Day 2 in San Pedro

We start the morning with a guided tour of the Gustavo Le Paige's Archeology museum where we learn about plantlife in the area, the first peoples and the tools, pottery and weapons they made and the influence of the Tiwanakus, Incans and finally the Spanish.

Then we walk to Pukara de Quitor, a fortified village and then to a monument for the Indian chiefs who were beheaded.  The views of the oasis are breathtaking.  We also see Licancabur, the mountain we will attempt to climb in 4 days.

After lunch, we go for a refreshing and salty dip in Laguna de Cejar.  You can sit, stand straight up and swim on your belly with your feet out of the water with absolutely no effort.  Just don't get salt in your eyes like Thomas did.  Ouch!  Unfortunately, it is a injury day for Thomas.  While floating backwards, he ran into the side of the laguna and cut up his back.  Then while taking a jump photo, he jammed his finger while trying to strike a pose.

The great thing about having your own guide is that you are on your own time schedule.  We were able to take another dip in the laguna after all the tours had left.  We also had time to walk around the 2 other lagunas and see different types of salt formations.

In the evening, we pick up some empanadas and desserts and have once comida with Jorge and his family.  Once comida is tea time, a British tradition that has stuck in Chile.