Yippee we have left bolivia

 When our bus finally left the border station out in the middle of nowhere....we were finally on our way to Chile! We couldnt wait!! We drove a short way.....then hit a real road...yes a paved road...with signs and road markings and everything....was amazing! Has been a long time since we saw a real road! Everyone cheered!! It was then a long drive downhill to San Pedro....only about 2000m below! The road was really good and we were there before we knew it.

a. Streets of San Pedro

Got dropped off by the tour office....was only a small town, so decided to just wander till we found a hotel. Only problem was we couldnt seem to find any!! Found one...very expensive...kept looking....nothing....eventually found a hostal.....didnt really want a dorm room, but it looked nice so we took it! I was already impressed with Chile....clean, modern funky and nice bathrooms!

b. Main Plaza

We dumped our stuff and went exploring.....was all very cute.....not much from the outside....mud buildings....but actually finished ones! But inside the places were amazing....funky modern and inviting....a world away from Bolivia. We had some lunch in a hippy healthy place....was good.

Booked our bus to leave the following day...was another overnighter....oh yipee!

Spent the rest of the afternoon....having a lovely shower...with real hot water.....in a beautifully clean and modern shower...then explored a little...was very hot! Compared to what it had been earlier in the day, we were melting....must have been at least 30 degrees...with not a cloud in the sky.....probably cause it never rains in San Pedro! It is in the driest desert in the world!!

Evening came, it cooled down, and so we enjoyed a drink or two and some amazing fresh pasta. Oh god Chile is so much better than Bolivia...who cares how expensive it is!!

c. Amy happy cos she got beer!

The next day we had a whole day to waste before our bus left in the evening. Not that we minded for once....it was a pleasure to sit in places and waste the day! Plus it was a gorgeous day! Had breaky late....was good....pancakes....more like crepes though. Was nice to see people actually making an effort....toasting the bread...cooking the pancakes...even making the coffee....not just pilling all the ingredients on the table!! That done, we did some shopping....spending money we didnt have! We then enjoyed a cold beer in the sunshine....before trying to use the internet, but finding it was useless!! Even the bloke running it was frustrated with it! Gave up, went to find lunch....decided on a big lunch to keep us going for the rest of the day. Opted for a set menu....or menu of the day. Isnt particulary cheap in Chile but man is it good!! We had pumpkin and red pepper soup.....fresh salmon and advacado rice with red cabbage...and then shared two amazing deserts! Oh it was good! Our bellies stuffed, we headed back to the internet...to see if it had improved. Not really, my computer seemed to be the only one in the place working...neil was having no luck at all. We kept trying, then gave up. The guy running the place was cool, he asked how much we wanted to pay....knowing it was rubbish and we ended up paying for about 5 mins each!! We then didnt have too much time left to kill.....so we headed to find a shop....which proved difficult! Managed to stock up on snacks for the journey...then chilled in the hostel garden till it was time to go....was sad to say goodbye to San Pedro....hope the rest of Chile is as good....

d. Cool view