Salt flats

Didn’t get a great nights sleep last night, woke up thinking about work around 4am. It was an early start to get ready for the volcano tour this morning, we were even waiting for breakfast to open. The tour started off with a visit to the national park for a look at the volcanos. We got to hold some hot stones heated by the volcano, watch them set fire to a branch in a hole in the ground and then they created a geyser by pouring water into the ground and waiting for it to heat up and stream out, good warm up for Yellowstone in a few weeks time. Coach did a tour around to volcano lava field which was great to see and then headed over to an old fishing village on the West coast, dramatic surf and black sand. From there it was over to one of the few working salt farms, just large areas of the land where salt water is allowed to evaporate over time. Last stop was a vineyard for a wee drop of wine and a look at how they plant the vines in large holes in the ground to protect them from the trade winds but also to get through the large quantities of volcano ash to the soil below. Mum had just finished her lunch when we got back but came in to eat with us. Afternoon by the pool in the wind as the sheltered beds had already been taken. Sent an email off to the travel company for Jellystone to see where we have to meet the sunrise tour as it’s a 75 minute drive to the park so don’t fancy a 4am start to get there for sunrise.