Our last stop was a cactus walk, which was amazing despite that flip flops were clearly not the best footwear. We were walkng right in amongst the cactuse through the sand and then the land got rougher.  Our guide had us scrambling over rocks and climbing around like crazy to get to this beautiful little area with a rocky waterfall and an overhang that we kind of had to climb down into.  It was kind of hard going with the flip flops but Katies and I were just laughing at ourselves and having fun.  I didn’t want to miss out on any experiences because of my own mistake.

As we got back to the bus from the cactus walk, our guide (Davide) came over to me and whispered in my ear “what are you doing tonight?” I was really flustered and was all blushing and I think my response was something lame like “oh, it’s our groups free night” and I just got on the bus.  About 5 min later as we’re ready to go I was just getting comfy in my seat and was bent over stretching my back when he leaned over again and whispered “ok tonight I have plans for you.”  Um, what?! So he goes to do his tour guide thing and Katie who is beside me was curious about what he’d said and so I told her and the ride back to town was a lot of discussion about he meant by that.

When we arrived in San Pedro and we were all getting off the buses, Davide says to me “you meet me in the plaza, 10 pm” and walks away.  Less of an invitation than a command… hm.  I’m thinking, ok this guy is really really good looking and he’s a tour guide so he’s probably hooking up with foreign girls constantly, so I’m not going to go.  But then I’m thinking, this guy is really really good looking and it could be fun to have  a little date – not like I’ll ever see him again.  But at this point its just 1pm and 10 pm is a long way off.

So we all go back to the hostel and clean up and then Toby, Katie, Lucy & I decide to take some stuff to the laundry and then spent basicaly the whole afternoon on a patio having lunch and drinking beers.  I loved San Pedro and could definitely have stayed longer but unlike Valparaiso it’s not a place I’d want to go back to.  Once you’ve done the tours and seen the sights there’s not much going on in the town.  That said, it was a great place to chill out and relax.

That evening we all met up at 8 to discuss the following day’s border crossing and the upcoming desert crossing.  Everyone was pumped about the coming days and we all went out to eat feeling very excited.  A few of us hit upa really neat place that appeared to have been carved out of a fossilized tree.  I couldn’t tell whether we were sitting on stones or a big carved tree stump but our table (that comfortably seated 5) was definitely a tree stump.  I enjoyed another very interesting set meal. There were a few translation problems but nothing major.  Food was really tasty and really reasonably priced (for San Pedro, that is).

After picking up laundry and having dinner everyone went off to do some errands for the next day.  Since it was just 10 I thought “well, I’ll go to the plaze and if he’s there we’ll see what happens” so I went over and got out my camera to take pictures and look like I wasn’t waiting for someone.  After 10 minutes I decided he wasn’t going to show so I left.  Probably for the best becase while I figured his plans would be going to one of the zillion bars and having a drink, he may have had other things in mind, so again probably for the best.

I ended up meeting some of the gals and we got some supplies for the next days journey to Bolivia because heading back to the hostel.  Well believe it or not this bus ride is done! Its just 4pm andwe have arrived in Potosi.  I am shocked that I have only managed to catch this record up until Sunday morning – I’m still 4 days behind.  Although the past days have been unforgettable I’m going to jot down some key words to remind me when I do a proper recording:

  • border visa surprise for H&A
  • flamingos
  • meeting our drivers
  • little Lady
  • lagunas
  • real thermal pools
  • meeting the Ottawa family
  • altitude sickness part I (the headache from hell)
  • day 2 desert crossing
  • rocks shaped like trees
  • unbearable heat and resultant heat rash
  • the party 4×4 with David’s iPod
  • salt hotel
  • 5L of red wine (and then some)
  • day 3 desert crossing
  • hangover & altitude sickness part II
  • skipping most of day 3 to sleep (me & Katie, knackered again)
  • Samay de Wasi, our palace hotel in Uyuni
  • talking with the lady who sold me peach juice
  • Minuteman pizza
  • amazing scenery from Uyuni to Potosi
  • big debate between private bus and chicken bus
  • Philip taking the chicken bus
  • Potosi: the highest city in the world

Ok, so it’s later on and I’m all settled in to our hotel in Potosi. The highest city in the worl.  So far everyone has been feeling fine and my stomach has completely settled (see note re: altitude sickness, round II) which is fantastic.  Its amazing how hilly it is and how bustling the streets are.  Certainly far less traditional than Uyuni.

I have made the executive decision that the point form notes will suffice to cover the 3 days of desertcrossing (aka “everything you always wanted to know about altitude sickness but were afraid to ask”).  As much as I as looking forward to the crossing and as many great things that I saw, those few hours on Dec 6 when I thought my eyeballs were bleeding from headache and the entire day yesterday (Dec 8 ) of throwing up SO violently, really kind of coloured the trip.  I definitely am glad that I’ve seen the Atacama and the Salar but I think that it would have been a more pleasant experience to do it as a series of day trips, so you are always sleeping lower than your highest altitude that day.  However, I have truly learned a great deal – probably the biggest lesson was how alcohol impacts at altitude.  I know that Toby and David still are not convinced that were that sick from the drinking because it really wasn’t that much (in fact for David I’m sure it was light night!) but as we’ve learned altitude does crazy things.  Us with stomach issues, Steve with the scary fever – even iron stomach Heath was having tummy troubles.  In fact the only people in the group that I can think of who weren’t affected were Darrel (Mr Fitness) and Tom, who I just think is impervious to pain (being Swiss and all).

Despite that it’s only 20 to 10 I’m going to sleep.  I really want to be fully rested and ready to party (ie see the sights) tomorrow.  Hopefully I’ll get the money situation sorted out as well. I figure that I’ll take American out of the ATM on my Visa and just suck up the bank fees. Then I’ll just keep a big stash of American in my money belt and convert as necessary.  Things will work out – I have ten days left and I won’t spend one minute of that time fretting about issues that will be solved when I get back to London – just taking it a day at a time.

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