hey all, I have now left Gus for the last time...... so sad! I can't believe that I have finally got to Santiago and it is now the last bit of the trip. Finally after a week of camping we are now again in a lovely hotel and I have got a wonderful hot shower to look forward to when I leave the hotel. This week we have been in the driest place on earth.. the atacama dessert, Moon Valley, the beach and finally we have got to the civilisation of Santiago. Haven't ...

Now in Chile on the final leg! The salt flats were stunning - it was a really simple landscape, but beautiful all the same. We first went to a little town to see how they remove the salt from the ground, then processs it before bagging it up. Then we went out further on to the salt flats in 4 wheel drives to see the tremendous enormity of the landscape. We had lunch on an amazing island which had nothing but cacti on it, but the most stunning views all the same...

hey all, another new experience for me..... buying dynamite from a market stall! Nope, not about to blow up the place, it was a present! Ok, I'll explain..... yesterday we went to a working silver mine in Potosi which was an amazing experience. Having got fully kitted up in luminous protective overalls, helmets and torches we proceeded to the mines. Outside we were first went to buy presents for the miners which consisted of coca leaves, dynamite and crackers. ...

Hey all, I'm now in Bolivia in La Paz! We came in to Bolivia and stayed at a hotel which was right on lake titicaca in a place called Copacabana. It had the most amazing views of the water and was even better when the sun was setting. We spent two days there and had a trip out on the lake visiting a couple of the islands with more inca ruins on called Isla de la Luna and Isla del Sol. We ate lunch on one of them and it was so peaceful and quiet it was amazing. ...

Well, I've made it back from or inca trail and had a wonderful time, although I think it may take a little while for my muscles and body to recover! We didn't do the "classic inca trail" but instead did a less touristy version which actually went higher. It was great as the scenery was amazing an we only saw one other group of foreigners throughout the 3 days hiking. We stayed in little villages and used the school classroom as a building where we could eat ...