Cartagena on Colombia´s Coast

Cartagena, Colombia, 25 - 28 August 2007

Cartagena is an interesting & beautiful city. It combines superb weather, a sparkling stretch of the Caribbean, an abundance of tropical fruit & a rich history with many fine colonial buildings.
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During the day we busied ourselves with exploring the old walled city. Thankfully the Colombians realise they have something special here so it´s very well preserved with few modern monstrosities inside the city walls. Standing on the defensive wall that surrounds the "old" city you can view the sprawling "new" city spreading itself along the coast catering for the beach bums with expensive multistory hotels. Cartegena is where the Conquistadors (Spanish Invaders) stored all their booty (that they´d robbed from the indigenous folks) prior to shipping it back to Spain. Consequently it was very popular with the pirates (inc. Francis Drake) as a site for plundering. Hence, it was necessary for the Spanish, through the sweat of African slaves, to encircle the town with what is a very formidable defensive wall. They also built forts outside the wall. We visited "Castillo San Felipe de Barajas" - the largest Spanish fort in the Americas. Again, another impressive structure.

Mucky Ducks

We travelled 50km northeast of Cartagena to visit Volcan del Totumo. A 15m high, cone-shaped volcano mound filled not with lava and ashes, but with MUD. What a surreal & luxurious experience to have. After stripping off we made our way up the makeshift stairs to the top, where we were lowered in. The mud is very buoyant so you float on the surface & feel like a hippo bathing in the thick creamy stuff. But the best is yet to come, once covered in mud, Mr Volcano Man massages you from top to tail! Bliss. But the fun doesn´t stop there....after 30 minutes of languishing in the mud post massage.. a woman takes you into a nearby lagoon, where in ancient Egyptian style, she washes you clean by pouring water over your head. She even demands that you remove your togs so she can wash them too! Thankfully the water is muddy at this stage so all decency is maintained.

An experience not to be missed.

Home Sweet Home in the Caribbean

Travel by plane from Cusco, Peru to Cartagena, Colombia, 25 August 2007

After 3 planes (Cusco-Lima-Bogota-Cartagena) we arrived in what is Colombia's Caribbean Coast. Stepping off the plane we were assaulted by the heat coupled with the humidity. No sooner had we collected our bags then we were whizzing our way in a taxi to our pre-booked hotel in the old town of Cartagena. The place was buzzing with life, well it was midnight on a Saturday after all. The hotel staff said we´d have to wait 45mins before we could get into our room, hmmm - why so? After piecing together what we could we came to the conclusion that they also rent the downstairs rooms out for "special occasions" by the hour! Me not happy, I told them I was unwell & needed to be in my room (I thought I´d fight this one with honey & not vinegar as I didn't want us stranded at 12 midnight in a Colombian City that we´re not familiar with). They offered us an apartment in another building, ok now I´m dubious but Dave went for a look/see & returned like a Cheshire cat. The apartment was stunning he said. Result. Stay there one night move back to the "Love Hotel" the next morning.

The apartment truly was beautiful, it was set in an old Colonial Building & had just been refurbished to an exceptional standard. It reminded us of an executive apartment in Dublin. Our first time on the trip we had our own kitchen & living room with 2 sofas! Such luxury. Even so, we still moved back to the other building the following morning. Once we saw the room they were offering us, which was nice, we decided to ask if we could return to the apartment (it only cost 4 Euro extra per night). Good decision, we went shopping & stocked the fridge with exotic fruit & beers. After that, all breakfasts & evening meals were prepared & consumed in our home from home - 1st time we´ve prepared food since leaving Scotland! The apartment was also very central so we could nip home for a wee siesta. Hands down, best digs to date.

Captivating Cusco

Cusco, Peru, 18 - 24 August 2007

Cusco may be a bit touristy but it is without doubt a wonderful city. The central plaza is certainly one of, if not the, prettiest we have seen to date. Then there are the numerous cobblestone streets & amazingly constructed Inca walls. As night had already fallen when we arrived in Cusco we quickly went about finding a bed for the night. We checked into a dump for 1 night, slept well mind you, and checked out the following morning. Whilst our 2nd accommodation in Cusco was better it was a tad too reminiscent of Happy Days in La Paz, i.e. if you returned after 9pm you would have to ring the doorbell and wait while the owner unlocked the various locks and chains that held the door secure. He would then stand there in his pyjamas with a discomforting grin on his face. We stayed 2 nights. Our third bowl of porridge….I mean….our 3rd accommodation in Cusco was just right!

