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  This is one of the very last pictures I took in Chile, an hour or so before leaving for Bolivia. It sums up the state of the country - Control Policial!

  Salt flats in Chile are quite small compared to Bolivia, but Laguna Baltinache is truly unique. It consists of several turquoise ponds in the salt field, in two of them it is allowed to swim. The water is said to be saltier than in the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. 

  Located 4,320 metres above sea level, the El Taito geothermal field is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. There are also many lakes in the area, and a diverse flora and fauna. 

  San Pedro de Atacama is a dusty, little desert town with a large number of indigenous people, now a major tourist destination due to its amazing surroundings. You find volcanos, geysers, desert and mountain landscapes, lagoons and smaller salt fields in the area. Tours to and from the Bolivian salt field, Salar de Uyuni, also start or end here.

  Several Chilean people said Antofagasta wasn't a good place, but I wanted to stop on the coast again before going inland and its setting looked nice on photos with its desert mountains - it reminded me of Egypt. The setting is indeed nice, but you can't really visit the hills as they are not safe. I went up a bit but felt at unease, and later was told to avoid those areas. The city itself is quite run-down, and all the beaches are dirty and abandoned. Anyway, it was an interesting stop-over.

  When I changed my hostel because I didn't like the crime-infested Plaza de Armas area, I didn't realise that I moved into the epicentre of the protests, Plaza Italia, or as it is officially known today, Baquedano. However, on the night before I flew to Rapa Nui, it all became obvious. Right in front of the hostel there were clashes between anarchists and the police - I captured a few photo from the terrace of the hostel. Then, on the night I returned from Rapa Nui, the street was burning in front of the hostel. A few quite days followed, then on the 4th of September, the day of the referendum, Plaza Baquedano was taken over again. The new constitution was rejected by the majority of the Chileans, and those who wanted it accepted vented their anger on the street again. That was 2 days ago - and today, just before I leave Santiago, there was a large demonstration again near La Moneda, the presidential palace. So, it seems, the fight will go on....

I would have loved to stay longer, but my time was up and I had to leave Rapa Nui, an island of friendly people, pleasant climate and mysterious past...

  The French girl and I rented a car for one day and went to visit the important sites on the island, taking a young Rapa Nui man as a guide. It is compulsory to have a local accompany you to enter most of the places. We started at the top of the Rano Kau volcano, then followed the circuit I did earlier by bicycle, and this time I visited the sites I didn`t see earlier. In the late afternoon, now without the guide, we drove back to Anakena beach and then the moais of Ahu Tongariki to watch the sunset.

Along the northern coast of the island there is no road, but walking it is a beautiful one-day hike. A French girl I met in the camp and I got an early morning lift to Anakena beach on the other side of Rapa Nui and we started from there. There are many moais but they are all fallen, except the ones at the end in Hanga Roa. But the coastline is spectacular.

  Starting from Hanga Roa towards the commercial port and passing the airport, an easy hike can take you to the rim of the Rano Kau volcano. The view inside the crater is spectacular, and in the opposite direction you can see the whole island. On the way up I followed the longer route along the asphalt road, but down I found the shortcut through the woods. Back on the coast I stopped at the Ana Kai Tanata cave. The rest of the day was spent exploring and relaxing in Hanga Roa.

  On the first full day on a borrowed bicycle I went around the southern and eastern coastline to the other end of the island, then back to Hanga Roa over the hills in the centre. I only entered archaeological sites that were free, and observed a few more from the distance. I planned to see these at another time.

Although a week later, but I did arrive in Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. A very old dream came true!

  I met a Chilean man who said Pinochet wasn't that bad, the economy was good, and "only" some 2000 people got killed, not tens of thousands... Well, as far as I am concerned, it was a brutal dictatorship that may have been good for some but brought misery to most of the population. And even if only 1 person got killed, that's already 1 too many. And what about those who didn't get killed, only imprisoned and tortured? And how many went missing, not counted as dead? How many had to leave Chile? I was only a kid, but I remember the influx of Chilean refugees who came to Hungary. No matter how hard you try, you cannot convince me Pinochet wasn't that bad.

  I had a problem with my "Mobility Pass" and wasn't allowed to board a plane to Easter Island, so I spent more time in Santiago than I wanted. 

  Only a short bus ride away along the coast, Viña del Mar looks absolutely different from Valparaíso. It is a modern, clean, and characterless beach city with high rise buildings, shopping malls and expensive restaurants and bars.

  Valparaíso, or Valpo for short, is a port city built on 42 hills. All the houses are very colourful, most of them covered with graffiti or murals. It's quite run down these days, but it has a special atmosphere.

  It has its nicer areas and a few hills with beautiful views, but otherwise Santiago is not the most attractive city. Its setting, however, with the snow-covered mountains as a backdrop, is spectacular.

  A very picturesque trip...