An incredible treat after standing in the cold desert at sunset. The smell came from a fantastic grand-mother’s style soup, with chunky vegetables inside, served with white bread. We were first given infusions and coffees with biscuits (we all agreed that it was weird before dinner, but we all ate them and drank them happily, so maybe it makes sense…) and then dinner was served. On top of the great look of the house, there was a beautiful smell of food when we got in. You can also have your James Bond moment of running over the top of some wagons, a lot of fun! Of course, you always have to watch your ass and don’t act like a dope, because if you fall down from the top of these giant trains or hit one of these rusty screws, you will probably find a lot less fun in the overall experience!

It apparently didn’t end very well, based on the amount of rusting metal sitting out there, but there’s a great buzz for tourists! Like pretty much everything in Bolivia, there aren’t many rules and protection for these trains, so you can just climb up on them, take arty pictures or stupid ones, or just feel like you’re travelling in time while walking along them.

Apparently, according to Marcelo, a deal was done with the British back then, that all trains and tracks would be provided in exchange for their choice of minerals and natural resources. Built in 1892, a huge train track is to be crossed to discover dozens of old rusty vintage looking trains.

Our first stop was the famous train cemetery. Our guide, called Marcelo, explained briefly what we were gonna do in Spanish and got the engine roaring. Eventually, the time had come to get on the Jeep and get some adventure! We were 7 tourists: Lara, Mayder & Ander from the Basque Country, Matheus from Brazil and the three of us, So’, our friend Eric and myself, all French.

Moon over savanna desert