Our days here have been filled with visiting the various museums, and, via the neverending steps, the Inca sites around the city. Sachayhauman (no one ever seems to tire of calling it “Sexy Woman”) was our first and most impressive stop, however, the sites of Qénko, Puca Pucara, and Tambo Machay were also well worth the effort. Not really being of the museum going ilk, but having purchased the Cusco tourist ticket, which gives you access to all the ruins plus numerous museums, we decided we might as well avail. Put it this way, we haven´t been converted.









We also looked into the possibility of doing longer treks with some of the countless local agencies. As the actual Inca Trail is booked out months in advance, particularly at this time of year, the Salcantay trek was our next best option. After much deliberation (with Claire insisting all other treks were for losers) we came to the following decision: as we are now in Peru & have yet to see Ecuador and Columbia before turning south again for Chile and Argentina we could swing by again when we are “in the neighbourhood”. Hence, we are now booked to do the Inca trail on the 30th of October. I wonder if the Inca ghosts come out to play on Halloween?!

With regards to our travels, and in order to get ourselves back moving in the right direction we bit the bullet yesterday & booked a flight to Cartagena on the Caribbean coast of Columbia, right up the very north!! It means that once we touch down we will be heading in one direction and one direction only…South.

The Inca Citadel of Pisac

With only 2 days left in Cusco we decided to take a day trip to Pisac. Pisac, about 32km from Cuzco, is one of the gateway towns to the Sacred Valley and is home to what turned out to be a very impressive Inca citadel. Having been in this region before I (Dave) thought I´d seen the best of what the area has to offer. I was wrong. The strenuous walk up to the citadel with the simply stunning views up and down the Sacred Valley truly blew me away. Why this site does not get more publicity is beyond me. It covers a vast area and has Inca architecture to rival anything found at Macchu Picchu. It is also very easy, and cheap, for the independent traveler to get to and from. If you´re ever in the area don´t leave without a trip to the citadel at Pisac, but be warned it is a strenuous trek up the hill.

The Colourful Street Parades

Cusco, Peru, Sunday 19 August

















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Parades are plentiful in Peru & Bolivia. On our 1st Sunday in Peru we witnessed a childrens parade where they donned indigenous dress & performed various dances. The kids were delighted to be the centre of attention & have their photo taken - shouting me too, me too..

Train Journey from Puno to Cusco

Train from Puno to Cusco, Peru, 18 August 2007

The train journey was uneventful but pleasant. The scenery was not as breathtaking as we had been led to believe, or maybe we have just become desensitised. There was a stop en route where we could get off & stretch our legs, I had a photo taken with a local indigenous girl & her wee lamb!


Also, had my first taste of the Peruvian equivalent of Irn-Bru aka "Inca Kola" - I wonder if it does the job on a hangover?!

Break for the Border!!

Puno, Peru, 17 August 2007

The following morning we bade goodbye to Isla del Sol and reboarded the boat back to the mainland. We had one and a half hours in Copacabana before a bus would take us to the border & our fate would be revealed. Was it to be incarceration, 1 year for each day overstayed in Bolivia, was it to be a a hefty fine, or would $50 dollars slipped to the border officer see us clean into Peru?!

We decided to get the bus to Puno (Peru), which was only a 3 hour journey. In this way if we were retained at the border we would not have wasted too much on transport. To cut a long story short the Bolivian border officials were uncharacteristically efficient. Sure we were brought into a back room but after counting up the total number of days we had overstayed (5) we were fined 100 Bolivianos in total (10 euro). We were glad and relieved to get back on the bus to Puno.

