We spent a couple of days taking it easy in the Elqui Valley. After the dryness of the Atacama Desert the Elqui Valley comes as a pleasant change with greenery set amongst the dry hills. The guidebooks describe it as an extremely pretty valley but maybe we are just becoming over exposed to wondrous sights we only thought it was ok.

The valley is famous for two things, grapes and stars so we thought we would try and appreciate both. First up we went to a small vineyard to sample some wines. The vineyard only made 30,000 bottles of wine a year and sold them all locally. The lady giving us the tour could only do it in Spanish but she promised to speak slowly. Gilly and I were pleased that we understood virtually all of it. I don't know whether that is our Spanish improving or it was just on a topic we both enjoyed! At the end of the tour we got to sample the wine and of course felt compelled to buy a few bottles.

What the valley is really famous for though is not wine but Pisco (distilled wine) which is the national drink of both Chile and Peru. Gilly and I had already been introduced to this drink in the way of Pisco Sour (Pisco mixed with lemon juice and sugar) which was a great aperitif. We decided to do a tour of the biggest Pisco factory in the valley which was also the biggest producer in Chile. Again the tour was only in Spanish and again we were pleased at how much we understood. The girls were really interested in the factory part of the production where the Pisco was bottled and packaged.

Again the end of the tour involved a pleasant tasting.

Whilst in the valley we also booked to go to one of the Observatories to look through their giant telescopes at the stars. As we are on the edge of the Atacama Desert this is one of the best places on the world for star gazing due to the dry climate and lack of light pollution. We were a little worried though about the weather as it was fairly cloudy. We arrived for the tour at 7pm and the astronomer decided to head up to the observatory on the hope the weather would clear. Unfortunately there was light cloud cover over the sky and we were not able to see the stars so we all a drove back to town disappointed. On a brighter note earlier that day while filling up with diesel we bumped into our friends Michael and Natasha at the petrol station. We had last seen them in Bolivia and it was great to bump into them out of the blue and catching up on our respective travels over the last couple of weeks. From the Elqui valley we had a long drive (500kms) South to Valparaiso. As we drove the scenery changed. The desert had changed into light scrub and the further south we drove the landscape became more lush and green. As we hit the coast again the scenery started to remind us a bit of Northern California. Valparaiso is a very hilly port city so we knew it would be difficult to find somewhere to park the truck for the night. With this in mind we drove to the popular nearby beach resort of Villa del Mar. This resort reminded us of Spain with all the apartment and high rise hotels. There was nowhere to park though and they even had signs along the front saying no parking for Motorhomes. Now that we are back in the first world it is much harder to just park up anywhere. Whilst Chile has lots of campsites they are all well out on the countryside with not many in towns. In other countries we could park in hotel car parks but this seemed less acceptable in Chile. We spent ages driving around trying to find somewhere to park without success. Eventually as it was getting dark we decided to park in a mirador (viewpoint) about 15kms outside Valparaiso. It was near the road but seemed reasonably quiet so thought would be fine for the night. At 2am we were woken by red flashing lights outside the window. I dragged myself out of bed to find two very young policemen in their car. They said we could not stay where we were parked. I asked why and they said because it was very dangerous. I expressed my surprise and asked if they were sure. They said yes that many people pulled into the parking to drink and we were not safe. I said we had seen people pull in during the night but they were not drinking. I suspect they were too busy with other matters as it was a quiet spot. Having driven so far there was no way this spot was dangerous but the police were insistent we had to leave. They wanted us to go to a hotel but I refused. After some discussion they then decided we should go and park at the police station where we would be "safe". I did not want to do this so said I would drive to a nearby motorway service station and park with the other truckers. They were ok with this but insisted on giving us a police escort to the motorway.

In Chile petrol stations are well equipped for truckers and are not too bad a place to park. They have clean bathrooms often with showers and free wifi and are happy for you to park up for the night. This one also had a 24 hour McDonalds and after been woken up we felt we were all in need of a midnight snack.

