Day 27 - Our last day in Bolivia, 5000 meters altitude, the stunning Lago Verde then our final journey to the remotest of borders....... to CHILE, DESTINATION 18!!
 
The scariest of mornings saw us leaving at 5 .30am in the pitch black, the only bonus of this freezing cold start was that we got to see the sunrise across the Altiplano and mountain range which was stunning as we drove. All back together in Pedro's jeep we continued bouncing along the deep sand and dirt planes (one of which famous for where Salvador Dali wrote a book?), then as the sun rose all around us we stopped at some random active geysers at Sol de Manana, the smell being very much like Rotorua in NZ, but the freezing cold winds meant we didn't get out of the jeep to look at them for long! By now we were almost at 5000 metres altitude the highest ever yet, blimey is all we can say to that, pass the aspirin!
 
This morning we also had the opportunity to experience some natural hot springs that reside in the desert landscape but seeing as it was 'friggin freezin' and we'd heard the many reports of people fainting when they got out of them, we all chickened out, it was too cold that morning to even get your swimmers on too so it was a definite no no unfortunately . When we arrived there a few other jeep riders were already in the natural pool so we experienced it through them instead and migh they looked a tad blue when they got out! Then breakfast outside in the cold with no pancakes in sight, boo, we headed off again, after the weirdest loo on our trip ever which at the end of the 'experience' sees you throwing not water but SAND in the pan!!, well we are in the desert I suppose.... Back in the jeeps we headed through the Valley of Dali to another place we had been dreaming of seeing, 'Laguna Verde.' Again for all of us it was another 'take your breath away' moment, the stunning emerald lake, lined by salt with Volcan Llicancahur dominating the landscape was awesome, the perfect place to end our journey in this amazing but bizarre country of Bolivia.
 
Next, 30 minutes later we were at the border for Chile, I would probably describe this as the remotest and most random of borders we have ever experienced, a small concrete room for border control in the middle of absolutely nowhere depicting the line between these two countries, with a burnt out bus for the toilet, just mega! Saying goodbye to Pedro and Bolivia, we took our bags, had our passport checked by the 'one man and his table' then into Chile we were, destination 18!! Goodbye Bolivia it's been a BLAST!!