In Puno we found some nice accommodation (Hostel Europa) & decided we would get the train (yeah, our first train!) to Cusco the following morning. Not too much also to say about Puno really other than the fact that more of the locals spoke English and the prices reflected the fact that we had now officially passed out of South America´s poorest, & consequently cheapest, country.

Island of the Sun

Isla del Sol, Bolivia, 16 August 2007

The Isla del Sol was a 90 minute boat trip from the shores of Copacabana. On arrival at the pier in Isla del Sol, our jaws dropped but not because of the sheer beauty of the island but because of the reality of what lay before us. Imagine cutting a large bowl in half & that the sides of the bowl are 1,000m high... well, we pulled into the bottom of the bowl! There is no transport on the island & all the accommodation resides on the rim of the bowl. The only way up was on foot via the Escalia del Inca (Inca Stairs). Did I mention that we had all our worldly belongings with us (daypack & backpack)? For those Tarantino fans out there the staircase bore a striking resemblance to the ones in Okinawa where Pai Mei trained Uma Thurman (The Bride) in Kill Bill. With no other option, we struck off up the stairs. We hadn´t got very far when Claire removed her backpack & threw it down in llama shit declaring she was unable to go any further. That left only 1 option: I had to climb the stairs with my gear (leaving Claire pouting), leave my stuff at the rim & come back down to help Claire. In reality it didn't prove that bad & before long we´d found nice accommodation. In Claire´s defence, when I put on her backpack it did feel wobbly & I had to tighten it in order for me to remain steady on the uneven staircase. Claire stated that she felt unsafe & based on the amount of trekking we did later that day I certainly don´t think it was lack of fitness on her part. In fact, we climbed the staircase a 3rd time later that day!

Isla del Sol features prominently in Inca legends, according to which the Sun itself was born here and later gave birth to the first Inca, who travelled from here until stopping in Cusco. The island was beautiful with many amazing Mediterranean vistas. The locals live a simple life: we passed indigenous people with donkeys & llamas & a group in the throws of constructing a roof, from straw, for their house (see photo).

What also happened that day was that we bumped into a French Canadian man we had first met in Sorata. During the course of our conversation he mentioned how he would need to travel to La Paz to try to extend his Bolivian visa. As soon as he said this Claire and I realised we had been in the country greater than our allowed 30 days. Aargh!! We decided we would enjoy a full day exploring the island but instead of staying an additional night, we would make for the Bolivian/Peruvian border the following day.

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That evening, we went to one of the highest peaks to enjoy the sunset over Lake Titicaca and ate a hearty meal of local trucha (trout).

Copa, Copacabana (Bolivia not Rio)!

Copacabana, Bolivia, 15 August 2007

Making our way to Copacabana from Sorata was pretty straight forward with the exception that we had to get off the 1st bus (in a remote enough area) & transfer to another going in the Copacabana direction. Unfortunately the micro buses flew past us as they were either full or unwilling to stop for 2 gringos with monster backpacks (heaven forbid the driver would have to do some work & put on the sacks on the roof). However, a taxi pulled over for us (same price as bus). There were 3 other punters in the taxi plus a small child. So the driver, shoved the lady & child in the boot & we were on our way. Don´t worry it was an estate car so she had plenty of air, maybe not too much space though with the backpacks! The taxi was the business, it was a long distance & included a trip across the narrowest part of Lake Titicaca.

Before too long we were sitting on the main Plaza in Copacabana trying to decide where to stay. Such a big decision we decided to discuss over lunch. Removing the trusty bible aka Lonely Planet we found name/address of an exceptional wood oven pizzeria! I won´t mention it because it was awful. Funny thing is, we´d never ever have gone in there had it not been for the guidebook. There were loads of fine looking eateries around but this place was a dump. Anyway, we´ve decided to trust our own noses, in relation to food & lodgings, from now on!

While waiting on the food Claire found a nice hotel, large room en suite, breakfast inc. & centrally located. Result! After getting settled we did some reconnaissance of the town & bagged the hill that Michael Palin climbed in "Full Circle". It´s a hill that looks like Sugarloaf in Rio de Janeiro, infact the area in Rio named Copacabana was named after this Copacabana! It´s only a 30 minute uphill trek passing the stations of the cross on the way. The summit is disappointing, while the views are stunning the place is destroyed with litter & beer bottles - not to mention the omnipresent smell of urine! We didn't stay long.

