Day 59 - Uyuni and the Salt Flats

14 hour bus ride to Uyuni. You'd think we would be getting used to it by now. But no. They gave us a blanket this time, but it was still STONE COLD. Killer. But we arrived in town at 6am, below freezing (I had a club foot because it was touching the inside wall of the bus) and we fought off the hoards of tourist operators to get some breakfast. We had survived (there are reports of drunk night-bus drivers, so we were all a little nervous).



Uyuni is weird. Its proper small town. Dusty. Freezing. Bare. Breakfast was rank. Our hostal took our reservation, then gave our room away. At another hostal the owner shouted at Sonia for using a shower without permission, calling her a thief. Dan got offered a discount of 1 boliviano out of 90 he was paying for clothes. And some dude shouted at all of us for trying on some sunglasses. AND we got food poisened on the smallest and most rubbish lasagna I've ever had. This place is a mess. Seriously. But we found sanctuary at the tourist information centre, where we made our salt flats tour reservation, and headed off to get our last good nights sleep before the tour.



The tour was impressive. I know I gush a LOT about stuff on here, how EVERYTHING is AMAZING. But this was pretty special. We booked up for 4 days of jeeping around southern bolivia, taking in the largest salt flat in the world, volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, red lakes, wind-blow rocks, and a shed load of alpacas. We started by jeeping onto the salt flat, where people are chipping away at the salt to sell it to the rest of bolivia. We visited a salt hotel (yep, a hotel made entirely of salt) which has been condemned because it was contaminating the surrounding salt during the floods.



After this, we bombed for 45 minutes across the flawless salt flats. salt stretching for miles. not a hint of civilisation. it was really special. and we stopped for lunch at this amazing island right in the middle, totally overgrown with cacti. Dan was pretty sick at this point, so kept Sam conpany at the bottom, but the rest of us trekked up to the top to get a view over the whole of the flats.



We were given the chance to take some photos on the flats themselves too, since the conditions are great for classic small or far away photos. I took this one of sam, but we ran out of time so the rtest aren't so good. It was pretty fun trying to think of things we could do though.









Before the sun set, we headed to an ancient inca graveyard, which meant another feast of bones on display for us. This time I managed to find ANOTHER ONE that looks a lot like my boyfriend.



Night fell, and after a nice meal we played some cards and hit the sack in our VERY basic accomdation. I went out for a cigarette at about midnight, and this was truely the most amazing night sky I have ever seen. It was STONE COLD, but amazing. The arch of the milky way, and the sheer number of stars. Without being melodramatic, I have a feeling that this nighttime will be the one I remember from now on as being the most impressive. It was properly unreal.

Morning came, and after being told we might not have any accomdation booked and would have to sleep in the jeep if we didn't get moving, we hopped into shape at 6am (outside temps were -5 degrees) and headed across some salt flats to a whole load of wind carved volcanic rocks. Obviously, I was loving the rocks. And after breaking down and having to push the jeep into action (in reverse as well!) we headed on towards the first of the huge lakes.







The first lake was pretty special. We stopped for lunch and walked on the sulphur crust to get near the amazing pink flamingoes. I kinda pushed dan in the water, although he managed only to wet his foot, but the scenery was pretty special.





More rocks, more lakes. Its hard to describe, but there was a proper sense of adventure, crossing the plains, passing volcanoes and mountains and deserts. Its like touring a whole continent, but in 4 days. And despite having left the salt flats behind a whole day ago, the place was still pretty special.











Another nights sleep (this time with a shocking 5am wakeup call when it was still -15 degrees!), we had to be up early to see the venting geysers just down the road. This was a particular highlight for me, and I spent a good half an hour pracing between the billowing red hot steam, bubbling mud and soft sulphur-soaked pathways between the vents. I could have stayed all day. BUT, the hot springs down the road were calling us, and whilst sam was a bit too altitude-sick to jump in, we all braved the 0degrees air temperature, stripped off and jumped in. and it was HOT. as hot as a proper hot bath. getting out, however, was FREEZING.









We visited the last lake of the trip, the Lago Verde, which apparently changes colour to green when the wind blows. But the wind didn't blow. Dan, Marcin and I spent an hour skimming stones (the colour changes when you do that) in near silence, taking in the beauty of the place. Then we dropped Alice off at the Chilean border and headed back to the hot springs again for another dip and some lunch.



Things kinda quietened down from here. I shut up, for once, and just took things in for the next couple of days. even dan quietened down. We drove across the countryside for about 3 hours, stopping only once that afternoon to clamber over some huge towering rocks, that the pre-incas used as a defensive fort.



The next day, after a few too many games of Cheat (Sonia was exceptional at this), we found ourselves at the top of a huge valley. Marcin talked the rest of us (except Sam, of course) into walking down to the bottom of the valley, where we then had lunch by a stream. For about 3 hours we didn't see one single other jeep. It was just us.





Last stop, the train cemetary, right outside of Uyuni. This was pretty cool. Ditched train wreckages everywhere. I did an Indiana Jones style run across the roof of a train, but sam told me off for being a knob. so I stopped. rust can kill, folks.





And then back to Uyuni. Pretty amazing stuff. worth the early morning. worth the hours in the jeep. worth the 30 quid for the 4 days. It was pretty special.