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Blogs from Salar de Uyuni, Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 7
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An Epic Five Days Across The Bolivian Salt Flats
Published: August 8th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
July 2nd 2011
Day One Crossing the Salar de Uyuni was one of the things I was most looking forward to in South America and it is one of the renowned trips of the backpacking world. Much like Machu Picchu and Foz do Iguaçu, if you are South America and anywhere near to them, it is compulsory to go. We arrived early on the morning of 28th June, at the office of La Torre Tours and were quickly introduced and left in the care of our guide and driver for the trip, Franco, and his wife, Ancelma, who was our chef. Lots of tour groups leave every day from Tupiza and as such, we there was a long line of 4x4’s being prepared and we noticed that ours was several years older than any of the vehicles present. It ... read more
Four totally amazing days at below zero temperatures in the Salar de Uyuni...
Published: August 18th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
July 1st 2011
Our first day in Tupiza - set at 2950 meters above sea level and surrounded by an amazing landscape of rainbow coloured rocks, hills and canyons - was spent recovering from our night of no sleep. It was near this town that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed after robbing a payroll from a small settlement 40 klms away from Tupiza. The colours in the hills really were vibrant and it was easy to appreciate them as we explored the town in the late afternoon as they were very close - Tupiza is only tiny. Jerry climbed to a hill above the town and had a great view of the surrounding countryside but that seemed too hard for me - I stayed in the hotel with my book! Next day we visited three of ... read more
An amazing weekend in Salar de Uyuni
Published: June 26th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
June 26th 2011
Salar de Uyuni was an absolutely amazing experience. On Wednesday night we hopped on an unheated..... super cold bus for an 11 hour overnight to Uyuni. When we arrived our guide met us, dropped us off in the town square to pick up breakfast and then we left for our day. The first place we stopped was the train cemetary which was a bunch of old school abandoned trains. Then we went out to the salt flats. It was amazing. Nothing but stark white salt for miles and miles with beautiful snow-capped mountains in the background. We took some geeky photos and headed off to the Ojos de Sal or the "water eyes" where the salt meets holes of bubbling water. Then off to the Tunupa Volcano. There was a really small town there where we ... read more
June 19th 2011
Day 139 – 142 The group is ushered onto the dirtiest bus we have ever seen and Em puts her coat down before sitting, and we are off to Uyuni. After a stop in Oruro we catch the 7hour train to Uyuni, and everyone is pleased to be off the bus that smells of wee, and onto a clean and comfortable train with films playing. This good cheer ends when the train halts in a place called Poopo (yes you read it right) and we are told that another train has derailed and that we will be waiting at least 7 hours. As darkness falls, Em asks if we are safe here (we feel slightly like rich sitting ducks), but eventually the train starts moving and as the desert chill sets in we all wrap up ... read more
WEEK 10: CHILE San Pedro de Atacama > BOLIVIA Uyuni
Published: June 11th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
June 10th 2011
Thursday 5th May - Tuesday 10th May We departed Salta early in the morning and it didn't take long before the bus started climbing the Andes once more, zig-zagging its way up the mountain pass. The views were spectacular but the sheer drops outside the window and the lack of safety barriers were a cause for concern, as were the two overturned lorries we passed! However, of more concern was how we would cope with the effects of altitude (there had already been too much of this chat with other nervous travellers...), having heard many horror stories of people passing out, vomiting, migraines, you name it. Without altitude pills there was only one option available to us....manning up! We waved goodbye to Argentina at 4,200m, a little light-headed and breathless (it could have been the remants ... read more
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Sunrise on the salar.
Published: October 7th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
June 1st 2011
The last day saw us drive out onto the salt flats. We had stayed in the town of Uyuni the night before where we had done our washing. Not only was the water freezing cold, our clothes were frozen solid the next morning – stiff as boards. We headed out in the freezing cold. So cold that, standing on the salt pan, my socks were starting to freeze through the soles of my shoes. But it was worth it. Being on the salt that early in the morning was surreal. We had managed to beat all the other groups, and there was no one at all there. Just us, the breaking dawn, and mile upon mile of dead flat salt pan. Until you go there you really can't appreciate how vast it is, the biggest salt ... read more
May 19th 2011
The Quito airport, a very busy place this time of year or so it seems. I'm sitting here in a sectioned of 'special' section for those continuing on to Colombia, it seems they need us to stay away from the others....ooooh. I've been here since 8 this morning, yep I was up at 4, at the airport at 4.30 and asleep on the plane by 6.30. I've been sitting here playing around on my computer; skyping, blogging, stalking, you know, the usual. I've been eating my way through my bag; bread, hello panda (yes they had them in a lima supermarket!!) chocolate,you know all the things you should be eating before lunch time and well i've just been waiting. Luckily there's wi fi, otherwise I would be super bored. You see I have no book to ... read more
Bolivian Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni)
Published: May 12th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
May 9th 2011
Sarah and I had been looking forward to making this trip for quite a while. We had heard about the Bolivian Salt Flats and seen photographs long before we left Florida. Every week we also met other travelers who had been there and had wonderful reports on the tour. The tour of the Salt Flats can be done in a few different ways either starting or finishing in the Bolivian town of Uyuni. We were making our way from Chile so started in the beautiful desert town of san Pedro de Atacama. Before you can see anything you have to book a tour. This can be a bit of a dilemma for travelers since every of the many tour companies have conflicting reviews both online and in the local tourist office comment book. Among my favorite ... read more
Uyuni and La Paz (Bolivia)
Published: June 1st 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
Salt Flat 4x4 Jeep Tour day 3
Published: May 4th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
April 11th 2011
We had about a 2 hour drive to get to the outskirts of Uynui, where we would be stopping at the train cemetery. Once again, it’s exactly as it sounds. 2 railway tracks and many abandoned trains and carriages. These were trains that were used by the Spanish and English to export minerals out of Bolivia into Chile. Bolivia doesn’t have a coast, therefore all materials that were exported were sent through to Chile to be able to reach the coast and get shipped back to Europe. It was very eerie just how all these trains had been dumped here. It was a very dirty area and it was clear that it was used as a dumping ground now. A great shame as you would think someone would come and clear up the area and preserve ... read more
