Flat outta Salt then onwards to Sugar ...

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Hmmm ... now when I last left, I alluded to issues on flats of salt, specifically relating to the destruction of 1 x basketball ring ... let the suspense begin as we'll return to this little pearler momentarily. With Potosi behind us, let the adventure move onwards and upwards to Uyuni ... the home of the best pizza that I have possibly had in my entire life (yes, how South American of me) ... yet ridiculously delicious nonetheless.Turns out that the joint was run by a dude who was originally from Amherst in MASS ... he had lived in La Paz for the past 10 years before shifting the 'family business' to Uyuni in 2005 where it has been booming ever since. My God though, the pizza was outta control. Props were the order of the day though as in the morning I was to hit the Salt Flats ... the largest flat area of the world with an area of just over 12000km2 ... freakin' massive ! So, if you look at the pix on Face-ass, you'll get the general gist of things ... the white salt crust contrasts ridiculously with the blue sky and consequently, you can create some pretty substantial optical illusions which, in reality, are actually harder to master then one would think. None-the-less, I took some good uns and was those quite choofed !

The overnighter involved a substantial landcruiser ride across and the flats and a sojourn with a Bolivian family at their hostel on the far side. In this instance, I'd like to remark that the experience was much friendlier then that of the Lake Titicaca outcome that took place during 2007. The food was substantial, the hospitality warming and the beds very, very comfortable. The early morning 'wakey, wakey, hands off snakey' to catch the rising of the sun was nothing short of phenomenal. I'm a big fan of sunrises and consequently, can't get enough of 'em ... Uyuni didn't disappoint with a delightful array of purples,pinks, blues and greens greeting us ... substantially outta control I must say ! From here, it was back to our overnighter for some breaking of the fast and a bit of a wait before I headed back to Uyuni proper. This is where things became a little nuttier then usual. Bored by simply hanging around, the group I was with decided to play some footsal on the local court ... what emerged however was a bit of a disaster ... by this, I mean that, well, the soccer court also doubles as a basketball court and well, the ring was a little bent. Jordan gets the ball, dribbles twice, runs down court, through the defence and a thundering jam was the end result ... oh with a nice little 'after thought'. The after thought in this instance involved me holding not only the ring but also, three massive chunks of the wooden backboard in my hand wondering 'what the fark just happened' ... ummm ... hmmm ... I was most concerned that the locals would see this as an opportunity to suck some moola outta me however, fortunately, just like Yoolanda they played it 'cool' ... no $$$ lost ... thank Christ !

Now, Uyuni behind me it was onto Sucre. I had been thinking of heading to the multi-coloured lakes that were nearby - they're magnificant greens, reds and yellows, however, I removed this from my agenda due a wish to conserve the dollar situation for the time being. So Sucre it was - I loved this little joint and in fact it greatly reminded me of Arequippa from 2007. It had a great square / plaza and I really did enjoy sitting by myself for about three hours (in the middle of the square) and writing in my journal ... a very relaxing experience. I must admit that I have grown somewhat tired of the standard South American experience of a 1000 churches in every town / city accompanied by about 30 to 40 museums. Consequently, I've just taken to wandering the streets and trying to absorb as much of the history through both the architecture and food on offer. Sucre has plenty of both with all colonial buildings in the central area being a mandatory white colour. Of course, all sight seeing and no play makes Jack a dull boy thus, on one of the evenings that I was there, I was necessary to head out for a bit. The nightclub that myself and a few lads hit was actually quite boring until we began chatting to a couple of local lasses (well, to be honest, they were Brazilian). The pair turned out to be a good couple of tour guides and despite claiming not to speak english (bullshit) took was to a locals only club called 'Mitos' that was out in the 'burbs. Looking around, I quickly realised that the lads and I were the only two whiteys in the group and consequently, we drew a good many stares from all concerned ... well, at least until the two drunken Irish lads came in ... the bloody Irish, they're freakin' everywhere !

Well kids, I've had just about enough bloggin for the mo' so I'm going to end this entry here as it pretty much makes sense ! The next entry will take me deep into Argentine territory (where I presently find myself) when I can regale you with stories of flash floods, massive steaks, the world's largest swimming pool and (surpisingly) friendly locals willing to share their alcohol ! Until then fools and foolettes, stay in skool and keep your grandmas on ice !

Derek / Babs

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