We decided to break up a very long bus journey by stopping off at Bahia Inglesa, a beach just outside the town of Caldera (1 hour from Copiapo). The place takes its name from the British pirates who took refuge there in the 17^th century. Today it's a popular vacation spot with its turquoise waters, long white-sand beach and Mediterranean feel. We spent a few hours admiring the idyllic setting whilst turning a subtle shade of red...

We arrived in La Serena (5 hours from Copiapo) later on that day for Sam’s final sleep in his 20s . Founded in 1544, La Serena is Chile’s second oldest city and is blessed with neo-colonial architecture, 29 churches, (thankfully) shady streets and golden shores. After a leisurely morning, we wandered around town and enjoyed a few birthday cervezas before heading out in the evening to a beachside restaurant for dinner. It was a treat to branch out from the rabidly popular 'completo’ (the Chilean hotdog, frankfurter-style with lashings of mayo and palta) but it was the most expensive and tasty meal that we had eaten for a while. You are only 30 once!

Having been introduced to the ‘piscola’ in Iquique, we were now at the source of the Chilean pisco production – Valle del Elqui. The area is also famous due to the Noble Prize winning poet, Gabriela Mistral. We visited two villages in the valley, Vicuna and Pisco Elqui, where we were able to tour a couple of pisquerias and do some tasting.

Onward day bus to Santiago, 7 hours.