our paperwork was checked, and we got to use the tourist loo. The price had gone up, but then it was a little plusher so hey ho!! The next part of the drive was down to Kollpa Laguna, where we would have lunch. After the long bumpy drive we were all feeling a little shaken up, so were glad that this was a long flat downhill drive on a kind of gravely surface. Unfortunately though, Hualdo decided this was the time to show off his formula one skills by racing down to the lake with a fellow driver. Well that was it, poor Hel’s stomach just gave up and she really did look very worse for wear by the time we arrived. She struggled to pick her way through some of lunch and then just needed a lie down for while and Fiona gave her some travel sickness pills, which seemed to help. Luckily we were scheduled for a good hour and a half’s stop there.

There were two reasons for the long stop there -

firstly the lake was populated by hundreds of flamingos, the same ones we’d seen near San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Not surprising really, as it was just the other side of the Andes from where we were! The other main attraction at this place was a hot spring!! Wow! This was just great, it was pretty chilly still because of the high altitude, but the warm water was just lovely, and I think just what Hel needed to sort out her car sickness!! We all had a good long soak and felt very refreshed when Hualdo came to tell us it was time to head off.

That afternoon we headed West into the Salar de Chalviri and the Valle del Desertio. We passed by some rock formations high up on the desert mountainside. There was some very bizarre reason why they were there which Hualdo told us, but I’m afraid I can’t remember what it was!! The trouble is with a tour like this is that you get told so many amazing