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We dropped back down to the Cathedral (which is huge in comparison to the size of the town) & witnessed people coming from far & wide to have their vehicles blessed (inc. toy cars & trucks) see piccie below!

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Relaxing in Sorata

Sorata, Bolivia, 11 - 14 August 2007

We boarded a micro micro bus (14 seater) destined for Sorata. We were the only gringos on board. The fact that the seats were pretty cramped was bad enough but the driver insistence on kerb crawling until he filled all available seats just exacerbated the situation: "Sorata, Sorata"... He was also going to put two people on top along with the fruit, veg & backpacks aka "Gringo Muchillas"!

Having cycled down the worlds most dangerous road we also came across what surly must have been close contenders. Now I (Dave) don´t scare easy but I was convinced we were going off the road more than once as we snaked our way around the valley into Sorata. Note to self: don´t sit in the seat where you will be looking down the precipice!

Sorata is approx 4 hrs northeast of La Paz (don't let the driver tell you it´s a 3 hr journey). The dramatic mountain range of the Cordillera Real rises before giving ways to the Yungas (a beautiful region characterised by steep forested mountainsides that fall away into humid, cloud filled gorges). Sorata Stats: population approx 2,450 & elevation 2,670m - it sits below an awe inspiring snow capped peaks of IIampu (6,362m) & Ancohuma (6,427m). It is popular with trekkers & travellers looking for a cool place to relax.

Arriving in Sorata we took a taxi to our accommodation, Altai Oasis, as it was a way out of town - it was set at the valley floor (a relaxing & beautiful location). We felt like we were getting back to nature. We stayed in a log cabin set in the woods, the room was tastefully furnished & had bedside candle lanterns for the ´lil romantic touch! The area was surrounded with llamas, beehives (the lodge use the honey for cooking) & talking parrots ... "Hola, Hola"

Our 1st night, we decided to walk back into town via the pedestrian shortcut.... ie you zig zag up the steep valley side for about 15-20 minutes, phew! We ate in "Pete´s Place" which seems to be an institute in these parts. Pete is an Eastender, has hippy blood in his veins & resembles Neil Young. He has even written a book "Between a Rock & a Hard Place" - it chronicles Bolivian history focusing particularly on the last 20 yrs. We never really got an opportunity to quiz him on what brought him here & all the rest..bur he does serve good food & plonk. So good that we even trekked, remember that trek, up to his place for desayuno (breakfast) one morning only to find it closed! I think Pete suits himself regards opening hrs.

As Sorata is a trekkers Paradise we thought it would be remiss of us not to partake. We decided to start with the "easy" 24km trek to & fro Gruta de San Pedro (San Pedros Cave). It was a most scenic trek with the valley stretched out before us & the snow capped peaks above. We also picked up a travel companion, a little dog came out from the woods & walked with us. The walk there was very enjoyable, if a little hot in the midday sun. The cave was nothing special, while narrow at first it quickly opened out into a large cavern with a lagoon. A little surreal were the paddle boats one could take out on the water?! The lagoon was 80m long & 20. wide. You can choose to swim in it, we opted not to! As we turned to leave the cave the lights went out & the bats presented themselves, arghh. Fortunately, Dave never forgot his boy Scout motto "be prepared" & quickly donned his head torch! Needless to say no sooner had we got to the cave when the lights came back on... typical!

Now the 12km trek back to Sorata was a different matter, what we hadn't noticed on the wave to the cave was that it was mostly downhill. Hence our homeward voyage became a gruelling uphill trek in the unrelenting sun. I won´t labour the point, suffice to say we were glad to get back & enjoy refreshing jugos de frutas (fruit shakes) in IIampu Cafe. That evening, whilst nursing our aches & pains, Claire spotted a notice in the lodge "Sage´s Healing Hands". Funnily enough, Sage happened to be present in the bar at the time. After a short discussion we signed up for a 30 minute session the following day. We called at his house at midday (just a stroll uphill), again a dramatic view we had from his balcony. Sage was a native English speaker having been born on east coast USA. He told us he normally spends the winter in the Caribbean making a tidy income massaging the rich & famous. In fact, the massage Claire & I received for $10 each would´ve cost us $175 (plus tips) in his Caribbean parlour! He was a really nice fellow & very well acquainted with Bolivian history & politics. He believes strongly the country is heading for meltdown.

