Expect the Unexpected

(Irene) We departed La Paz on Sunday 1 October via a 7 1/2 hr bus ride to Potosi. As we drove up and out of La Paz, the lights were mesmerising and its hard to imagine the chaotic site of this city on the hills during the day.

We thought by now that Paceñas were used to the cold (from living in the highest city in the world and all that) so we were surprised to see the locals settle into their reclining seats for the long journey to Potosi covered in woollen blankets, with woollen hats and thick coats. So we imitated by wearing layers of clothes, only to find ourselves stripping the layers off down to our T-shirts in the middle of the night and opening the window for some fresh air to breathe! The locals meanwhile seemed to enjoy the central bus heating and were all too happy to keep wrapped up in 25 layers of clothing??!

We arrived in Potosi at the break of dawn and I didnt hesitate in taking a taxi to our nearby (and aptyly named) hostel "In the Company of Jesus". We thought we could use with some divine intervention especially on the hot water front which is so hard to come by, and we werent disappointed. It was warmer to stay under the shower.

Potosi at 4070 m in altitude is a mining town which attracted the Spaniards to South America back in the 1500s. It was here that the Spanish mined silver to bring back to the old country and in early 1700s Potosi was the biggest city in America. (For the Dutchies: this is where the Zilvervloot´s cargo came from). But like all colonised countries, once the silver had gone it turned into a ghost town. Now its a charming village with tin to mine, with very conservative and well dressed inhabitants. Remains of what it used to be - a rich village - is still evident in its buildings.

The following morning we caught a local commuter bus for our 6 hour journey, passing wild, arid and empty landscapes for Uyuni - an old railway town in the middle of nowhere. At 3,665 altitude with population of 11,320 the small community is located at the edge of Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on earth, covering some 12,000 sq km and where the whiteness of the salt is blindingly bright and you lose track of where the salt ends and the sky begins, as you look out on the horizon. This small town thrives on tourism, being the departure point for touristic trips to the salar, volcanic areas and lakes and lagoons in south Bolivia to the North Chilean border.

So with our 2.5 day ticket we met our driver/tour guide/cook and not to mention mechanic (a one man band indeed) and 4 other companions and set off on in a 4x4. Our first day was straight for the salt flats and we learnt about how the salt is commercialised, processed and delivered to all Bolivian cities. We saw the Isla de Pescado/Fish Island, though I think it should have been called Cactus Island for it is covered with cacti double the size of Bruno. That evening we settled comfortably at the Salt Hotel - no kidding a hotel built out of salt! We made the most of our 2 hours of electricity before heading for bed at a later time of 9.30pm!

Day 2 was a reasonable start of 7am departure. We headed deeper into barren land passing mountains with skeletons, volcanoes, small clusters of mud houses and the occasional lady or young boy walking or cycling in the middle of nowhere. Later in the day, we visited lagoons with pink flamingoes, drove through moon like landscapes that made one feel like one was in Tattooine! I half expected Luke Skywalker to appear in his ship chasing Storm Troopers! We saw vicuñas (a type of llama) feeding on tiny scrubs growing between the crack in the rocks and a fox. At 4pm we reached one of Bolivia's spectacular and isolated marvels "laguna Colorada" From afar the lagoon (with red flamingoes) appeared to have 3 layers of colour - white crust from the salt, then flaming red coloured algae the edge of the blue sky. Beyond we saw our "basic accommodation" as described the tour operator - a 4-walled mud building with a corrugated iron as a roof. Needless to say, in the middle of the desert with open skies and at over 4,000 m above sea level, this was not the most ideal place to be. But 5 layers and a woollen blanket later, the colour on our hands returned. Once eaten the warmest place was our sleeping bags.

Day 3 started at 5.00am - and believe me I was not impressed! I started to sulk as I tried to pack in the dark with no light other than a small flashlight. Though as we drove on the sand at about 5.30am with the dawn breaking, I was taken by the stillness of the desert. It was precious!! In an hour just before sunrise, we reached the geisers. These were the effects of the cracks in the volcanic part of the dessert, where heat from the volcanoes escapes. The sulphur made it smell like rotten eggs but no kidding, I really felt like I was somewhere in the moon. A short while later, we made the most of the small pools of hot water and dipped our freezing bodies in the 30 degrees celcius pool! I can recommend doing this in a desert - its quite special!

Another hour later, we said goodbye to our companions and driver, poor sanitation, aloof Bolivianos, cheaper costs, the enchanting landscapes and headed for the border of Border and started the long drive to the border of Chile at San Pedro de Atacama!!

We were collected by a friendly (not to mention chatty) Chilean driver in a tshirt, raybans and jeans. It was a shocking contrast to be driven in a clean, new van on a paved highway with clear yellow dividing lines and roads that were well posted. Chile was ahead and so was civilisation. But I couldn't help feeling a bit sad to see the back of wilderness (and not to mention affordable prices!)

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