Salt flats
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
60
69
Trip End
May 08, 2009
Arrive in Potosi on Holy Thursday before embarking on a three day tour of the largest Salt Flats in the world. Potosi's silver mines are still in use - back in the 16th century they made the city the richest in the world and the second most populous after London. That wealth is barely visable today, apart from a handful of mine owners who rather obnoxiously drive about in brand new hummers. We head across dirt roads to Uyuni - you can immeditately tell how touristy a place is in South America by the amount of Italian restaurants and this place has the highest concentration of pizzerias I've ever seen. Everyone is here to see what will surely become one of the natural wonders of the world when the all the online votes are cast later this year. Another wonder on this trip is that every 4 by 4 is a Toyota Land Cruiser - the local guides don't trust anything else. The dirt roads here put them to the test. The scenery, as well as the accomodation on the trip, is wild and desolate.
