Geysers, lakes, earth tremors and llama kebabs

Pink Flamingos

I had a very creepy episode last night when the 6 bed dorm i was staying in (the only person!) started creaking and groaning. I thought there was somebody else in the room or creeping about upstairs (there is no upstairs!).

Apparently it was an earth tremor and they happen all the time. There are also a couple of active volcanoes in the area puffing away in the distance, so there is constant reminders of what sort of area San Pedro is in!

I´ve just had two very early starts so i am knackered and looking forward to an early bed tonight. Yesterday i did a tour leaving at 6am and went to a giant salt lake to see Pink Flamingos (alot cooler than it sounds honest) then to do a short trek around some high altitude lakes which were stunning, real picture postcard stuff.

Today i left at 4am after having very little sleep and went to see Geysers, which despite the early start and     -9C were also pretty spectacular.

We stopped at a small unpronouncable village on the way back and tried Llama kebabs which were really tasty probably the best food i´ve had in Chile, which is not difficult.

Health and safety not an issue(!)

My last day here is tomorrow, before i head to Arica then into Peru. Its been a real bonus this part of the trip, as Peru and Bolivia were always the main event but Chile has been amazing - i´d recommend it to anybody.

Not as bad as it looks

Defrosting our feet

Cactuses 4 metres tall 150 years old

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Salt lake, you can see where its shrinking

San Pedro de Atacama

Now this is desert! Yesterday i took a 10 hour bus journey to San Pedro.

Thr journey was great, the seats on the coach went back almost horizontaly so i slept for a couple of hours.

My shower Gel exploded and went all over the inside and outside of my bag, the Chilean immigration officials were not impressed when i put through an x-ray machine!

The route was very impressive, it followed a lot of the previous days route in reverse, up past the salt flats before branching off towards Chile.

Valley of the moon

San Pedro is a small town in the shadow of the Andes and with mountains all around. Half of the houses are made with red dust from the desert. A guide told me today that the locals are worried by earthquakes as they will flatten these buildings. Everything is covered in red dust, the houses, cars, people and the dozens of dogs running around everywhere!

Today i took a trip to the valley of the moon, an area of rocks that have been weathered by water into a moon like landscape.

That god for Skype it would be very strange being in this sort of place without any contact with home! had a quick chat with Emma today that was nice, one of the few things i miss about home. Although i would kill for a curry.

Valley of the moon

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Sunset

Train to the Clouds / Salt flats

Train viaduct near Salta

Train line to San Antonio

The train to the clouds is a train line that climbs 4200m into the Andes through spectacular scenery. I wanted to take the actual train but Lonely planet warned that its 140USD, 18 hours and very cold with a boring desent so i took the cheaper option of a tour that follows the route up to 4100m.

The scenery was really spectacular. The tour had another advantage in that you could get out and walk around and admire the sheer scale of the project. The route took a series of well paved roads that climbed very gradually out of the the Salta valley. The climb was so gradual that it was only when we stopped at a remote settlement in the middle of nowhere and i tried walking around that you could really appreciate it.
This part of the route ended in a San Antonio de los cobres, a really bizarre little town that sits on the top of a huge desert plateau at 3750m. We stopped there for lunch.

Salt, Flat

After San Antonio we headed across miles of very flat desert to the Salinas Grandes, giant salt flats 3,200 mi² in area. I´m sure they will be dwarfed by Bolivia´s in comparison, but i hadn´t up to this point ever seen anything like it, miles of salt sretching into the horizon, they were amazing. I´ll save all the zany getting eaten by giant crocodile optical illusions for Bolivia, so only straight forward pics this time.....(!)

The desent from the summit was equaly as spectacular, following a series of tight bends as the road dropped sharply back into the valley below. The drive back to Salta was long, making the day 13 hours long. Tomorrow i get to spend another 10 hours on the bus, i´m heading to San Pedro De Atacama in Chile.

