San Pedro de Atacama, here we come!

We are on the move again.  This time we decide to splurge and pay £15 more to have the luxury seats for the 20 hour bus ride.  The seats recline to a completely horizontal position.  Don't be fooled by the "cama" seat option.  Cama means bed in Spanish.  It is comfortable and you get a leg rest, but it is nowhere near being a bed.

Although we are heading to the driest desert in the world, we arrive 2 hours late because heavy rains have damaged the roads.

We are looked after for the next 5 days by Jorge, a former guide to the rich and famous in Swiss and a self proclaimed "wild cat".

The first stop on our tour is Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley).  Earlier, we had seen places that offer sandboarding trips for 15,000 pesos.  We ask Jorge about it and he gets us a board for 3000 pesos!  What a deal, except neither one of us has ever been on a snowboard before.  Oh well, who needs lessons when the sand is soft.  The most difficult part is climbing up the hill.  At this altitude (2600m), it doesn't take long for us to be huffing and puffing, but the ride is definitely worth it.

We then rush over to Valle de Luna (Moon Valley) to try and catch the sunset..  All the tours are heading back to the car park by the time we arrive.  Although it was a bit dark by the time we get to the mirador, the views are still fantastic and it is so nice to have the place to ourselves.