The next morning it was raining and as we drove into Valparaiso we wondered whether it had really been worth all the hassle to visit this city. We still did not know where we would park and the city near the port area had not looked that appealing. As it was we just parked on the street in the metered parking. We took up two spaces but no one seemed bothered and the parking attendant just charged us for two spaces. As we started wandering up the hills the weather improved and the cities hills proved to be charming and well worth the visit. The city is a gritty port city and all the way up the hills the houses are covered in either graffiti or art work. The colourful buildings made for great scenery and there were some great views over the hills. There are also funiculars to take you up the hills and we rode up the oldest one.













We had a lovely lunch in one of the old building and also went to visit one of the houses of one of Chile's most famous poets, Pablo Neruda. The house dated from the 1950s so had some interesting furniture and choice of furnishings however it made for quite an interesting tour and the walk there allowed us to enjoy the views.



We decided that after all our driving we wanted to have a more restful day so headed out to a campsite we had seen the previous day about 30kms from Valparaiso. The campsite was large and set in a wooded area but we were the only people staying there. Unfortunately the weather was not great for our rest day but it was nice to chill and do a few jobs. We also used the opportunity to cook some lovely steak on the fire.



The next day we headed to Santiago. After 55,000kms our tyres were coming to the end of their life and we needed to get some new ones. Our tyres though are quite specialised so we we knew it would be difficult to find the same ones. We had been given an address of where to go to look for them so decided we would brave driving into the capital to see if we were in luck. We spent the day driving around a few places before we were directed back to where we had started. We were told to meet someone in the morning who might be able to help with tyres virtually the same as we currently had. The question then was where to park up for the night. The MAN dealership said we could just park out the back with all the other MAN trucks so we did.

The following day we again looked into getting new tyres. The garage had some Michelin tyres that should fit but were a very slightly different size. This meant we would have to buy 5 and they were not cheap! Still we did not have much option. When they came to fit them though they did not fit properly so we abandoned this option. We had another option of a different make but exactly the same size. The tyre shop selling these did not take credit cards though so the MAN garage said they would buy them and then resell them to us. As they were the same size we only needed to buy two. It was late in the evening when everything was all fitted including finally fixing the tyre valve on one of our spares. Everyone here has been so incredibly helpful we can not thank them enough. As it was late we slept in the truck in the garage yard again. The girls spent most of the day stuck in the truck which was not ideal but did mean they had a double school day. The last thing we needed doing was to have the disc brake pads replaced. To do this we had to drive 7kms to the related MAN garage. This garage was the main MAN dealer in Chile. While they tried to find matching parts we were given the use of one of their offices. This reminded me of been back at work as it was exactly like one of my old meeting rooms. We were really well looked after been served coffee and a late breakfast and then taking to the work canteen for lunch. By evening they still had not found the parts but hoped to get them in the morning. So the only thing for it was to spend a night in their yard. Mind you we were not the only overlanders staying there. There was another MAN overland truck having some work done and the German/South African couple were also sleeping in their truck.

The following day while they continued the search for the parts we decided to head into Central Santiago for the day. Santiago is a modern developed city and has a very European feel to it. We visited the cafe district, the viewpoint from one of the small hills, Cerro Santa Lucia and the Plaza de Armas. We also visited an art museum: the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes where to be honest we found the building more spectacular than the artwork.





The highlight though was our visit to the Mercado Central which is full of fishmongers stalls with amazing fish and shellfish. There were also lots of little restaurants in this area so we had a fantastic lunch of shellfish and fish.





When we returned to the garage they had replaced the disc pads on the two front wheels but still had the rear ones to do so it was another night sleeping at the garage. Hopefully it will all be finished in the morning and we will be on our way again.

