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Published: February 14th 2007
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Tupiza a Uyuni: Day 1
The magically shaped mountains of Palala Bolivia
Tupiza to Uyuni Tour - January 31 to February 3, 2007
On January 30, we left the Argentinean Northern city of Salta to reach La Quiaca, the town located at the limit of the Bolivian border. The last hours of this bus ride haver been challenging as I started to feel the altitude; La Quiaca is located at 3442 meters above sea level. For those who have never experienced the altitude sickness symptoms, imagine yourself with a pounding brain and a short breath...Fortunately, the beautiful landscape helped to alleviate these malaises: the gigantic cactuses and colourful mountains gave a farwest taste to this area. However, the lamas did not fit this Western spectacle!
Arriving at the border, we joined the line up to get our exit stamp from Argentina in order to proceed to the other side of the border where we got papers filled and... entry stamps! In the Bolivian office was proudly displayed the portrait of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales. It was a exciting feeling to enter a new country! After more stamps and papers, we headed to the bus station to make our way to Tupiza where we will be starting our expedition
Tupiza a Uyuni: Day 1
The colourful mountains of Sillar (saddle in Spanish), name given after the saddle shape of these mountains up to Uyuni. Luckily we got the two last tickets (at the far back of the bus) for the next bus ride...and what a bus ride its was! Fortunately, I sat close to a genuinely nice La Paz teacher traveling across Bolivia...his conversation helped me forget my miserable "bus sickness"...Arriving in Tupiza, we left our luggage at the hostal and confirmed our four-day excursion among the lagoons, volcanoes and salt flats leading up to Uyuni. I went to bed that night thinking how nice Bolovian people were and how great was the weather for rain season!
Day 1: January 31
After meeting our guide/driver, Juvenal, and our nice cook, Vera, we packed our bags on the top of our good old Toyota 4x4 and started our four-day adventure. The conditions of the "road" were quite challenging for any vehicle...but our truck was a true tank...and the bottom part of my body became insentive after couple of hours! The landscapes were breathtaking as the mountains rage of Palala y Sillar were true artistic sculptures! During one of our stop, Juvenal made us taste the cactus fruit called "Pasacana"; this banana/kiwi only grows during the rain season and is very
Tupiza-Uyuni: Day 1
The hairy cactuses along the road...the texture of these fibers can be confused with real hair! popular among the inhabitants if this harsh region. We saw numerous lamas with colourful "wool earrings" allowing their owners to identify them. During the lunch hour, we stoppped in a field filled with lamas and ...ate delicious lamas tamales! Tamales are boiled in corn leaves and made of corn, grapes, onions and lama (or cow) meat. After several bumps, wild ostriches and pink flamincoes, we arrived at the village of San Antonio de Lipez (4200 meters) and had several bowls of soup and coca teas before going to bed! During this first day at high altitude, I succeeded to cope with the symptoms by chewing the well-known coca leaves accompanied with the "catalizador", the ash of a rice-derivated which allows to get most of the "juice" of the coca leaves. I personally experienced an enormous difference as my headache went almost immediately away.
Day 2: February 1
The landscape of this beautiful country can only be captured by the most expert photograph equipped with the latest technology...Unfortunately, I am still an amateur and my camera has no zoom therefore my pictures hardly do justice to the beauty of these landscapes...I hope you will be able to use your
Tupiza-Uyuni: Day 1
The cactus fruits called "Pasacana" have the texture and taste of both kiwi and banana imagination and see beyond the photos...
Our first stop th next morning was the ghost town of San Antonio del Nuevo Mundo located at 4690 meters (and I keep chewing and chewing...). The history and legend associated with this village was fascinating: as the gold and silver boom brought prosperity and decadence to this village, a stranger, who was later identified as the Devil, stole the Bible of the village priest and made disappear almost all minerals from the village. The villagers slowly emptied their homes and eventually left for dead this cursed village...However, today's villagers from San Antonio de Lipez are waiting for the Devil to return...and the gold and silver he took with him! Our next stop was a beautiful laguna located at 4855 meters in which was reflected the inactive volcanoe followed by another laguna covered with salt where wild flamincoes were enjoying their lunch! We had our lunch in a beautiful green pasture surrounded by lamas, red rocks, and inactive volcanoes. After going through the Desierto de Dali, we stopped at Laguna Verde made of a magical green colour. According to Juvenal, there was no life in this laguna as it was made of arsenic,
Tupiza a Uyuni: Day 1
A short stop in one of the small villages of this harsh area...chivos and lamas are the only creatures who can survive such climate... copper and other minerals...a destructive mix used by the Incas to destroy their possessions before the Spaniards can steal them!
Day 3: February 2
The Laguna Colorada was our first stop early morning as the bacteria causing the red colour of the water rise to the surface at this time of the day. It was a spectacular and breathtaking view! Ww saw five other lagunas that same day which were equally beautiful...hower, I have to admit that the last one was my favorite as the mix of colours was exceptional. After stopping at the "forrest of rocks" and watching the smoke coming out the active volcanoe, we headed to the "Hotel de Sal" for a well-deserved night of sleep.
Day 4: February 3
The last of our excursion started with a 4:30 wake up call in order to admire the sunrise over the salt flats...it was simply magical to watch the moon slowly disappearing while the sun was rising...we headed to the Isla del Pescado for breakfast, an island made of cactuses and corrals...(yes corrals, the salt flats have been under water thousands years ago). We finished our trip to the village located on the edge
Tupiza a Uyuni: Day 1
Lunch in a field where hundreds of lamas are grazing... of the salar, a community where its inhabitants had the exclusive right to collect and process the salt for consumption. We watched the heavy wet pile of salt being shovelled by the workers before visiting one of the many small local processing "plants"...it is undoubtedly a hard job!
This four-day excursion among the colourful lagunas and volcanoes has been an amazing trip and discovery of the Bolivian landscapes! La Pachamama (Earth Mother) is definitely showing herself in all her beauty!
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Annette
non-member comment
Hello
Hello Laurence.... your photographs are amazing and you have captured some exceptional moments forever. I hope you are both well though we miss you both. I am thinking the long sleeve blue shirt is working well for you in that terrain, just a guess. Take good care. Safe journey. Annette xo