We got beaten by a bit of snow! We wanted to visit the El Tatio Geysers, north Chile, but when we set off to drive there from San Pedro De Atacama, the weather got pretty nasty, and the snow came down. We had never been in a snowstorm at altitude before (this was over 4000 metres, or 13,000 feet) so we were amazed at the temperature drop. The snow never got deep, but as it was open country with no fences or anything beside the road, we very quickly lost visability. Even though we finally got there, we were still beaten as they had closed it! Everyone gone. We did not fancy staying up there on ur own in case we got snowed in, so we retreated and went again a few days later. It was worth the 2nd trip!
Looks like we left the kettle boiling! We were parked by nice LR110.
This was when the weather started to turn. Pretty soon everything was white, and it got way too easy to drive off the road.
We also stopped off in Calama to take a look at their copper mine. It's pretty big!
Nice trucks too!
After this, it was time travel on, and we headed to Humberstone, a mining ghost town of sorts. That's a real nice stop over for overlanders as they will let you stay in their parking lot, and lock you in for the night. They have a pack of dogs running around at night, so it's best not to get out for a pee!
They had to make everything in and had the machines to do it.
Yes, I do mean they made everything they needed!
The factory is still standing, but rusting away slowly.
Brilliant trails on the way to Bolivia from Chile.
Nice little church in the middle of nowhere!
Ah! Just discovered there is a limit of 10 images per post! Hmmmm....
Well, there is more on our blog, including a spin down
Bolivia's Death road. We decided to do it on mountain bikes instead of our truck, and I'm glad we did. It was WAY more fun, and probably faster too! We also went to take a look at the Cholitas Wrestling -
Traditional Bolivian women going all out wrestling. a bit bizare, but good fun none the less.
Right now we are sort of broken down in La Paz, Bolivia. Not the truck, but the driver! I have been having pretty bad toothache, and had to do something about it. I had to go for root canal treatment in 2 molars, and am getting crowns put on next week. I was a bit nervous about heading to a Bolivian dentist, but it's working out great. Once we get that sorted, we will be on our way again.
We are also thinking about what happens after the trip, and when it might end. Gloomy stuff, but we might finish up next year. We are debating about selling our beloved truck in South America to someone else who wants to explore this brilliant place, or if we should ship it home. That will be a tough one!
Merv.
