The Salt Flats and all that

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We got a bus from Salta to the Bolivian border which we crossed on foot (with a bit of direction from the locals) as there's no signs. Unlike in Argentina there's competition with buses in terms of prices so instead of heading to any ticket office people just shout destinations and prices and you take your pick. We got a 2 hour bus to Tupiza (where butch cassidy and the sundance kid were supposedly killed) and checked into our hotel. The plan was to spend the next day booking a tour to Uyuni but we were persuaded to join a tour leaving the next morning. The tour was 4 days in a jeep making our way through the countryside, stopping off at various things along the way. We forgot to ask and found ourselves with a driver/guide that didn't speak English. It wasn't too bad as we usually got the gist and we sometimes got a translation from a French girl on the tour but my Spanish hasn't got good enough to understand the ins and outs of geology and local culture. A lot of time is spent in the jeep but the surroundings mean you don't get bored. We drove through varying altitudes from snowy roads to fairly warm fields full of Llamas. We took loads of pictures when we first saw them before realising they were literally everywhere. We were delayed by a truck which had got stuck with it's wheels hanging off the road so we spent an hour or so at least looking like we were helping, unloading stuff and hanging off one side whilst the driver tried to drive it back on the road. We had a few stops including for a burst tyre on our own vehicle where I had a little snow ball fight with our cook. She was a woman called Modesta and was kitted out in the proper Bolivian costume of long socks, bright skirt, black pig tails and a bowler hat that always looks like it's going to fall off but never does. Most of the women here over 40 (although they might be 25 and have had a hard life) seem to wear the same kit. Not sure whether it's all they've known or if they're just flying the flag for the bowler hat look.

We then stopped off at a little town where the kids amused themselves with a hoop and stick before heading to our accommodation for the night. It was the middle of nowhere and so without light pollution you could see the milky way. At 4200m it was cold and also I was feeling the altitude. There were 4 girls and me on the tour and being the only one affected I felt like a bit of a pussy but it felt like my head was gonna explode. We had no heating and so had to sleep fully clothed but Modesta whipped up a hot meal before bed.

The next day we set off at half 5 as we had a bit of ground to cover. We went to a deserted mining town known as mini Machu Pichu where people had apparently been forced out by the devil (but probably disease). Next we went to a couple of lakes one of which was surrounded by white powder which is used to make soap. Then we headed to some hot springs where we had a quick dip in some impressive surroundings. After lunch we went to a green lagoon (there's a fair few lagoons around here) before going up to 5000m to see some volcanic geysers and vents. They were really impressive with pools of bubbling stuff everywhere and the geysers themselves were bigger and louder than I expected. I couldn't resist having a wee into one of the bubbling pools but there was no exciting reaction. The last stop of the day was lake colarada which is a red colour from the plankton and is full of flamingoes and probably the most impressive lagoon that we saw. That night we had another cold accommodation and amused ourselves by playing a few games of cards. After going to bed feeling fine I woke up with the worst headache ever and threw up a few times but luckily this was the last altitude sickness I felt.

The next day we didn't take the planned route because of some flooding so instead headed towards the town of Uyuni. On the way we saw a rock that looked like a tree and a rock that looked (a bit) like a condor and generally saw some nice scenery. Near uyuni we went to a "train cemetery" where there's a load of old trains wasting away in the middle of nowhere. We climbed on them taking stupid photos before going to the hostel in uyuni for a beer and some food.

We had another early start the next day and headed out onto the salt flats where we watched the sun rise before freezing our arses off whilst eating breakfast. We then drove further out onto the salt flat and spent 3 hours pissing around taking perspective photos which work because the land is so flat and the landscape doesn't change. Highlights were stamping on each other and sitting in Modesta's hat and frying pan. We went to a market where Hayley bought a locally made hat and bag (the stuff that all the gringos are wearing out here and no locals) and that was the end of our tour. We spent one more night in Uyuni where after three days of not showering I was disappointed to find no electricity in the town that night so
I suffered a freezing cold wash. We treated ourselves to a pizza and I bought a llama hat for £1.50 (now missing after a night out in la Paz). The next morning we headed to the mining town of Potosi.

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