Winding descent from the 4100m summit

Sky Blue Sky

San Antonio de Los Cobres

Salta / embarrasment / Cafayate

Salta is quite a bit different to Buenos Aires. It still has that crumbling colonial vibe about it, but the locals look a lot like what i expect they will in Peru and Bolivia, very dark and Indian looking. Seems to be very busy all the time, the streets are rammed even very late at night. Its also red hot.
I think this has a lot to do with the fact that people work very late (3 hour siesta has its drawbacks!) so don´t go out to eat or socialise until late. Alot of restaurants don´t open until 10pm, which has taken me a bit of getting used to.
Anyway i´ve started to try and moderate my food intake a bit, tonight is the first night i haven´t eaten out. I would be lucky to make it to middle age if i lived this sort of lifestyle all the time. Last night i had a 500g Rump steak that cost about GBP8. It is a bit a cliche i know, but its true the steak is seriously outstanding here.

Oh yes.......for my steak in Buenos Aires (Filet, even better) i had half a bottle of wine with it (they only seem to serve 3/8 of a litre bottles minimum - what can you do?!). As i was coming downstairs i was trying to squeeze my argentina guidebook into my trouser pocket and it fell out and over the balcony, bouncing off the head of a really well to do lady having dinner with a few people below. I used my full array of apologies (I´m sorry! I´m very sorry!) and she took it very well, especialy when she realised i was English coupled with the fact that she seemed arseholed. The waiters were obviously very relieved it didn´t turn into a scene, slapping me on the back as i left for my last ever visit.......

I took a trip to Cafayate today, the town itself was tiny and is famous for having a vineyard that makes organic wine thats shipped to the USA and Holland. Had a very dull tour followed by winetasting which was better, very good wine. 
The journey there however was amazing, through miles of canyons and desert coloured bright red. Really beautiful although the pictures don´t do it justice.......

Buenos Aires

Well i finally got here after 35 hours door to door! I don´t recommend taking 2 (or any) connecting flights through Brazil, its the most disorganised airport system imaginable. My bags were checked through to Buenos Aires from Heathrow, but everybody were made to go through immigration in Rio, stop 1. I got sent back through customs to collect my baggage, then explain i wasn´t staying in brazil but had to fill out immigration forms anyway. Then i had to check in again. Then i got sent back to the check in desk from security because i had to pay departure tax. My flight to Sao Paulo was on the international departures board instead of domestic for some reason, its not fun looking on the departures board and not seeing your flight. When i got to Sao Paulo i had to go through Brazilian nationals channel then check in again (!!!!!).
My humour remained intact as i had slept nearly 8 hours on the Rio flight, a handy side effect of a weeks late nights leading up to the trip.

So Buenos Aires. A really friendly, cosmopoliton city, feels very European. I spent today going around the city on the tube and walking around parks. I visited some japonese gardens very nice but not the most tranquil as they had a 7 lane road next to them.
I also had a lot of fun using spanish. I was relieved to find i could make myself understood ordering food, tickets, asking directions etc. Understanding other people seems to be different skill completely, i am hoping that will improve quickly because i can´t really do it!

I´m looking forward to coming back here in a few weeks and exploring it properly. Tomorrow i fly to Salta in the North of the country.
Right off to have a giant steak and see what all the fuss is about.

Hope i don't get kidnapped

I am about to start a 14 week trip starting in Buenos Aires on 15th August. I travel through Northern Chile, Peru, Bolivia, then to Igasu falls via Paraguay. Then i head South through Uruguay back to Buenos Aires.
Emma will join me there, and we have 3.5 weeks to get to Tierra del Fuego on the southern most tip of Argentina, from where we fly back to Buenos Aires and on to the UK.

I aim to become competent in Spanish, and visit some amazing natural and historical sites. I aim to avoid rabies and being kidnapped.

Last day of work tomorrow. 3 days of meals / drinks / last minute organising. Then off to Heathrow........