GRAND THEFT AUTO in the Atacama desert, Chile.
(sometime in September- it´s all a bit of a blur now)
So, as if the language barrier wasn´t enough of a challeneg, Fo and I decided that perhaps it would be agood idea to add some interest to our travelling lives and get involved with a drug trafficker in Chile. Actually, we just surmised his being a drug baron, but he´s definitely a dodgy character and since everything he told us turned out to be lies, we´re making up our own about him. The story, in short, runs soemthing like this. Fo and I, being two trusting souls, believed a fellow travellers story about being robbed of all his cards and soem money while in santiago. We´d just completed a long bus ride with this guy who was British but also fluent in Espanol, and his Chilean girlfriend. We all wanted to head to a village in the Atacama desert, San pedro for a few days of exploration and at the bloeks suggestion, decided on renting a 4by4 truck. We put our names to the vehicle as he ahd no cards and she had no licence. We asked for up front payment which he assured us would be immediate and on that note we headed into the desert. WE spent the next few days travelling round with this couple, practising our Spanish and being treated to sumptuous meals and some amazing sights along the way. And ont he third night we said goodnight to the pair, still pondering, as we had been the whole time, their relationship and just general oddity. We had the truck key and a restless nights sleep. the next morning we still ahd the key but no travelling companions and no truck. Just vanished into the cool desert air!
What followed were a few stressful days of reporting to the police, being told he was probably after the car to run drugs fromt he Bolivian border which is only 40km away, arguing with the rental car company (tahnkfully we were fully insured) and becoming legends at the local Hostelling International for the story. One Irish girl there heard the whole story four times as her room was just outside reception where we both called our parents and embassies. She then told all the other travellers in our hostel and anyone who happens to read her blog page. It was slightly embarassing to become celebrities for such a reason but SOO reassuring to hear them all share their own rental car horror stories and confirm how when you travel you do just trust in people. We´re a little more wary now.
The funny thing is that this drug baron actually showed us a pretty good time. We travelled out to some awesome geysers at dawn and drove through the amazing Atacama desert absorbing its vast beauty. we saw the sunset in Valle de la Luna and saw our first real wild flamingo in a mineral lake that sits at 4700m. All around us were volcano like mountains coloured with a all manner of read, browns and orange. It was just an extraordinary place. We´re not letting ourselves be too glum about the betrayal and have put it behind us and moved on to Peru. We arrived this morning and begin a week long climb to gain altitude in preparation for our Andes trek next week. I can´t wait!
Bless my friends and maybe bless the drug baron as well becasue he paid for our accomodation ( the night he left), made sure we had the key to the truck and full insurance. And I fulfilled my life long dream of helping illegal dealings in South America....bastard.
Much love,
Camille
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