Time to say goodbye

The last border we cross with Javier is at the end of the lagoon route at almost 4500 metres above sea level. By now we know the process in our sleep and also this time everything works without problems. So here we are back in Chile. We know it will soon be time to say goodbye to Javier. Nevertheless, we want to spend a few more days here before we head south for good. Ahead of us is San Pedro de Atacama, a fairly well-known place here in Chile, which we have had on our list for a long time. It is located on a high plateau and surrounded by desert, salt lakes, volcanoes, geysers and lagoons. So there is more than enough to see.

We decide to set up camp a little outside the hustle and bustle on a quiet campsite. Exactly this freedom, which our own car gives us, is something we will miss very soon. We also make a friend right away. The camping dog wants to be looked after, and as good neighbours we cannot remain idle. So he hardly leaves our side and curiously follows everything we do. But we can't rule out the possibility that it's at least partly because Beni throws his favourite toy into a tree and only manages to get it down again after a major rescue operation...

The first excursion is to the "Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache", three extremely salty water holes in the middle of the desert. You can even bathe in one of them, which we of course don't miss. But the bath has to be hard-earned, because the way there is once again incredibly arduous. 70 kilometres on a bad road. Nevertheless, we take the trouble and enjoy the floating on the water all the more for it. Despite the fees you pay at the entrance, there are no showers here, so we are very grateful for our camping shower. This way we can at least get rid of the worst of the salt.

The next day is already the last outing. This time we will visit the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons. Somehow a fitting end, because in the last months we were allowed to visit various lagoons and once again we enjoy this special landscape. This is how one imagines the cover picture of a travel brochure for this region. And of course the obligatory guanacos are not to be missed. Even though the national park is very small here, we want to walk a few steps and park our car at one lagoon to go to the second one on the marked path. Once there, we are told very clearly that we have just done something unauthorised. The only right way would have been to drive everything by car - in a nature reserve, that is... We can only chuckle and since our car is still parked at the other lagoon, we have no choice but to walk back illegally. We don't think it's all that bad.

Now we have to make our way south as quickly as possible. We have been advertising our car for sale online for quite some time and a potential buyer is waiting in Santiago. And since the return flight to Switzerland is already booked for June, we feel a little time pressure for the first time in these two years. Nevertheless, we want to divide the trip over several days, otherwise it is simply too exhausting and boring. So we visit Antofagasta on the way, spend a day at the mechanic's to get the car in shape again and then arrive in more familiar climes. At the beginning of our time in Chile we had already made a detour to the north and so we want to revisit one of our most beautiful camping spots. When we arrive, we meet three German families travelling in the opposite direction. Of course we join them and enjoy the time around the campfire, eat freshly caught fish and stay an extra night.

Before we can sell the car, it has to be officially inspected. In Chile, you can go to a "Revision Tecnica" without an appointment. We are a little nervous, because our Javier has had to endure quite a few jolting roads. We hand in the keys and wait anxiously. Everything is checked in detail and finally only the bulbs of the reversing lights have to be replaced. A small matter that we can take care of just around the corner. Although the officer mentions that our car does not actually comply with all the regulations, as two of the rear seats have been removed in favour of the fridge and storage space and the third seat has no seat belt, he nevertheless gives us the important confirmation.

Once we arrive in Santiago, things suddenly move very quickly. After it has been thoroughly cleaned, we show our car to the prospective buyer, who unfortunately decides on a different one. We end up back at the agency that had already helped us with the purchase. Since it can be challenging to sell a camper in the off-season, they will hire it and then sell it for us. During the appraisal, he asks us how much we had paid to get through the "Revision Tecnica" with the back seat removed. It is quite common here that some money is paid. But we are glad that we were spared this. We would have liked to hand over our Javier personally, but we are still happy not to have to worry about it and to be able to continue our journey straight away. And so he is now sitting in Santiago, while we are ready to plunge into the backpacker adventure of Colombia.

Thank you Javier for nine wonderful months during which you gave us a bit of a home and never let us down even on seemingly impossible roads. We will always have fond memories of you, our first car!