Kelsey made a nice video at the geysers called El Tatio near San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), enjoy wachting it :)
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We made the decision the day before - let´s do the 4×4 tour to Uyuni. With this trip we will see a lot of thing what we normally seperatly would do. Plus that a lot of tours in San Pedro pretty expensive are. For me it´s a one way ticket, because I am staying in Uyuni. Kelsey is returning to San Pedro, but Christiaan and Gal are joining me.

For only 65000 chile pesos we get a 3 day ride through the desert with an ending on the world´s highest and biggest salt flags in the world. Early in the morning we get together at the travel agency with transports us to the Bolivian border, about 1,5 hours away from San Pedro. We change the bus to a 4×4 jeep. Me, Kelsey, Christiaan, Gal, and three other frensh guys are charing one car. It´s a good team and we call it ´the dreamteam´ :)

The first day we see some lakes and drove arround in the desert. Changing landscapes everywhere while we decent or accent highs. After a long bumpy ride we arrive in a very small place somewhere in de desert. We are sleeping all 7 together in a room. At diner time, all people from 3 cars get together in the dinerroom to play 99. So funny that this game was teached me by Aussies, and that I am now teaching 19 others this game. Its a fun evening with live local music.

The next day we got started arround nine.. driving arround again :) and saw a lot of hugh and amazine rock formations. I wish I could take some of these rocks back home.. would made a great climbing and boldering spot. Today we also spot a lot - and I really mean A LOT - of Lama´s. Late in the afternoom we arrive at the border of the salt flags, at a hostel upon a hill. Four 6 persons dorms got filled up, leaving me and Kelsey staying in a 6 persons dorm alone. Good because I am sick of the dorms :) and want some good night sleep.

The last day we woke up early to see the sunrise over the salt flags. It wasn´t the nicest sunrise, but it was unique because of the location. After the breakfast we hit the highest and biggest salt flags in the world - Salar de Uyuni. 10,582 km2 at 3,650 meters high. WAUW.. really wauw. We drive on it as it was a highway.. so nice and smooth. We stoped at many places to make some increadible photo´s. We visit some old salt hotels, an old village, and an island within the salt falgs full of cactus´s. Crowing 1 cm a year, the oldest was 12m (1200 years old!!)

The end of this amazing tour ends in Uyuni.

Together with Christiaan, Gal, two fresh girls - Emmanuelle and Joelle - we bought bus tickets to La Paz for the same night. A 12 hours bus ride. We spent the rest of the day walking arround the market, drinking tea and having lunch together. But sadly - very sadly - I had to say goodbye to my wonderfull travel partner Kelsey. Her ride left at 18:00.. back to San Pedro, and than back to Buenos Aires.

Thanks for all the good times, all the laughts we had, the wonderfull tours we did, the good talks, and just for being a good travel partner! Take care and see you hopefully somewhere else again!

For more photo´s click here :)

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Early in the morning I am taking the bus from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama.. a 24 hour busride is waiting for me! Its a long jurney but with enought reading material it´s doable. On the bus are also two other dutch people so I am not alone at all. We arrive in San Pedro the next morning arround 9.. and the first thing what I see is desert! It´s totally different from what I was used to. Small buildings made of stones, dust roads, and a different type of people. It´s a relaxed place to stay, but unfortunatly it´s not the cheapest place to stay in.

Together with my two dutch travelers we are searching for a nice and cheap place to stay in. After an hour we decided to stay at Hostel La Roca, about 1 minute outside the center. Its a nice and quite hostel with excellent rooms. The price is 18.000 chile pesos for two persons. Two? Yes, later that day I am meeting an old friend again!

The rest of the day I am spening time visiting all travel agencies to find out the best prices. There are sooo many and there is so much to do. The main reason I am here is the 3 day tour through the desert and a visit to the biggest salt flags in the world plus crossing the border to Bolivia! But at 16:00 I am moving my ass to the busstation - just a big open dusty place - to wait for the bus from Salta. Because Kelsey is comming to San Pedro as well. Our paths are crossing again so we can spend doing some things together here. After her arrival we went out for some té and a meal, talking about the happenings in Salta and my adventure in Santiago and Valparaiso. Also discussing what to do here and when.

Geysers

The next day very early - 3:30 in the night - we woke up and got ready for the 4 am pickup. Together with some other people we went to a place were we could see natural Geysers spitting out hot steam into the air. Arround 5:30 - still no sun at the sky - we arrived. We walked arround and waited for the sunrise. It was amazing to see and the Geysers made some good kodak-moments. The sun came at 6:30.

After the sun was out we drove further towards a natural pool.. with a water temperature of about 30 to 40 degrees, I quickly changed into my swimming suite and jumped into the pool. At the source of the hot water the water was so hot that you barely couldn´t stand there. After half an hour we had to get out because the out was over.

At half past 12 we arrived back in San Pedro, had a quick lunch with Christiaan from South Afrika and Gal from Israel, and made us ready for the next tour.

Valley of the Moon

Our next tour started at 15:00. We drove arround by bus, got dropped at some interesting places to walk arround. The hole landscape was so amazing and changing. The last stop was the Valley of the Moon were we walked upon a high hill to widness the sunset. It was magical. The hole sky changed colours untill it was black.

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Beste mensen, vanaf nu ga ik proberen mijn post in het engels te doen. Is niet alleen goed voor mijn engels, maar ook omdat mijn medereizigers mee kunnen genieten van mijn avonturen :)

There is not much to say about these two places.. after a wonderfull time in Mendoza with Kelsey, David and Monica it was time to say goodbye to these wonderfull people and to continue my trip. It was a hard goodbye for me, but early in the morning I took the bus from Mendoza to Santiago. The busride took my over the Andes and gave my some wonderfull views.

Santiago is a big city.. a booring city. Well it has much to offer but at the same time you can do everything in one day. So thats what I did. The next day I took the bus to Valparaiso which should be a great place to visit.. but after the first minute I arrived something terrible happend there which ruined my trip for a part. Without telling what happend or how, I headed back to Santiago to catch the bus to San Pedro de Atacama - north again!

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