Salt plains
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2006
1
30
76
Trip End
Feb 01, 2007
Uyuni,
Bolivia
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Day 1 - Dodged ambulances, police and numerous cyclists on a race which no one had told the agency about - sounds like the usual communication channels eh? Avoided buying very useful ashtrays etc made of salt before arriving on the salt plain proper. Itīs beautiful to see such a wide expanse of salt but a little disconcerting as you keep thinking it must be snow and ice (and itīs cold enough to believe this too). Drove out to a hotel made of salt before heading to the island of Incahausi - a mass of cacti rising out of nowhere. Along with the other forty or so jeeps and buses we cooked up some pasta and enjoyed the sunshine. Spent the night in another salt hotel on the edge of the plains - very surreal and very cold
A. Outskirts of Uyuni (doubles as a rubbish tip)
.Day 2 - Woke up at the crack of dawn and dragged our driver out of bed to head off inland. Next we found a place to sit and heat up whilst staring at a live volcano in the distance. Found some beautiful lakes with a few flamingos still hanging out while all their friends head to sunnier climes. Depending on the colour of the plankton, we saw white, pink and positively red birds - gorgeous. Chased some Vicuņa up a hill to get a photo - theyīre quite rare and very shy so my red jumper didnīt help matters. Drove on through more rugged landscapes to a mass of wind-blown rock formations and the famous Rock Tree. Chased a bunch of very obnoxious Germans down off the rock before taking photos - amazing how many idiots you meet out here. Drove on to find the aforementioned Germans had nicked our beds at the next hotel so we headed on past the beautiful Laguna Colorado (Red Lake) to a rather grotty little place out in the desert. Great company more than compensated (you can always rely on Scottish blokes and Irish lassies to liven up the conversation!)
Day 3 - Woke up before dawn was anywhere near cracking! About 4.30am. Drove out to see some smoke billowing up into the night sky at the local geysers. Lots of hot mud bubbled and leapt out from the huge pits. Drove on to some hot springs where various tourists (including Allan) braved the ice and cold air to strip down and bathe for an hour or so...I stuck to the hot tea and pancakes. Dropped off one of our companions at the border with Chile and headed back through landscape straight out of a Salvador Dali painting. More flamingos, more lakes, more desert and more punctures and a hell of a lot more driving! And all this for only 60 US dollars!!!!! Well worth the numb-bum!
