San Pedro de Atacama

Im in the Chilean desert. Thank god. Im sick of being cold. I actually got to wear shorts and suncream today for the first time and I couldn´t be happier.

Yesterday I went sandboarding. Yes, that is an actual sport. Really enjoyable except that they dont have a chairlift back up-you have to walk. No steps either. Its very tiring walking uphill in the sand so I wont be going again, but it was really fun.

Then went on a tour to the Lunar valley to watch the sunset. The sunset itself wasn´t as impressive as I thought it would be. Myself and Niamh saw way better from our balcony in Tenerife. However, the landscape was incredible and something I´ll never forget. Sort of a cross between the moon and the grand canyon (not that Ive actually been to either of these places).

The Germans found me. This town is so small and in the end I was happy enough to have them around, so we could go for a few drinks. I got a few unexpected prezzies. A Brazilian girl gave me a traditional stone statue that will keep me safe. An Argentinian guy gave me a black Virgin statue also to keep me safe. I must be giving off wreckless vibes. The Canadian German couple Ive been travelling with for a few days gave me a big bottle of vodka. Ah, how well they know me in such a short space of time. Got drunk but had a fairly tame night. There is no nightclub here and was in bed by 1am. I had a good 27th bday. Thanks to everyone who sent tex and emails. It made being here instead of Dublin a lot easier.