The Atacama Desert in Northern Chile is at times stunningly beautiful but to be honest at times it does get a little monotonous. All that sand and gravel starts to wear a little thin after more than a week of driving through it. We left the stunning Valle de Luna near San Pedro de Atacama after school to head to the mining town of Antofagasta on the coast. A beautifully smooth tar ribbon wound down to the sea through the completely dry parched desert. As it is winter here it wasn't particular hot unless the sun is directly on you. A lot of Chile's wealth comes from mining, especially copper and for many kilometres the only signs of human life were the dusty tracks to mines off in the hills and elaborate memorials for people who've died in crashes on the sides of the roads. All though Latin America we've seem small memorials for loved ones who've died but Chile seems to have the biggest...and the most frequent. This seems strange as the driving is of a higher standard than we've seen so far. They also have a lot of roadside shrines for saints, these look like works of love by believers and are made of a random selection of materials. We'd planned to spend the night in Antofagasta so we could get jobs like laundry done the following morning but to say the campsites left a little to be desired would be an understatement. I wasn't keen on urban boondocking on the beach in the middle of town so we headed back out to the desert. The bizarre sculpture Mano de Desierto sticking out of the sand in the middle of nowhere seemed as good as anywhere else to park up for the night. Still in desperate need of clean clothes (I love this overlanding lifestyle but sometimes even I miss things like a washing machine!) we made the detour to the small fishing and mining town of Taltal. "Every Day is Like Sunday" by Morrissey was on repeat in my head, there is something very melancholy about seaside towns in the winter. Especially when you've done a 80km detour to find no laundry. We'd hand wash it ourselves, if there wasn't a constant sea mist near the coast and it seems ridiculous to pick an inland camp spot purely for its drying properties! We'd also have to find at least one tree to put up a washing line and we hadn't seem one those for 100s of Kms. Taltal: "...everyday is silent and grey..." Our stop for the night, just outside Pan de Azucar National Park cleared all the melancholy away though. A beautiful sunset on a perfect white beach, we parked up just off the quiet road for the night. The "sugar loaf" island just off the land is famous for its Humbolt Penguins but we skipped the opportunity for a boat ride out the following morning as it was expensive, freezing and the girls were more than happy examining the dead specimen we found on the beach. Luckily the small town near the beach resort Bahia Inglesia came up trumps with a laundry, pretty good after a 500km search! We camped in what would in peak season be a campsite for 300 plus people but we had it to ourselves bar two tents. We spent a very relaxing day here doing next to nothing although the kids had fun putting up our tent and playing in it. It was nice to have a break from the recent long drives. Making our way further down the coast to La Serena, only another 7 hours though the desert, we slept on the promenade for the night. It reminded us very much of Spain. The town was pretty but not enough to tempt us for another night, so we headed out to the fertile Elqui Valley to check out the Pisco and the stars. The local wildlife checking out our shiny new shock absorbers.

