the Red Lagoon at the entrance to the National Park of Andean Fauna Eduardo Avoria which is where we would spend the night in a basic hostel. It was 3pm when we arrived which gave us time for a walk around part of the Red Lagoon - and indeed its waters were bright red/brown from copper. At our highest today we reached 4,750m and the Red Lagoon was at 4,300m. I had a splitting headache from the altitude - which luckily settled fairly rapidly with some paracetamol.

The accommodation tonight is v basic - all 6 of our party are in the same dorm - and 7 other groups fill the other rooms. In total there are 48 of us sharing just 2 toilets with no flush or running water....nice! I'm sure you can imagine the smells. On the plus side we have a fab group with a good sense of humour - which is a big positive when you are spending 3 days in close vicinity in a cramped jeep and dorm. The 2 spanish guys in our group luckily speak fluent English and Spanish - a great help since our guide doesn't speak a word of English! We joked that we would have to pay George (the Spanish chap) for working as our translator.

We have a ridiculously early start tomorrow (4.30am) in order to see the sun rise over the volcanic geyser activity, before a dip in the thermal pools. It's freezing as I write this wrapped in thermals, a sleeping bag and about 8 blankets. Not sure how much sleep we'll manage tonight!