Hi Sue,

I am not sure of your itinery in South America but here's what I did in case it's of use to you.

I landed in Santiago and would recommend the old market where you can wander around and get the most amazing seafood meals. Look out for a shell fish the size of a golf ball... delicious.

I went to Valparaiso... hopeless, but really liked Vena Del Mar. Just a bit further north of there was beautiful... good surf, pretty pelicans, great food (with music). The bus ride is really easy, even with my appalling Spanish getting me off the bus at the wrong place!

From there I headed north to Atacama. I found the most amazing place called San Pedro di Atacama - the "tourist centre" for heading off to Bolivia or Peru. It's not that busy and everyone is very friendly. All the hostels are good (allegedly), mine was great, run by a Croatian and called, I think, The Sontek.

I got a tour from there with Colque Travel on a trip to Bolivia. There I found that I suffered very badly from altitude sickness, probably because I didn't spend enough time acclimatising.

I then got a bus to the Peruvian border (Tourbus) and a cab into Peru (sounds crazy, but it is the easiest way). Then I took another bus to Arequipe and did a fantastic trip which included the Colca Canyon, Cusco, and the Inca trail to Macchu Pichu. In some ways that was the highlight of the whole journey around the world. I sat at the Sun Gate and burst into tears!

If you are going anywhere near anywhere htat I have mentioned, give a shout and I will rack my brain for more relevant info.

Good luck.