Uyuni, the salt flats and La Paz

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It was 4 am and minus 8 degrees in Uyuni, the street dogs followed us around as we hunted for the office where we had been promised a sofa to sleep on. It turned out the address we have been given was incorrect so we traipsed around looking for the right place. We eventually found it and a little old lady let us in for a few hours sleep.

We had come to Uyuni for one reason, the salt flats, the way world's largest salt flat of 12106sq km, sits at 3653m. The next morning after a few hours sleep on a freezing cold sofa we started our 3 day tour with our guide Macedonio. The day started at the train cemetery, a large collection of historic steam locomotives and rail cars, dating back to the 19th century when there was a rail car factory in Uyuni. After a wander through the decaying trains and a quick go on the swing they've attached to one of the locomotives we were off to the next stop, the salt flats themselves. The expanse of white was impressive, and the silence rang in our ears. The mountains in the distance appeared to be hovering from the haze. I checked we weren't being fobbed off and had a quick taste of the ground, yep, definitely salt.

After the obligatory perception photos we were on our way again. This trip included a lot of driving but with awe inspiring landscapes at every turn we didn't mind.

Macedonia ( through translation from our Spanish and English speaking friendly, Brazilian companions) informed us of the lithium beneath the surface which Bolivians are said to be relying on for income. It is said that 50% of the world's lithium deposits are found here and the current government and Evo Morales are warding off offers from international mining companies and any outside involvement, believing that Bolivia will benefit more mining it themselves. Critics, however, are saying Bolivia doesn't have the technology to extract it quickly enough and this will scupper their plans of relying on it for their economy.

Our next stop was Isla Incahuasi, a lone island of cacti surrounded by the salt flats, a quick trek around to get the full view of the surrounding white, hexagonal salt tiles, it was all you could see as far as the horizon. After lunch we had a few hours drive to get to the salt hotel. The small village where it was based seemed like a ghost town and we later found out it was their holiday time and they had all gone away. Our salt hotel was very basic, and very cold, but a cool experience to have the salt crunching beneath your feet.

After a chilly nights sleep we had an early rise the next day, a quick stop at a mummy cemetery and a short race with a vicuña and we arrived at the 'rock army', a very large collection of rocks that looked like soldiers lined up in the army. We spotted the train that runs from Bolivia to Chile, and took some photos for a certain trainspotter we know. We then stopped for some more photo opportunities at an active volcano, possibly Ollague, before continuing on to the mineral rich Laguna's, home to all three species of Chilean flamingos. Here we enjoyed lunch looking out onto the lake with mountains surrounding us. The stone tree was our next stop before Laguna Colorado, a Laguna with a burnt orange colouration from the algae and plankton that live in the mineral rich waters at 4278m, the water is only 80cm deep. The wind here was really strong, to the point it would hold you up if you lent into it. I was grateful for my thermals!

An extremely cold night at 45600m followed, we passed the evening with the universally known game of uno, the choice of the Bolivians, before nestling under numerous blankets trying to get warm! It was rumoured temperatures reached -20 degrees! Definitely grateful for my thermals!

An even earlier start and we visited Sol de Manama, a large geyser field with an aroma of sulphur. They were very dramatic, the sun was only just rising and the noise imposing. It was freezing though, we were at 4850m and our guide advised us to chew coca leaves, completely legal,( but don't try and take them across the border) and used to alleviate altitude sickness. We had been given coca tea in the mornings but the leaves chewed and then left in your cheek pouch is much more effective. However, they are not nice and they taste very bitter.

Next stop was something we'd all been looking forward to, the hot springs, Termas de Polques, at 29.4 degrees, they were very welcome after the cold. It was a strange sight, seeing people wrapped up in all their layers next to some in only bikinis. It turned out to be an excellent location to watch the sun rise, and I'm sure one we won't forget in a hurry.

Laguna Verde was next, the green colour comes from high concentrations of lead, arsenic,sulphur and calcium carbonates. An icy wind here blows almost incessantly, and this surface agitation along with the high mineral content means it can stay as a liquid at temperatures as low as -21 degrees. Volcano Licancabur rises behind the lake and reaches 5960m.

A quick stop to refuel from the gasoline carried in a container on the roof gave Chris some time to do a spot of rock climbing. The landscapes here reminded us possibly of what American deserts are like.

