La Paz seems like a long time a go but it was only a few short weeks.

Three days at high altitude and then we were off to even higher planes. Potosi was the first where we stayed in the town which claims to be the highest in South America and at 4900m, who am I to argue? Walking up the streets was hard work but the locals made it look easy as old ladies with loads on their back over took and disappeared from view before I had gone a quarter the distance. Galling! It is also a town known for its mountain of silver. The Spanish found this great wealth irresistible even to the point that they revoked a papal proclamation decrying the use of coca leaves by the indigenous peoples when they discovered that the use of said leaf meant the miners could work for long periods without food or sleep and did not complain about much.

Coca leaf is endemic in Bolivia and parts of Peru as a substance to chew or tea to drink. It staves off hunger, helps with the altitude, and generally makes a hard life seem more bearable. It was originally in Coca Cola and as a close cousin to cocaine has been extensively researched. I had some tea and all it did was make me pee but others chewed it and their mouths went numb. It is definitely an acquired taste!

Potosi is very grey but the people were friendly and the air was clean. Unlike the rivers which are polluted by the mining that continues today. Now, it is run as a co-operative and the working conditions leave everything to be desired. I did not go down the mines as I am a bit claustrophobic but those who did said it was amazing. After the loveliest days drive through multicoloured hills and valleys we got to Sucre. This is a Spanish colonial town that has the prettiest square and a nice feel about the place.

According to our drivers it was also the nicest hotel we will stay in. Very plush and friendly. Having had a birthday in Puno and another in La Paz we had a third in Sucre. Given our driver, Simon's, aversion to such things, we surprised him with a breakfast party complete with cake, champagne, balloons, presents and a full English breakfast. A good time was had by all – even the birthday boy! The trucks left us the next day and two drivers took them the long way round to meet us in Chile as we were off to cross the salt flats and the trucks would not have made it through the mud flats that lead into Chile.

A bus trip to Uyuni which took all day and we got up the next day to head off to Chile. First stop was to see the salt being shovelled off the flat and into tip-trucks. Due to the rains there was a shallow layer of water on the flat but that did not bother anyone as we got out and paddled around. It took three hours to drive out to a rocky island called Fish Island. This reflects its shape rather than the presence of any animal in the water. It is also covered in cacti, the oldest of which are 1200 – 1500 years old. Beautiful white blooms decorated some and they all grew up in strange and wonderful shapes.

By five in the afternoon our jeep had reached the shore nearest to San Juan, and we were hooning along to try and get there by dark. The reason for the rush was that we seemed to have gotten the most patient driver and the dodgiest jeep. It must have broken down six times and all of us had visions of being stuck there for hours. Nelson fixed it every time though, so no complaints. San Juan was a bit of a non-event. The lights go out at 10pm and although we heard after that there had been a disco, it's hard to give the notion credence. Beautiful stars though.

Next day was through dry country, and barren, but incredibly beautiful with it. Most is a protected area but it would be impossible to make a living there as nothing much grows. There were vicuñas and vizcachas (relatives of llamas and rabbits respectively) but not much else. We saw flamingos in coloured lakes and I took far too many photos. We had lunch in a snow storm at 5000m, and got to our nights accommodation in time for a hail storm. Excellent! Up at 4.30am the next morning to go see a geyser but I suspect the real reason is to make sure you have plenty of time to clear Chilean customs when you got there. In between we saw more coloured lakes and flamingos, mud pools and hot thermal springs for soaking feet in. All very good.

Crossing into Chile was not a problem despite the time factor and we were installed into our Christmas campsite by 2pm. That was December 23rd, and the next two days were spent cooking, eating, singing, sleeping, drinking and generally having a good time. On Dec. 26th I went down to Santiago on an overnight bus (whole journey took 24 hours) to get my visa sorted out for Brazil and then went back to meet the group for New Year at a place called La Serena. A good time was had by all and suddenly it was 2002.

Since then we have been to Santiago to collect new group members (our passenger group rose to 18 in number) and collect mail. Thank you to all my friends who wrote, it was much appreciated. Our group is now in Pucon, centre of the Chilean lake district, and watched over by the Osorno volcano which is happily puffing out smoke as I type. From here it is on to points south and Tierra del Fuego mid – January. While things in Argentina have been volatile, we are hoping that they will have calmed down before we get to Buenos Aires, and in order to spend more time in Chile, we will NOT be going to Paraguay. Rio in Carnival and I shall be there on February 9th.

That about brings you up to date. Life is never dull when travelling overland and I am looking forward to the challenges and adventures of the next few weeks

Thanks Jacqui and keep us posted! If anyone would like to contact Jacqui, her e-mail is: jacquitrotter@yahoo.com

What have you seen on your travels? Drop a line to the Beetle!