San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: Sssssshhhh!!!!

Hostal Vilacoyo One block from the main plaza, 7000 pesos x person

Well we definitely weren´t in Bolivia anymore, the prices had risen, the temperature had risen, the number of laws had risen.

First, we had to get used to the new currency $1 = 600 Chilean pesos. What?! The hostal costs 7,000 pesos!!! (oh wait... just give us a moment to get out our rusty math skills).

Regardless, things were expensive. We definitely weren´t going to find any $3 hostals there. We knew right away that the moment we had crossed that Bolivian border, we had entered a new world.

San Pedro was hot, desert like and had zero cheap forms of entertainment. We tried to make our own entertainment but first got reprimanded in the hostal for talking too loudly at 10:30 p.m. and then, the following day, almost arrested.

Apparently, our drumming in the plaza was not appreciated by everyone. The local police promptly arrived on the scene and while one rudely questioned us and told us to follow him, the other flirtatiously winked at us (real professional, the ol´ good cop, bad cop routine).

Unfortunately, we couldn´t leave this expensive tourist trap as quickly as we had hoped due to a lack of buses. However, we did make the most of our time there with our new friends Sarah (England) and Rachel (New Zealand), a bottle of wine and funny, girl gossip.