Advertisement
Thank goodness for our travel mishaps - it couldn´t have worked out any better! Lets starts at the start...
We had an amazing day doing a triathalon of the surrounding area of Tupiza: cycling, jeep and horse riding. We started off cycling in front of the jeep for a couple of hours, before we were picked up and toured some of the canyons. We had lunch with our guide in a stunning riverside location at the foot of an old volcano. We met our caballero (cowboy) and horses who took us on a treck for the next couple of hours. Lets just say that Stephen won´t be joining the Magnificant Seven any time soon! After the fantastic ride, our thighs aching, we were taken to the top of the highest nearby mountain (4750m above sea level). The view was absolutely amazing but we weren´t there for long as we were told that we were cycling back down - a white knuckle ride in all senses of the word! We tried to go our for a meal in one of the local haunts (fried chicken and chips) but half way through, altitude got the better of Stephen and he was asleep by 7.30pm. Party!!!
The next morning we got up to start our 4 day trek. We could not have had better companions - Germans, of course. They were brilliant company and they were fluent in both Spanish and English. During the first day, we did a lot of driving and taking photos on the way. By sunset, all passangers had a dull headache and we were masticating the coca in hope of relieving the symptoms. We arrived at our accommodation in the middle of no-where at 7.30pm and this time it was Mhairi who went straight to bed - such a bad headache and a sick feeling. Stephen, Stephan and Michaela had a lovely home-cooked meal in the freezing cold hallway before calling it a night. The stars were absolutely amazing and during the night the temperature dropped well into the minuses. But with 7 layers, 3 pairs of socks, a hat, sleeping bag and 4 thick sheets, it was more than bearable!
Day 2 was absolutely fantastic. We visited spectacular lagoons (green, red), sulphurous (i.e. smelly like rotten eggs) geysers, saw flamingos and bathed in hot springs. Everyone was in bikinis and speedos, but Stephen went in in his CK undies (at the height of fashion as always) and Mhairi had nothing to wear, so had to go in with trousers and a vest top. We didnt care - the experience was well worth looking stupid for. By that night, everyone had acclimatised and, after wrapping up, had a meal and a few games of cards (one of the only things that the Scots can beat the Germans at!).
The majority of Day 3 was spent travelling from the edge of the beautiful Laguna Colorado, where we awoke, to the edge of the salt flats. On the way, we saw the most colourful landscapes of lava flows and volcanoes. We had lunch beside a stunning lake with mesmerising birds. We could have stayed there watching them all day. The accommodation was a bit less basic than the previous nights - we even had a shower. It was intermittently hot and freezing and the lights had not yet been switched on, so our torch came in handy. At least we were clean for the first time in 3 days!
We got up at 5.30am on Day 4 to head to the middle of the salt flats to watch the sun rise. Stephan´s temparature guage on his watch went off the end of the scale - we watched in plummet from +30deg on his arm to -10deg (that was as cold as it would go). As always, it was totally worth it - the changing colors of the horizon in all directions were absolutely stunning. Breakfast (coffee and cake!!!) was served at the foot of a lonely island in the centre of the 130km wide salt flats. It was a weird little place - a mound of fossilised coral covered in cacti, some over 1000 years old. They grow about 1m every 100 years - Stephen realised why the poor cactus he threw out all those years ago wasnt growing as he´d expected!
We drove the distance between Glasgow and Edinburgh across the salt flats to arrive at the foot of a colourful volcano. We got our of the jeep to visit some mummies that were over 6000 years old and ended up climbing up the side of the volcano for over an hour. The views of the crater at the top and the salt flats below were breath taking (not that we had any breath left after the exhausting walk). We stopped at 4500m above sea level and it would haved taken a further 4 hours to get to the crater rim. We´ll leave you to guess whether we took up that opportunity...
We headed for our drop off at Uyuni, but not before having lunch in the middle of the salt flats. We parted with our lovely travelling companions and we thought we´d be able to jump on the overnight tourist bus to La Paz. But oh, no! Things never go to plan here, but that´s half of the charm of the place! The next available bus was in 2 days time, so we went round all the local bus companies looking at the various options to get to La Paz asap (the reputation of Uyuni is that it has nothing except the salt flats). The best we could do was to stay one night in Uyuni, which turns out not to be that bad - we had a delicious pizza last night and a brilliant sleep in a comfy bed. We are leaving in a few hours in one of the local buses. Again, we don´t have a clue what to expect. But whatever happens, we´re sure it´ll be an adventurous 13 hours before we arrive in La Paz.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.084s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0433s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Paul G
non-member comment
Ride em cowboys
In fairness you can get most of that in Cardonald. Sounds wonderful guys - how dull will life feel back in Ecosse!