Indigenous La Paz

La Paz, Bolivia, 4 - 10 August 2007














We arrived into La Paz, aka highest capital city in world. It is set deep in a canyon at an altitude of 3,600m. We made our way to our "real" hotel. Alter 3 days in the back of the jeep coupled with the 11 hr journey we were delighted with some genuine comforts, but unfortunately the hotel was too far from the action! We stayed one night, had 2 showers each, enjoyed a tasty meal in the restaurant then moved to Happy Days Hotel in Sagarnaga beside the witches market. Luxury standards dropped but so did the price! There was an eccentric auld dear running the show at Happy Days, she imposed a lock out curfew of 8pm, yes 8pm! So when we arrived back after an evening out on the tiles we had a real job trying to get her down to open the 3 chub locks and various chains that formed a formidable line of security! Nevertheless we stayed 3 nights before we got tired of that routine, & the nomads moved again....this time to Hotel Fuentes around the corner (nestled in the witches market) slightly more expensive but it inc. breakfast & was considerably nicer.
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But what of La Paz? It is a true major city with the sky scrapers, 5* hotels, traffic congestion & throngs of people. What set´s it apart from any other major city is the number of street markets - they are everywhere selling absolutely everything (from llama foetuses & pigs trotters to abundant fresh colourful vegetables & coca leaves). Other cities have a high street, La Paz has the street markets! And of course the indigenous ladies in their colourful attire & bowler hats!
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We spent our days walking the streets & happening upon nice eateries, coffee shops & pubs a go go eg Sol Y Luna, Olivers Travels (best fish n chips) & let´s not forget the Irish Pub (highest in the world) based in the Loki Hostel.

Beardy Dave, who it would appear forgot his razor blades, chose to have one of the local barbers do the honours with a cutlass - brave man!! On the hair removing theme I opted for a leg wax, can´t let Dave have all the fun! I also afforded a luxury item... a hairdryer - I was a tad sad after my travel sized Asda brand died on me a few weeks ago :-(

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So the few days that we originally had planned to spend turned into a week! A few gringos recommended a little Yungas town (lowland so it means hot hot hot) called Sorata, good for chilling & trekking, so off we go....

Sweeney Todd gives Dave a close shave!

Death Road Conquerors - that´s us!

No sooner had we arrived in La Paz than we had signed up to bike ride down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road nicknamed "Death Road". The road goes from La Cumbre (4,800m altitude) all the way down to Yosolo (1,200m).

Descent: 12,000 feet (3,600m)

Distance: 65km, mostly downhill

Details: the infamous narrow (occasionally very narrow) road clings to steep mountainsides above hair-raising precipices. The track hugs the walls of the sheer valley as it snakes its way beneath waterfalls and rocky overhangs as it plunges down from the high peaks of the Andes to the sub-tropical Yungas. In 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank dubbed the La Paz to Coroico route "the world's most dangerous road."

B-Side Adventures took us by minibus from La Paz up to the top of the pass where we got our bikes & gear. The bikes were fantastic, brand new Iron Horse dual suspension bikes with hydraulic disk brakes. They were sure to soak up all the bumps...... We opted for B-side because they have 1 guide for every 5 cyclists & took the fully inclusive package of protective gear (knee pads, goggles) & commemorative photo CD & t-shirt. We also met a lovely Irish couple (Peter & Frances), Peter was doing the cycle but Frances opted to see the road from the "safety" (??) of the bus & so chose not to cycle!

It was a truly awesome day out.

The road started at the top of the pass where it was pretty cold at altitude of 4,800m. The 1st 33km was on normal road but still lots of fun as we could relax & enjoy the spectacular views while free wheeling downhill! Then came the killer uphill section, do you know how hard it is to ride a bike uphill at 4,500m altitude?? Sheer murder. We passed through beautiful valleys & the cocaine checkpoints (where we had to get off our bikes).

