Fenicia Hotel San Salvador de Jujuy

A really nice train (by Bolivian standards). Most important things - the seat reclined WAY back, got a heavy blanket and pillow! I was SOOOOO glad I opted for the first class ticket (BS/ 152 = USD $ 22). Twice as much as 3rd class and hear it's twice as nice =) Filthy rich gringa!!!<br><br>Not much in the way of scenery since it was dark out, but when the sun came up I could tell the desert was a bit milder - trees with ...

... traffic behind us, thankfully they let us and Carlos creep through. I like to think it was probably the gringa face that won us freedom!<br><br>After our Jujuy ordeal we continued on to Salta, where, after an hour of being lost in their horrifically un-sign-posted highway system, we headed on to the south. The drive was absolutely beautiful, with bright pink, orange red rocks and amazing formations of stone lining the roads. We stopped off at lots of specific formations -some with ...

... baths as usual, but a private room overlooking a peaceful wooded valley. The hotel which housed the thermal baths was spooky and isolated, and to reach it you had had to drive down a deserted country lane for about half an hour, though when we got there it was very luxurious. After our relaxing bath, we headed back to Jujuy, where we parked a car in a nearby car park for the night. We would pick it up the following day, and continue towards Salta, where we would be dropping the car.

... steak went down a treat. Llama tastes alright, quite like lamb and beef mixed together. And after eating their brothers and sisters, we got to wander around and approach the llamas they keep in town. Unsociable beasts that they are, they refuse to allow themselves to be petted, run in the opposite direction when you walk towards them and don´t even look at the camera when you whistle at them. Altogether a fantastic look at some real wild country...

... himself all the way though. I declined. It seemed our host hadn´t however. He was in great form. It was nine in the morning. Having discovered we were from Ireland he was now shouting random words hoping to hit on some connection. He was concentrating on Claire after he picked up on my expression when he said Beckham?! So he went; on Robin Hood?, Castles?, Beer? We had to put up with the proximity of his boozy coca leaf breath all this ...

... after lunch i had cheered up considerably. Peta took the wheel for the afternoon and twisted us down the mountain paths that had made me so sick on the bus journey a few days before. Today was no exception and thanks to the altitude and the impossible curves of the road I spent the rest of the journey with my head down and my eyes firmly shut, clinging to my stomach. However, despite my altitude sensitivity I survived, the car was returned intact and we made the last bus to Jujuy... Success!

... wel 90 cm hard zout. Super indrukwekkend en stervensheet. We reden door de puna, een zogenaamde high-altitude desert, en passeerden het hoogste pun van onze reis op 4170m. Gelukkig had ik geen last van altitude sickness, wat na 3500m kan optreden (misselijkheid, duizeligheid, etc.). Misschien hadden de coca blaadjes dan toch geholpen. Iedereen loopte daar met een bolletje coca blaadjes in hun wang (als cavias) waar ze de hele dag rustig op sabbelden. We eindigden in Purmamara ...

... in on the last few days. I got to San Pedro de Atacama around 10am on Tuesday. The ride was OK, except on the bus from Iquique to Calama, we stopped at a checkpoint around 2 or 3am and we all had to get off the bus. My bag was even one of the ones searched quickly. Then, I had to wait about an hour and a half at the Calama bus station for our connection to San Pedro. After getting to San Pedro, I walked around to a few different hostels with a few ...

... is very Italian. There is no hassle like in other South American countries. The Peso is getting stronger - it is value for money but not cheap like Bolivia. Steaks are the biggest in the world ever! Wine is good, as is coffee and ice cream looks wonderful too! With the Italian influence Pasta and Pizza appear on menus here all the time, coffee is important and breakfast is Italian style pastries. The distances are huge. They have proper motorways! Hugs AlinMatt xxxxxxxxx

... y media de la tarde ya preocupados llamamos nuevamente, pero esta vez el celular no tenia señal... Teniamos que viajar 130 kms hasta Salta para tomar el vuelo de regreso a Buenos Aires a las 7 de la tarde. En el hotel, nos recomendaron llamar a una remiseria de la zona...., pero nos comentaban que no habia coches que pudieran estar antes de las 5 de la tarde!!!! El tiempo cada vez era menos, y los calculos para ...