South America

We were heading into a national park and then a desert, so facilities and shops would be scarce/expensive and we had to stock up for the next 5 days. Because we were ascending rapidly from sea level to over 5000m in 3 driving sessions, to stop altitude sickness we need to double our water intake. The huge hypermarket we went to sold everything from food to car tyres. We loaded the truck with 5 days food and as much water as we could carry and then headed into Pan de Azúcar National Park. The beach road we travelled along was unpaved and bumpy, but the scenery was amazing. There were huge rock formations jutting out of the sand like shards of glass. We stopped for lunch on the beach where the waves were crashing violently into the coast. I saw a sea otter swimming leisurely in the rough sea (too quick for the camera) and there was also a solitary sea lion sunbathing nearby on a rocky outcrop.

That night we camped on the beach and the next day we started our ascent into the Atacama desert which is one of the driest places on Earth. We bush camped by the road and Vernon reminded us that if he beeps the horn on the truck we have to drop everything and get on the truck as soon as possible, in case some locals decide to turn up with their guns and cause trouble. That didn't really put people at ease, but the location was pretty. Me and Dee were feeling energetic so we climbed up a hill to watch the sunset over the camp and then had to scramble down in the dark. Luckily Vernon didn't need to use the horn that night.