It didn´t seem that long since we put the 1st section behind us that we pulled onto the gravel of the old Coroico Road (aka Death Road). Again the views took our breath away (our maybe it was the sheer anxiety at the prospect of going down the road on bike). Death Road was a single lane, narrow gravel road that hugs the side of the mountains while you drop down to 1,200m. No guard rails or anything safety related of course. There used to be hundreds of deaths per year on the road with buses & trucks often going over the edge as they tried to reverse up to the turnouts to allow one to pass the other. There is a new road now, so the old road is used mostly by mountain bikers but we still passed several vehicles.

We descended into the cloud forrest, coming out the other side into the upper jungle. From there we descended further into the lower jungle where we rode through waterfalls (San Juan) & through many creek crossings. Apparently the waterfalls bless you & keep you safe, also we passed numerous crucifixes laid in respect of people who had lost their lives - a bit freaky that this road has become such a tourist attraction but it sure does wonders for the adrenaline.

We were seperated into 3 groups based on our ability, needless to say Dave couldn´t resist being one of the 5 cyclists in the "fast group". I chose to play it safe, slow group for me (of which there were 2 of us)! It certainly was a hair raising ride, the drops to the left hand side were deadly, literally!! Bolivian law dictates that those going downhill must go to the outside of the cliff - yes, the side where you are cradling the cliff edge so needless to say this added to the sheer terror factor. One wrong move, skid or over a stone that caused a blowout & you could plummet off the side.

Everyone got down safe (Claire last but not least) & agreed it was a great experience. The bus took us to Coroico, where we had a hot shower & meal (in a lovely hotel) before making the 4 hour bus journey (on the new road) back to La Paz.

(Adventure) highlight of the trip to date, hands down. Death Road Conquerors - that´s us!

The Halluginogenic Salt Deserts, Spurting Geysers & Eerie Lagoons

Uyuni, Bolivia, 31 July 2007
Salt Desert Tour (Salar De Uyuni), Bolivia, 1 - 2 August 2007
Bus from Uyuni to La Paz, 3 August 2007




















We arrived into the town of Uyuni on Tuesday 31st July and made our way to the hostel we had pre-booked! However, the receptionist suggested we find alternative accommodation because they had a power and water outage! Fair enough, we set off elsewhere only to discover it impacted the full town! Anyway, we got a bed for the night in a so called hotel (prison like style) and saved a few bolivianos in the process! We went shopping for warm gear: Claire purchased a scarf, pair of alpaca knee length socks & a jumper. Dave got an alpaca belt.

The next day we set off on our 4x4 Jeep tour with two Brits (Fiona & Richard), a Yankie (Steven) and a Japanese girl (Maria) - for what turned out to be a great adventure with fun people. Our Spanish speaking driver, come guide, come cook - Sylvio - looked very young & a little simple! He wasn't that young as it turned out, age 23, but he did turn out to be a little simple (in the cutest & funniest way possible)!!
Day 1: We headed off accross the desolate landscapes of the southern Bolivian Altiplano & quickly arrived at the Salt Plains aka Salar De Uyuni. They were simply amazing- 360 degrees of super flat, dazzling white landscape.

We could´ve been on another planet. We stopped off at a hotel made entirely of salt (except for the roof) & took a few illusionary photos standing on wine bottles/cans of pringles.... Next we moved onto the Isla De Pescado (Fish Island). Again, quite surreal - a coral island covered with cacti in the middle of a salt lake!!

As we explored, Sylvio donned his cook hat & prepared lunch. I (Claire) returned to the jeep early & witnessed his level of food hygiene, ie none! After a mediocre lunch (including llama steaks) we took some more photos but Sylvio was eager to move on - why? Because he had no lodging booked for us & if we didn't move quick we would have nowhere to stay. A little strange on an organised pre booked tour wouldn't you agree? From then on in Sylvio became known as the Muppet.