After the rough drive through the beautiful South West Circuit it was time to see if we could get some things fixed on the truck in Uyuni. First stop was the truck wash to get the salt washed off from underneath the vehicle. Then it was off to the tyre change shop to have our puncture repaired. The puncture was repaired pretty easily but worryingly the guy could not get the tyre refitted without air coming out. He said to leave it with him and pick it up in the morning. As it was getting late we just parked on the street in town. As the evening wore on we could hear loud music. Initially we just thought this was a night club nearby but before going to bed decided to look outside to investigate. There was dancing in the street a little way up from us and they had blocked the road, were stopping traffic and lit fires in oil drums. As Uyuni has a recent history of blockades and protests we thought it would be a good idea to move so we woke Alisha and Lucy up, bundled them in the front,and drove a short way outside of town to camp in the rubbish laden area a few kilometres from town. The next morning we drove back into Uyuni and all was peaceful so maybe it had just been a fiesta. Our tyre was fixed so the next job was to have the disc brake cover repaired. We found a welder who did a good job and I was able to reinstall it. Our last job was to find a mechanic to see what the knocking sound was. I was pretty convinced it was the front shock absorbers and the mechanic we found confirmed this. He said we needed new ones but we would not be able to get them in Uyuni. That evening back at our rubbish strewn campsite we debated what we should do. Should we push on with our original plan and drive across Southern Bolivia, through Paraguay to Brazil or should we drive the relatively short distance into Chile. We knew we would be able to get new shock absorbers in both Brazil and Chile but Brazil was 2000kms away and the roads would probably not be that good. After looking through maps and a thorough discussion we decided we would head to Chile do a loop South and then head back up to Paraguay and Brazil. The only problem was that the drive to the first main town in Chile was along 450kms of dirt road. Fortunately it was not too bad. The scenery was spectacular and the border crossing was really easy with the only delay been because the border officials were having lunch. We had heard that on entering Chile we could lose most of our food and there is a form with a long list of things you can not bring in. We declared we had food and would then wait to see what they took. The inspector wanted to look in the truck but seemed more interested in its lay out. He asked if we had any fruit or vegetables and I opened the fridge. He confiscated the small amount we had but fortunately left everything else. On entering Chile we started descending and entering the Atacama Desert. We arrived in the town of Calama where supposedly it has only rained four times in the last 80 years. On arrival my impression was that the town was a little bit like Stockton (sorry you need to have been born in Middlesbrough to understand that one) but you could immediately see how much more developed it was than Bolivia. We camped in a camping area at a large sports complex. As the next day was Sunday we had time to kill so wandered into town. There was nothing really to see and it was pretty closed anyway so we wandered further to the large shopping centres. It was clear we were back in the first world! The shopping centres had everything and we were able to buy all the the thingswe had been looking for for a long time such as new water filters, an ipad charger etc. We went shopping in the great supermarket and whilst everything was more expensive than Bolivia there was a great choice. One thing though was cheaper than anywhere on our travels so far, wine! Wine started at about $3 a bottle so for $6 you could get a pretty good bottle. Needless to say we restocked the truck. The next day we headed to the MAN garage on the outskirts of town. We were really glad we had decided to come to Chile as on inspection underneath the truck a bolt had come out of part of the steering. We think this had happened very recently but were glad we still did not have a long drive in front of us. We spent all day at the garage as they tried to source the spare parts. The guys did an excellent job and at 8pm we were finished with new shock absorbers and all our brake sensors working properly again. The last job we had to do in Calama before leaving was change the Bolivian money we still had left. As we had left Bolivia earlier than planned we still had quite a bit. The banks would not change it so we were left with the money changers. Each time I had been into town they had been closed so on our final morning I gave it one last go. This time they were open but the rate both of them offered was about 60 per cent of the mid market rate so I basically told them they could stuff it. We drove the short distance to the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama. This is near the Bolivian border and only about 100kms from where we were had our puncture before in South West Bolivia. If only we had known we were going to Chile we could have crossed the border there as opposed to the long way round we had taken. We camped in a dusty campsite in town and I immediately went to see if I could change our Bolivian Bolivars. I tried a different tactic this time. At the money exchange I explained that I wanted to buy Bolivian Bolivars and the lady quoted me a rate which was not great. I then pulled my Bolivian Bolivars out and she realised I wanted to sell them not buy them. I apologised for the misunderstanding and just explained that my Spanish was very bad. She now had to quote me a different rate to sell. The rate she gave me was very close to the mid market rate so I was happy and about 50 per cent better than in Calama. San Pedro de Atacama is a dusty tourist town set up as a base for people to do tours in the surrounding area. It is a town where nearly all the buildings are made of adobe and was quite pleasant to wander around for an hour or so. However the next day we decided to head out so see some of the surrounding sights. First we headed to Laguna Cejar a salt lake that you could float in because of the high concentration of salt. However it drops below freezing at night in the desert so the lake was not very warm. At first we could not manage to get on and only splashed around in the shallows. We were told the lake was only 15 degrees so it was very cold. Eventually Gilly and I took the plunge and went on far enough to prove you could float. Mind you we were only in long enough to get the photo and then we were straight out. After that we drove to the Valle de Luna. This is an area where the rocks have eroded to give the impression of a lunar landscape. It was very beautiful especially with the ring of volcanoes in the background. We drove onto a ridge overlooking the valley to watch the sunset and this made a perfect spot to camp for the night.