• Bron PlaskowskiTravelerIt Started As A 2 Week Cruise
    That definitely looks like a volcano to me.
    Windows not closing properly, seat belt not working, recliner not working, but other than that!Flat wide expanse and nothing to disturb it.Surprising number of animals just off the side of the road.San Cristobal, the largest place on the way to the border.There was a surprising amount of water given the terrain.Alpacas and llamas, despite being told the difference numerous times, still not sure which is which.Motorway services, not too far from the border.The queue at the Bolivian side of the border.The new bus, comfier, wider seats, more recline and no rattlely sliding windows.Sofa at the Chilean immigration office, shows how long it takes to get through here.A very long train waiting to go through the border.This woman had the whole back compartment for her stuff, hope she was paying for the excess weight.They must be the 3 most lucrative cafes in Chile as tourists try to get rid of their last Bolivians.It's a chocolate covered sugar puff, quiet nice as a little snack on the bus. Well a bag of them!This town was a very large oasis in the Atacama desert.This was just outside of the oasis, straight back to desert.Almost nothing growing in the sand.The game is being played in Santiago but when the home team scored there was a lot of noise in here.Everyone drinking or dining by candlelight, due to a power cut along the whole street.

    Chile By Bus

    February 12 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This morning we didn't have the best of starts to a 13 hour bus journey from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Instead of leaving at 6:15am we were told we would be leaving at 9am due to one road currently being partially flooded. We were also told we would have to change buses at the Chilean border. At least it would give me time to get my penguin posts up to date!

    Then without explanation we left at 7:10am, I suppose that is one way to make a 55 minute delay seem like a right result. So we set off and within 20 mins were on a dirt road. The old bus with its sliding windows was rattling so loudly we should have had ear plugs. It reminded me of the Central Line between Stratford and Mile End, it was a right home from home!

    The scenery all the way to the Chilean border kept changing, as did the road surface. It was hard to focus on catching up with my penguins as I kept getting distracted by the scenery and with taking photos. Being on the bus for hours reminded me of the South American series of Race Across The World, but without the fake jobs or running for hotels.

    We arrived at the Bolivian side of the boarder at 10:40. It was bags off, online form filled in, migration, customs scanner, get on the new bus. A few minutes later arrived at the Chilean side, sat on the bus for over 30 minutes, bags off, immigration, paper form filling, full bag search (no scanners), get bank on bus. It took 2 hours 50 minutes to clear both sides. Blimey, you could have flown between the Uyuni and San Pedro and back in the time it took to get across the border. Though as they say bus passengers do have a lower value of time.

    Once on the Chilean side it was tarmac roads all the way and into the Atacama desert proper. Initially still mountainous but vast open spaces totally untouched, which gave way to flatter, even more inhospitable looking terrain, but no less interesting. It was 7:20pm when we eventually arrived in San Pedro, in the rain, but at more or less the original arrival time despite the late start.    Read more