A long drive back, stopping at Rocas de Dali, a barren hillside with the rocks supposedly looking like the surrealist Salvador had placed them there himself; a small village for lunch, strangely, the room was adorned with Christmas decorations; and plenty of llamas and vicuñas, and we were back in Uyuni. The landscapes we had seen in the last few days had been pretty spectacular and it quickly became my favourite place so far.

Uyuni doesn't have much to offer aside the tour of the salt flats so from here we jumped on an overnight bus to La Paz.

La Paz didn't jump out at us as a good place to spend a long time, but there was the world cup final to watch and death road to cycle so we spent 3 nights here. Over that time the world's highest capital city at 3660m didn't grow on us. It was impressive to see it from above and I didn't realise that it clung to the sides of the steep valley as it did. We had been warned repeatedly about petty crime in La Paz and I think this may have put us on edge throughout our visit.
We watched the football in some cool bars, including an English tavern ( Tetley tea and fish and chips!); toured some museums; saw some more ritualistic masks; climbed up to the lookout; and ummed and ahhed about going to the wagamamas there ( we didn't end up going :-( ) On Sunday night I went to see the Cholita (indigenous woman) wrestling, a very strange experience, which had the atmosphere of a pantomime about it. The staged matches involved a cholita , who we cheer for, 'wrestling' a costumed man ( including red Lycra, jailers, skeletons and batman), who gets booed at and pop corn thrown at him from the crowd. He responds to this by spitting at the crowd. Lovely manners. All the violence is staged and choreographed, although during one match a cholita drew blood from having a ceramic pot smashed on her head! It was quite the experience, but not one I'd repeat. When we returned the hostel staff seemed surprised about our lack of enthusiasm for the event, it must be popular among locals for a Sunday night out in La paz!

Chris spent the next day cycling death road, a narrow gravel road, just over 3.2m at points, with 600m drops and few safety barriers. With a replacement road built in 2007, the road dubbed the World's Most Dangerous, by an Inter American Development Bank report is solely used by cyclists, support vehicles and the odd tourist bus. I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his day.
Bekah: What made you want to cycle the death road?
Chris: For fun and the T-shirt.
Bekah: what was the highlight of the day?
Chris: When I sped through from tarmac to the off road section, retaining my speed and nearly flying off into the canyon. That was fun (laughs, reminiscing).
Bekah: Do you think the road deserves its name?
Chris: Uhh, maybe not anymore although a friend in our group came off her bike, luckily on the mountain side, not the cliff side, she was scraped and shook up. But still, since there's no traffic on the road it's a little safer.
Bekah: Did you get a good T-shirt?
Chris: I did get a good T-shirt, and then it shrank in the wash (laughs again).
Bekah: Would you recommend it to others?
Chris: Yes, but only if you're confident on a bike, otherwise you'll be stuck at the back. I was quite happy shooting off with the guide at the front, we were racing some locals down the side of the mountain. That was cool.
Bekah: Thank you for your time today Christopher.

While Chris spent the day living life on the edge I took a tour of some Pre-Colombian ruins.Tiwanaku.. It is the capital of an empire that extended into present-day Peru and Chile, flourishing from AD 300 to 1000. Tiwanaku is recognised by Andean scholars as one of the most important civilisations prior to the Inca Empire; it was the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years.

The day was interesting, but tainted slightly by the admission that some of the ruins were replicas and also our guide who showed no enthusiasm for the sight or his job. I think your experience of a guided tour depends heavily on your guide, and this one didn't make for a great experience and therefore forfeited his tip.

The next day we donned our backpacks and jumped on a minibus, ( found very easily by listening for a man shouting 'Copacabana' repeatedly until his mini bus fills up). I must point out we were not heading back to the famous beach in Brazil, Copacabana is also the name for the Bolivian hub of Lake Titicaca, a mere four hours away.

Despite the constant threat of catching fleas from one of the numerous street dogs, and the smell of urine at every turn ( caused not by the street dogs, as we originally thought, but the locals who seem to view the streets as their own, free, public toilet, you have to be especially careful walking on sloped streets. You never know what that water trickle may be! We also heard rumours of, but luckily never saw for ourselves, Cholitas squatting down on the streets of La Paz for a number two!) we had fallen for Bolivia, after the cost and chaos of Brazil in the world cup, we felt we had seen some true South American culture; and who would have known we'd left the best until last...

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