After 26 hours on a bus with only a cookie of dulce de leche and a cocacola to get me through I was hungry and Exhausted (Thank god my mum said take some snacks with you – the few I took helped). I get to San Pedro at midnight where a guy who looks exactly like a red Indian with long dark straight hair looks around, taps me on my back and says ‘PATEL’?

I got into a van with him and he ended up being a really cool driver. My hostel was only a minute away from the terminal. I was in no shape to walk it – Thankfully I arranged for a pick up.

A little on San Pedro.

San Pedro is the driest place on earth which only means during the day it gets really hot and at night it gets super cold. My hostel ‘Hostel Rural’ was cool. In my opinion the best one there. Everyone their seemed chilled and outgoing, apart from the one crazy guy you get in your dorm.

About the city.

It has maybe 7 blocks and they all look the same. It is soo small and it looks so similar that it is

so easy to get lost. With my sense of direction its for sure bad.

It is safe (mainly tourists, tourguides, your local supermarket/butcher and the occasional ladies that sell artisan stuff) with a really good vibe, everyone is smiling and the main thing to do in San Pedro is to visit the beautiful nature it has to offer.

Lucky for me I met this awesome girl Marion, who I completely admire (will tell you her story in a bit). She was tres cool and gave me the best advice possible to see everything in the short amount of time I had.

She organised everything for my friends and I!
I did everything from jumping into a mucky river lagoon thing to walking on water at the Cejar which is a hole in the lake. I think it has salt concentration of around 28%. This was cool. The salt on the ground stung your feet slightly but it was pretty cool.

I watched sunset and sunrise, I managed to see the andes with the view of the shadowing bird from the sunset. I was present and I felt like something had taken over me in that point in time.

Preparing for the next day, 4am the next morning, I went to see the geysers. I havent been this cold and this amazed in a while. From BA to Valpa, nothing of the sort had been seen. The geysers were gushes of hot air/sodium from the ground rising a couple meters high. The altitude almost 4000km from sea levels. Coca leaves were constantly kept in the mouth to help deal with altitude sickness and that was my saviour. I was freezing despite my layered self and so was everyone else. We huddled and watched the geysers. I love this place. I am coming back again!

Lunch was approaching, there was this old man selling lama meat on a kebab stick. I dont know what he marinated the meat with but it was really tasty. I think lama is my new favourite meat. On our way both their and back I saw alpacas, lamas, a fox andVicugna pacos.

I was really excited to see lamas.

That afternoon (after an awesome ice cream), we hiked to valley de luna, passing through the death valley and all the way till the top where you have the Andes on one side and the sunset on the other. I will never forget this day.

That evening the boys decided that they wanted to eat a cooked meal. Marie (who is now going to move 20 minutes from me in England) and I love to cook so we went to the local butchery, bought meat, got a glass of wine, played music in the background and we cooked for 5. It was a lovely   evening.

The next day, Marion invited me to camp in the desert with her and a few friends. I was in. We made a bonfire that lasted the entire night. Star Gazed – the best I have seen ever. The clear sky allows you to see numerous shooting stars and endless milky ways. We ate meat and roasted potatoes in the fire with  aubergine. I pulled out some hot sauce that i bought from a random lady in casablanca and we ate it with that and it was one of my best nights.

It followed with marshmellows on stick and Marion playing the guitar and singing to it- she is modest and really talented!

The night ended perfectly.

The next day we sand-bordered and I have to sat I was better than what I was in Floripa.

I am struggling to put my experience in words but for sure when I upload some pictures, you will be able to get a better idea of how incredible South America really is and how much this world has to offer.

I wasn’t planning on going to Bolivia but 6 french guys and knowing a person that knows a person wasnt much of a barrior to it.

Next stop UYUNI!!!!