Well we made it to the Salar de Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia, a place Steve really wanted to see & a place I visited 9 years ago and was happy to visit again.
One thing about the Salar - the largest salt flat in the world - is that
it always changes. Not only did we meet a giant boy during this visit, but also the surface of the salt was covered in water as we headed out toward Isla Incahuasi, the trippy island full of giant cacti (also known as Isla de los Pescadores) so we felt like we were travelling through the sky.
We stayed in a salt hotel - a hotel constructed of salt - and listened to the pounding rain pour down outside as we sat and chatted with other tourists. In the morning we headed out across the desert to see the various shallow lakes (which sadly are noticeably drying up) where flocks of flamingoes feast.
Laguna Colorada with its pink water reflective of the flamingoes and the volcano in the background is certainly a highlight.
Our third day saw us getting up at 4 am. First stop was these geysers at 4270 meters.
We dropped some tourists off at the Chilean border, then we headed back to Uyuni with the driver. On the way back we stopped at Valle de las Rocas where these mystical giants watch the sky and the silence is loaded with mystery.
I think we covered 1000 km in 3 days. Unfortunately more rain on the way back to town (the rainy season has started and these rains are torrential when they come!). Here is our driver fixing a broken wheel. . . just a tad muddy!
Got back to town in time to get the new year´s in Uyuni and got some charms and herbs from a Quechuan woman in the market. I was told to pour a little alcohol on the ground in honour of Pacha Mama and burn the bundle for good luck in the new year, which I did.
Tomorrow we head back to Peru... where we will spend the rest of our remaining South America time.
Time is flying ...
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