Bolivia or bust...

My 6 day bus adventure through northern Chile has come to an end (see below for photos!) and I am currently relaxing in a charming little town called San Pedro de Atacama. It am literally in a wild west movie set right now… in the middle of the desert, tiny adobe rows of artisan shops, hostels, tour agencies, and then local homes once you get off the main street. In the high season I can’t even imagine how over-run with tourists it must get. During the day there are locals roaming around going about their daily business, but apparently 85% are gringos running errands and organizing treks. Despite the backpacker wonderland it feels really peaceful and the desert scenery is beautiful. And the stars!!! The visibility is incredible, with the Milky Way is illuminated like I have never seen before. Today I rented a bike with new pals Phil and Frank and had a great time cycling through the desert. No roads, literally riding our bikes through dried up river beds and uphill for a great vista. Then after this 5 hour adventure some of us hopped on a bus to swim in a salt lagoon about 30 min. out of town. Cold water but so fun floating! You cannot even dunk yourself under the water, you just pop right back up. Once we stopped shivering and had dried off our bodies and hair were completely covered with a layer of dried white salt. A bizarre feeling. Then the bus took us to a small nearby salt flat for sunset which was so amazing..those pics are not included below unfortunately. In the past week I have experienced the most unique and breathtaking sunsets of my life! Chile is truly a beautiful country and I know I will return. I have been so impressed by the people and places I have seen and to think I almost didn't get to experience it this time around!

I was getting a bit stir-crazy being with the 16 person bus group for 6 days (I have NO idea how people do it for months at a time, yiiiiiikes!) so the end came at a perfect time for me. It was a great way to see some seriously amazing places that I never would have gotten to see on my own though, and I have teamed up with a great crew from the larger group to head onward with on Sunday - the 4x4 jeep trek into Bolivia!!! I have really been looking forward to this part of my adventure and I am so happy to have found a really good group of people to do it with - enter Phil, Shama, and Sohail (married couple) all from England, Ryan from US (Annapolis, Maryland), and Frank from Germany - who has been traveling with Phil. It will literally be bloody awesome, and I quite fancy taking some brilliant photos with them! Hehe, I have been jokingly poking fun at the British vernacular and after our fantastic 3 day jeep voyage I will surely emerge an honorary Brit. So, tomorrow morning, vamos! 3 days and 2 nights, during which a guide will drive us 6 and all our supplies across the border into Bolivia, eventually arriving at the largest Salt Flats in the world - Salar de Uyuni. On our way we stop at several points of interest, including bright green lagoons, flamingo habitats, huuuge cacti, swim in hot springs, and see wildlife. All 4 guys I am traveling with are amazing photogs with impressive cameras, so hoping to learn a thing or two and score some sweet photos to share with you all! :)

Please check out some of my pics from the past week, uploaded to Flicker!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47573664@N05/sets/72157623747975883/