Walking on the Moon.

SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA, CHILE.

RJ wants to drive directly to the office of El Valle de la Luna rather than trust the website. We have breakfast at 9 am and are on the way by 9:45. She's right, we can book in and pay at the office. The girl explains where we drive to, where we can walk and even that our ticket allows us to visit a sightseeing spot tonight to watch the sunset. There are a number of don'ts: no smoking, no alcohol and no eating. We drive to the first stop and fall foul of the last rule. RJ opens a packet of crisps and the warden swoops ( well, rather walks slowly over to stop us.) This first stop takes us to a Mirador via a steep climb, great views. Breathing was heavy and some chest discomfort as we approach the summit.

The dip in the ridge is the spot where the photo of us was taken.

We move on to the next stop but our girl in the office had crossed it out for us. An hour's walk may be deemed too hazardous for a couple who'd requested the senior citizens' discount! The next is a gentle climb up to an old mine. There is evidence of buildings and equipment. Finally, we visit a rock formation that resembles the 3 Mary's praying. We retrace the drive back to the office. The whole thing takes a couple of hours.

We stop on the edge of town in order to book a tour to the geysers on Sunday. We've no idea of the cost s o RJ goes into one tour agent and PG another. There are literally dozens of the outlets in the town. PG's agent is $2,000 cheaper per person. Neither speaks English but we both understand them. After a little confirmation for RJ , we choose Felipe, the cheaper one. It's $50,000 or £50 each. $15,000 is the entrance ticket. It' an early start but we are meeting at the hotel, breakfast is included and we're due back by midday. A second, slightly cheaper purchase of a corkscrew, or sacacorchos in Spanish, is made for $2,000 so that we can have a glass of red wine tonight.

The sightseeing spot is on a large rock formation called The Coyote. It's situated on the Calama Road approximately 11km from the hotel. Naturally, we miss the sign and drive a further 11km before turning back. We find the gathering of vehicles on the right next to the small sign. Surprisingly, there is a larger more striking black sign alongside it. Why the office don't use this as a marker, I'll never know!

Last entry for private viewing is at 19:30. Sunset is at 20:00 and we're expected to leave by 20:10. We'd allowed plenty of time and, even with the detour, we were there by 19:15. 45 minutes seems a age when one is waiting for the sun to set. People are stood on the rock edges straining to get a better view of the sun disappearing below the mountains in the west. Although it was worth seeing, we have seen equally impressive ones on our travels. And, nothing can compare to the one PG saw in Jo'burg RSA. The sun appeared to set into the lake.