WEEK 16 - BOLIVIAN 4X4 ADVENTURE

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WEEK 16 - BOLIVIAN 4X4 ADVENTURE

Tupiza was as fascinating as Villazon. Keen to see the remote wilderness areas I booked onto a 4 day 4WD tour from Tupíza to Uyuni leaving next day. Fe decided to rest for a while. This tour was perhaps the most amazing trip I have ever done in terms of diversity- and a wonderful way to spend my 60Th birthday!

The rather old jeep was driven by Ricardo. He was accompanied by his wife, Augustina, our cook and their 14 month old baby. Quite a family affair. My companions who were great fum - were two French teenage girls and 3 German's in their early 20's.

Leaving Tapiza we drove up a river gorge picking our way along the drier sandy stretches - but also battling with the deep muddy pools. From here through a deep canyon and then snaking up steep hair pin bends to the altiplano where we had wonderful views down into the canyons. We crossed several mountain ranges through high passes and saw the narrow track ahead of us for miles and miles.

Lunch was a tasty picnic on a grassy plain shared with llamas. I sneaked over hillock for the loo - but much to my surprise - and theirs - two hooting land rovers came passed. We hardly saw another vehicle all day.

More scrubby desert and dusty tracks and then a puncture. But it was soon sorted and on our way again passed wonderful coloured hills and old volcanoes. Passed a working gold mine and the deepest antimony mine in the world. More mountain passes and muddy river crossings where Augustina and the baby were sent ahead to look for the best crossing point. There were narrow muddy tracks where we got stuck a couple of times. After 9 hours we arrived at the tiny village of San Antonio de Lipez (4660m) with converted buildings for accommodating tour groups. There were 2 rooms. One with 4 beds and one with 2 beds and fortunately it was cosy and warm. Next door was a small room for our cook to prepare dinner. Lovely vegetable soup, steak and vegetables and fruit. (Bolivians are brilliant at making soups - and Augustina was a super cook.)

Up at 5.30 and my birthday surprise was a tray covered in biscuits and lollipops! We were away by 6.30 but by 6.45 we had second puncture. It was cold in the shadow - but wonderful to see the sun rise and the sunlight chase across the mountains above us. We stopped at the eerie deserted former gold mining settlement of San Antonio del Neuvo high on the exposed mountain side.

This was the day of deserts. We crossed rocky deserts, gravelly deserts, red sandy deserts and pale sandy deserts. - sometimes bare and sometimes with tussocky rosettes of short grasses. Suddenly an area with massive petrified lava rocks eroded into weird and wonderful shapes by the wind. We passed a salt lake where salt (borax) was being collected and transported to Chile where it was processed into washing powder. Just before lunch we reached Kollpa Laguna where we relaxed and swam in a lovely hot thermal spring. ( Bra and pants had to do!) More climbing into the high Andes and suddenly the vehicle decided to stop on a steep narrow track. It is a bit disconcerting when you are stuck in a totally remote area with no other vehicles around for for miles and niles We tried pushing which is difficult at high altitude but no luck.However our brilliant driver come mechanic took the carburetter to bits rinsed out the dirt and we continued our journey reaching 5000m on the Chile border.

It was when Volcan Licancabur came into view that the same wheel began to cause problems again. Fortunately another jeep came along and he lent us his spare wheel. We continued our journey and visited sulphurous fume roles - hot steam vents hissing out of bubbling craters. I managed to take photographs upwind and the experience was awesome.

Suddenly we left the road and went cross country through rocky desert with no obvious landmarks - but sure enough half an hour later we arrived at the small village of Huallajara where we spent the night. We had a tasty meal and then celebrated my birthday with rum and coke and much to my surprise I won at poker! Certainly a birthday to remember!

We all slept well until an Israeli tour driver knocked on our door at 4.10am by mistake. He then started his truck outside our window and revved the engine every few minutes. We realised later than he was trying to clear ice from the jeep windows! We only dozed until 5.30 when it was time for our breakfast!


The 3rd day was one of salt lagoons and we arrived at Laguna Colarado just after dawn. A perfect reflection of the mountain and white parallel bands of salt. There were thousands of flamingos (Actually because salt lakes are usually calm - there is always a perfect reflection of every flamingo- so it looks as though there are twice as many as there really are!) They looked wonderful. Next was the famous Laguna Verde - which did look slightly green - but not the same colour as in the photographs!