We did force him to stop again (thanks to Richard) before leaving the Salt Lakes, we had to admire it´s sheer beauty one last time. We also started to pick up on Sylvio´s endearing idiosyncrasies, eg revving the engine to let us know it was time to go!


Our first night was spent in a small village called San Juan in the middle of emmm, nowhere. At least we had a bed for the night though! Thanks Sylvio. There were a group of 6 lively Ozzy lads staying at our digs and they provided the evening entertainment in the form of a firework display!!! Absolutely perfect considering the electricity curfew was at 9pm so we had to don headtorches to get from A to B. The star filled dark sky was a perfect backdrop for the display!

Day Two: Sylvio had prepared breakfast for us but omitted to give us any plates or cutlery & was surprised when we asked him to do so (bless his little cotton socks)... more washing up for him I guess. We set off on our drive & were treated to snow capped mountains, the first of strange rock formations, high altitude deserts & herds of vicuna (highly endangered wild relative of the llama). We climbed over 15,000 feet!!!

We stopped for lunch at a very scenic spot: a laguna with flocks of flamingos. Sylvio had the option to prepare lunch at a table with chairs or a table with no chairs, which one do you think he opted for??


We arrived at our lodgings early & Sylvio secured us what was little more than an outhouse with six beds. There appeared to be better insulated rooms inside the main building & as additional jeeps arrived the occupants were happy to fill those rooms. When we asked Sylvio why we were in the outhouse he didn't seem to understand our concern?! We had been told that temperatures could drop as low as -20oC at night here!!!! Anyway, long story short, we secured extra blankets/hot water bottles/a gas heater & coupled with our two sleeping bags each we managed to have a good nights kip - well, that was until Sylvio chapped us up at 5.20am!

Day 3: Our first stop (at sunrise) was the hot geysers which were active & bubbling with steam & mud. Pretty impressive but the temperature was very very cold at that hour of the morning so we didn´t stay out the jeep for that long. After the geysers we came across natural hot springs where people had already started bathing. To our astonishment Sylvio drove straight past. We were understandably concerned until he told us he knew a better location... we didn´t have much confidence based on his track record however for once the guy pulled the cat out the bag!!! He took us to a secluded hot spring where we had our own changing room. Dave, Fiona, Richard & Steven hopped in immediately - I needed a bit more coaxing & peer pressure (considering the outside temperature was 0 degrees, brrr). Maria refused to join us (or take photos of us), she stayed in the van, poor chica it was too cold for her. It was an outstanding setting with 360 degrees of snow capped mountains & once out of the spring we enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes & hot chocolate.... class.

So back into the van bound for the Chilean border (where we dropped off Maria). Then the long journey back to Uyuni stopping off at more strange rock formations & a railway train graveyard. We stopped for lunch & Sylvio told us our last meal was to be canned tuna & rice.... (we had witnessed 3 dozen eggs in the back of the jeep when we started our trip & thought we´d be having a last supper of omelette's) so we confronted him re the eggs. He said they were raw - yeah of course they were, so cook them please... we reckon he was a tad lazy. We had to coax him (via another guide) to boil those that were salvageable (most got smashed) - it did take a total of 5 minutes after all!

En route I witnessed a piece of metal flying off the jeep to which Sylvio was oblivious - we called at him to stop but he really didn´t seem to comprehend what had happened, which is to say he looked the same as he always did ...vacant. It wasn't until the driver of another jeep stopped to help us, looked under the jeep & proclaimed that we had lost the drive shaft (linking front & rear wheels) that Sylvio took it upon himself to go find said object but of course he attempted on the wrong side of the road first! He found it & came running back with a smile on his face & then proceeded to open the boot of the jeep just at the same time as a few trucks were going past - so we got a shower of dust! Good one Sylvio! The jeep was a 4 wheel drive so we were able to finish our journey using front wheel propulsion.

Back in Uyuni we enjoyed a Minuteman pizza (scrummy) before boarding the night-bus destined to La Paz with Fiona, Richard & Steven. The 11 hour journey passed quickly but the toilet stops were the worst Claire had experienced on the trip to date - farmyard smells aint got a look in.