So here we are in our fourth country after an amazing 3 day trip. After hearing some horror stories of people coooped up for 3 days in a 4wd with, how shall we put it, not good travelling companions, we were very fortunate to share our "Esmeralda Tours" Toyota LandCruiser with 4 (3 French, 1 Columbian) easy going, friendly travellers. One of the French guys kept us in stitches for alot of the time with his efforts to attract "chicas" from the other tours (Shane, he was the French version of you!).
The trip itself took us through some truly spectacular and sometimes unworldy (is there such a word?) scenery. The salt flats just have to be seen to be believed -12000sq km (get your calculators out for old money!) of flat, dazzling white, would you believe, SALT, with the occasional rocky "island" looming. It was at one of these islands that we stopped for lunch. Most of the rocks are covered with fossilized coral which made it more beleivable that at one time NemoŽs distant relations were happily swimming about in what is now a great white nothingness! The island was also covered with giant cactii, some more than 12m high and over 1200 years old!
We visited coloured lakes , saw flamingoes, volcanic rock formations, geysers, hot springs, ate decent meals prepared on an ageing gas stove at the back of the jeep by Alfredo the guide and his wife, stayed at rustic but comfortable accomodations in the middle of nowhere and drank hot wine in a very posh hotel in a dry and dusty hamlet, and kept up the British (and French) tradition of alcohol consumption by purchasing a bottle of rum (and coke) purely to keep out the cold! (And we only had 1 puncture along the way!). Hopefully youŽll get a better idea of what we experienced when we eventually upload some photos. for you.
The trip (for 3 of us) ended with the transfer to a bus at the Chilean border (the remaining went back to Uyuni) and an hours drive to San Pedro de Atacama.
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