It had rained quite heavily during the night and the other tour companies decided to divert to Uyuni - but our two more adventurous vehicles continued en route northwards as planned. At one stage a spate of water gushed from the mountains down the valley and the momentum carried it uphill along the road we were driving on. It started raining heavily and we continued over the soggy mudflats as we crossed a salt lake. Visibility was poor - just mist, rain, brown mud, deep puddles and occasional dry bits! It was sort of scary being in the middle of nowhere. Eventually we reached a railway line on an embankment. Amazingly our driver arrived at what used to be a ramp over the embankment but it had eroded with the recent rains. We drove along side the railway track for miles picking our way through deep mud with Augustina telling Ricardo which way to go. (I am sure she had secret powers!) Eventually we came to level crossing with a barrier manned by an army base. It took 15 minutes to find someone to open the gates but we crossed the line onto more soggy mudflats. Fortunately within a few miles we found terra firma and continued on to the the western edge of Salar de Uyuni the largest salt lake in the world. That night we finished the rum and coke and slept in beds made of salt blocks with crushed salt crystals for a carpet!

Salar de Uyuni (3653m) is the remains of Lago Minchin a prehistoric lake which covered most of southwest Bolivia. It is 12,000 sq km with a thickness of 2 to 20m and contains valuable reserves of lithium. magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and borax.

Another early start across the salt lake inti tally along a raised track. The lake was perfectly calm and the refection of the shore and clouds was stunning. Suddenly the driver just launched into the shallow water and into infinity where the waters of the salt lake merged with the reflection of the clouds in the sky. It took over 3 hours to cross the lake. The waters became shallower and then we were on dry white salt crystals which glistened in the sun.

A blur on the horizon which became an island in the middle of the lake. Isla del Pescado is a relic with fauna and flora from a past era. Now a National Park with well designed and laid out paths we walked through huge cacti - some over 20m tall and 1203 years old and I was lucky to see a vizcachas, a long tailed rodent related to chinchillas. I tried to take a close up but only managed to capture its rear legs and tail! From the summit there was a 360 degree view of the salt lake - and 4 rather handsome young men in the nude having doing a photo shot! Always surprises!

Another drive through shallow water - our second truck reflecting perfectly in the still water as it drive along side us. Another blotch on the horizon - the Salt Hotel - a hotel built entirely of salt blocks with salt block beds, tables and chairs.There were day trippers from Uyuni and it felt quite touristy having only been 2 vehicles for most of the last 2 days.

And then a drive to the eastern edge of the lake where lorries were loading salt which had been scraped from the surface with metal blades and brushed into pyramid piles by women in colourful traditional dress.

A quick last lunch and then a fond farewell as we were dropped in Uyuni where I later met Fe who had decided to do the the 4x4trip a day later.

What an adventure. - The skills and knowledge of our driver was amazing. We covered hundreds of miles through remote wilderness areas with only rough tracks and no road signs. Often we just travelled cross country but amazingly arrived at a vital junction. It is only afterwards that you realise how much trust you have to place in these native Bolivians - whose ancestors who drove llamas - not jeeps - knew the terrain like the back of their hands - and just passed the skills and knowledge on!

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Photos

SW Bolivia
Sulphurus fumeroles

Miles & miles of sandy desert
Desert wilderness

Lake Colorado & flamingos
SW Bolivia

Vida, Augustina & baby
white expanse of Salar de Uyuni

Salt beds and crushed salt carpet!
Salt Hotel- Salar de Uyuni

Giant cacti
Isla de Pescara in the salt lake

Comments

[Sue & Bruce]

Wow!
What an adventure. We are enjoying your tales and photos immensely. And Happy birthday too.

[Patrick]

It really makes me want to go there myself.
A wonderful description of an incredible landscape which must have felt like a different planet. The confidence generated by such a professional and able guide and his charming and able wife Augustina must have added so much to the enjoyment, especially during the more difficult stretches. Thanks Vida for sharing it all with us.

[Jean Cooney]

thanks so m
Late happy birrthday - just loved your account of this particular adventure. All the others too. I've had a broken wrist, so difficult to type (and lots of other things) for 5 weeks. But soglad you had such a great 60th. I did't realise you'd reached such a landmark. What an interesting time you've had, Vida. I was riveted by the account of your 4x 4 jaunt. Salt beds and floor, unbelievable - and I'd nevefr heard of them before. Lots of friends have been to Peru,but apart from knowing a famly who lived in la Paz in the 1960s before coming here tolive near us in 1968 , I am ignorant of Bolivia. I used to go to the markts with this family here and they ate a whoe carton of capsicums a week, thy had got so used to them in La Paz, I remember! Plaster off now,though my wrist is a bit sore! Hope you and Fe are still well and enjoying the last things.