An incredible 3 day 2 night adventure
Day 1: The Bolivian border control was the smallest and most informal I have ever encountered. It was a short minibus trip to the Chilean frontier from San Pedro but a further 20 minutes drive before we reached the Bolivian. It was a small hut located in the middle of nowhere 4,500 metres above sea-level. It must have been around minus 5 degrees because I was shaking with cold and every time I opened my mouth plumes of steam were emitted. Breathing was a problem. It got more and more difficult the higher we drove. Once we had our passports stamped for the 39th time since leaving London (yes I stood and counted them), we had breakfast outside (much to my dismay) with the whole group gathered around a table. There were a total of 12 people in our tour group and we were divided between two 4x4´s. Ali and I shared one of the two vehicles with 2 Americans, an Aussie and a Kiwi. Our guide/driver/chef was called Felix but didn't speak a word of English. Immediately after breakfast our backpacks were hauled onto the roof, covered with plastic sheeting and strapped in place. Because I was the tallest in our group I was nominated to sit in the front with the driver. Three people sat directly behind me and the other two sat at the very back. There was enough space for all of us and it wasn't too uncomfortable. We began our exciting adventure by racing accross the vast plains of Bolivian terrain, leaving nothing but long trails of dust as headed towards our first big attraction. We stopped to appreciate the beautiful views of Lago Blanco (White Lake) followed by Lago Verde (Green Lake). The huge lakes were still and mirror-like which reflected both the stunning mountains and the whispy clouds that remained static in the sky.
Me, Ali and the 4x4
In the thermal pool:
Sharmin, Danielle, Jason, Gerard, Ali & Me
Next stop, more geo-thermal activities. We visited more hot bubbling gysers before enjoying another dip in a thermal pool. This was a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better. Danielle is from Colorado and she met Jason (from NYC) while traveling a few weeks ago. Sharmin is from Melbourne and Gerard is from Auckland. They are both traveling alone. We are all about the same age and get on really well together. We bathed for as long as we could bare before getting dressed and continuing onwards to the thrid and final attraction. There was a brief snow storm as we neared Lago Rojo. Yes another coloured lake but this was by far the most incredible. It was red and covered with hundreds of flamingoes. We walked along the lakeside watching in astonishment. It was almost as if we had entered a different world. A tranquil environment of which only flamingoes populate. I felt invisible. As if it couldn't be possible for us to be there. We had been taken to a place which was so unbelievably majestic and untouched by man. It was stunning!
Flamingoes at Lago Rojo
Lago Rojo (Red Lake)
Lago Rojo (Red Lake)
Both lunch and dinner were served at the building with beds. I find our accomodation difficult to describe any other way. It was a brick building...with beds inside. We ate sitting at the tables in the corridor which was lined with windows looking out onto the bleak snowy landscape. For dinner the cooks made spaghetti bolognese but the main attraction were the condiments. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the brand name on the bottle of ketchup. And mayonese. And mustard. The name was Kris! My name was everywhere. I felt so violated. I was registered as a trademark!!! After dinner I climbed into the prison-like bed and tried to read. It was so cold. The generators we were switched off and lighting ceased to exist after 9pm.
Apparently I make mayonese
Day 2: I didn't sleep. I roused to find myself in a cold and thirsty state along with a throbbing headache. Again, compliments of the altitude. Considering there were no showers (or hot water) and I wore all my clothes to bed in order to keep warm, the morning was relatively simple. I got out of bed and...Well, I was ready! Our breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and bread. The Americans asked for Kris ketchup. We packed the vehicle again and set off around 8:30. Felix played the usual Bolivian music through speakers which were obviously in need of replacing. I suppose it was better than nothing and added a nice touch to the whole experience. After a while the songs actually became quite catchy and we were even guilty of singing along to a few of them. Today offered a wide selection of sights and activities. This morning we got to see more flamingoes, the occasional group of llamas and some rock formations in the desert which looked exactly like the landscape setting of a Road Runner cartoon. This provided another great opportunity for a group photo. After climbing all over the rocks to obtain even better views of the arid landscape, we drove onwards accross the desert to a place were we could stop and have lunch. Sometimes I wondered how on earth the drivers knew where they were going. There were no roads to speak of. They just seemed to pick a direction and drive. Miles and miles of nothing except the occasional spectacular lake, hill or mountain. Felix prepared our lunch in a kind of valley between two giant rock formations which offered more great views of the surrounding landscape. He prepared tuna, rice, salad and fresh fruit. Not forgetting, the Kris products which added a little something extra to the food.
Cool rock formations in the desert
Ali dwarfed by the ancient moss
While sucking on quite possibly the best loli pop I have ever had, we stopped the car to look at a giant piece of moss. An ancient piece of moss which is believed to be over 400 years old. Apparently it grows only 1 millimeter every year. During our long ride to the eagerly waited Salt Hotel (where hot showers were promised) we played memory games to keep us occupied (and frustrated). We arrived at the Salt Hotel at around 5pm and I was really quite taken by it. The whole building was constructed using bricks of salt. Even the floors inside were covered in thin powdery salt. The tables and chairs in the dinning area where made with, yes, you guessed it...Salt! The hotel was really very cool. It was cosy and intimate and warm too. The beds were comfortable and as promised hot showers were available. We ate llama steaks for dinner with some strange but tasty rice-like stuff. The meat was a bit too chewy for my liking but maybe they had just over-cooked it. After dinner the Swiss girls from the other group taught me some Swiss-German before I headed off to bed. I looked forward to a good nights sleep.
Day 3: We ate breakfast at the Salt Hotel before making another 8:30 start. Today was definitely the highlight of our 3-day trip. Actually, what I saw today is probably the most stunning and inconceivable sight I have seen in my whole life. As we started to drive accross the salt lake I was immediately stunned at their being no visible horizon. It was as if we were driving on top of a giant mirror. It was so surreal. Words can't accurately describe what I saw. Needless to say, this unusual experience had a strange effect on all of us. The Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia's largest salt lake, was created forty thousand years ago as a flat bed into which the salty mineral residue drained from the mountains. The effect of which has left a great watery salt plain which reflects everything. It almost feels like you're walking on water. Or clouds, depending on which way your brain processes the information. The Salar de Uyuni covers over twelve thousand square kilometers and is one of the largest salt flats in the world. I discovered that the lake is only six to twenty inches deep which explains why, during the wet season, the lake can be traversed not by boats but by four wheel vehicles. We continued accross the surface of the lake stopping at various points along the way. Just before lunch we arrived at an island which was covered in cactuses. We climbed to the top and back before embarking on some rather ambitious photography projects back on the salt. The one photograph that will remain prominent in my mind for a long time involved streaking. Yes, five of us stripped and ran into the horizon as naked as the day we were born. Sharmin happily took the pictures (fully clothed)! Like I said, Salar de Uyuni had a strange effect on all of us.
The mirror-like surface of Salar de Uyuni
The other 4x4 driving into...
The dry surface of Salar de Uyuni
Ali and I having fun on the salt
We loved using the camera timer
Danielle and I discuss life lying on the salt flat
We arrived in Uyuni at 4:00pm where the six of us enjoyed beers, pizza and wine at one of the local pizzarias. The restaurant was popular with gringos (tourists) but only because they really did make the best pizzas. Danielle shared my enthusuasm for something a little stronger than wine and so we ended up drinking margaritas all night. The six of us talked about the past couple of days and concurred, it was a trip of a lifetime!
