From Salta to San Pedro de Atacama to La Paz

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Nachdaem mir wieder einisch ae Nachtbus ueberstande hei, wo mer sogar am Morge am 7ni het ds Mitzt im Nuet inne hei muesse umstiege, si mir in Salta ahcho. Das isch no uese letschti Stopp in Argentinie gsi. I der Naechi vo Salta wird der Torrontes (mega feine Wiisswii) ahbout. Drum hei mir fuer e naechschti Tag no ae Usflug i die Region buechet, mit Besichtigunge vo zwe Wiigueter. Allerdings isch dae Trip de nid ganz so verlaufe, wie mir ues das vorgstellt hei. D'Landschaft isch zwar schoen gsi, aber vergliche mit der Laguna Verde lang nid so spektakulaer. Und d'Wiigueter si ou nid unbedingt nach uesem Gschmack gsi. Drum hei mir ues de am Mittag vo der Gruppe abgloest und si saeber i nes mega feins Reschti go oepis chliises aesse und uesi eigeti Degu go mache. Und wie choennts anders si, das isch ds Highlight vo uesem Tag gsi. Mir hei super guete Wii uebercho :-)) Am Abe si mir de no schwaeren Haerzens ds letschte Argentinische Steak go aesse in Salta ;-)

Am naechschte Morge isch es de witer gange nach San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. D'Fahrt mit em Bus het oepe 9 Stund duuret und het ues ueber ne 4400m hoeche Pass gfahre und scho mau duer die erschti chliini Salzwueschti. Das isch scho mau der erschti Vorgschmack uf uese naechschti Usflug gsi. Mir hei de wie scho gewohnt der Zoll muesse passiere und woeu si dert kei Scanner gha hei, hei mir uesi Rucksaeck muesse ufmache. Dert het mi der Zoellner de doch tatsaechlech gfragt, oeb ig mi ganzi Huushalt derbi heigi! Ig ha de nume gfunde "nei fasch ;-)" und d'Frage nach Hanf, Coca Blaetter oder Kokain hani ou aui choenne verneine ;-) Denn si mir de am Namittag in San Pedro de Atacama ahcho.

San Pedro isch ganz es chliises Doerfli i der Wueschti. Dementspraechend isch es mega staubig gsi und troche. Mir hei de es gmuetlechs Hostal gfunde und sogar ae Franzoesichi Baekerei, wos Pain au Chocolat und richtige Kafi gaeh het!!! Am Abe hei mir de mau ae erschte Blick i Himmu ufe gworfe und gseh, wievieu Staerne a uesem Himmu si. Ungloublech schoen! Fuer e naechschti Tag hei mir de ae Staerneexkursion buechet bim ne Franzoesische Astronomer wo jenschti Teleskop i der Wueschti ufgsteut het. Es isch ungloublech schoen gsi und mir hei sogar der Saturn gseh und Staernschnuppe, anderi Galaxie, schwarzi Loecher etc. etc.

Am naechschte Tag isch es de los gange uf uese drue Tags Trip duer d'Salzwueschti nach Uyuni. Mir si 6 Luet im Jeep gsi, es Paerli vo England und ds zwoeite vo Australie und England. Die beide andere Fahrzueg si voll Hollaender und Daene gsi. Am erschte Tag si mir de vor allem a schoene Lagune und farbige Baerge verbi cho bis mer de am Namittag i uesere erschte Unterkunft ahcho si. Die isch oepe uf 4600m obe gsi und es hei doch es paar Luet Problem mit der Hoechi uebercho. Und i der Nacht isch es de doch ziemlech chaut worde. Aber mir heis aui meh oder weniger guet ueberstande und am naechschte Morge si mer de belohnt worde. Mir si a d'Laguna Colorada gange wos tausende Flamingos gha het und Lamas. Denn isch es de witer gange zum Baum us Stei und witere schone Fels und Stei Formatione, bis mer de am Abe am Rand vo der Salzwueschti ahcho si. Dert hei mir de no informell mit de Guides abgmacht, dass mer am naechschte Morge frueh id Salar use fahre, zum der Sunneufgang ds gseh. Die paar extra Dollar hei sech definitiv glohnt gha!! Der Raeschte vom Tag si mer de i der Salar umefahre und hei choenne Foeteli mache :-) Am Namittag si mir de in Uyuni ahcho und de hei sech d'Waege vo uesere Gruppe zum Teil trennt. D'Fiona und der Tom si grad witer nach La Paz und d'Beck und der Nick si mit ues no ei Nacht in Uyuni bliebe. Eini vo de Hollaenderinne isch ou no dert bliebe, woeu si unterwaegs ihre Pass verlohre het, oder aer gstole worde isch. Ig ha ihre de eigentlech woeue haeufe bi der Polizei, aber dert hei mir de die Bolivianischi Buerokratie lehre kenne. Zersch isch niemer ume gsi, denn isch scho z'spaet gsi und am naechschte Morge, wo me ues gseit het soeue mer wieder cho, isch noni offe gsi. Denn hei mir ufe Bus muesse und si het de haut saeuber muesse witer luege....

Mir si de witer nach Potosi gfahre, ae chlini Stadt uf oepe 4070m und bekannt fuer sini Mine. Am Abe hei mir de per Zuefall d'Beck und der Nick wieder troffe und si mit ihne go Z'nacht aesse. Am naechschte Tag si mir de go so ne Mine ahluege. Das isch mega ihdruecklech, aber ou chli beaengschtigend und truurig gsi, die Luet unter so Bedingige gseh ds schaffe. Mir hei de de Arbeiter ou choenne "Gschaenkli" mitbringe...vor allem ds Trinke, Coca Blaetter und Dynamit :-))) Nach der Besichtigung vo der Miene...wo doch zum Teil raecht aeng isch worde und me het muesse uf Haend und Fuess duerechrabble, hei mer de no ae Demonstration vom Dynamit uebercho :-) Am Abe si mer de no einisch mit der Beck und em Nick go z'Nacht aesse zum ues fuere naechschti Tag Busfahre ds staerke.

Die Busfahrt hei mer aber ou guet ueberstande und si guet in La Paz ahcho. Dert het de no uese Taxifahrer ae Unfall bout...isch aber nume ae Blaechschade gsi...zum Glueck i der Naechi vo uesem Hotel, da hei mir de nueme muesse warte, bis aer aues mit der Polizei greglet het.


And here we go for our English reading audience:
Made it to Salta (ARG) and booked into a hotel that had been recommended to us by an other traveller. Since it was early sunday morning we were looking forward to find a nice place to have breakfast at, which we then did close to the main plaza. As Salta is said to be the town where the Torontes grape is grown and therefore the corresponding white wine can be found, we booked a tour for the next day to go to these wineries. This trip then turned out not to be that superb - many hours in a bus, nice scenery stop at two wineries which however did not meet our expectations. At lunch time we therefore decided to split from the group and had ourselves a fine lunch w/a private tasting - this made our day. Back in Salta we then had our last befe de lomo for dinner and said bye bye to the argentine meat.

Early next morning we hopped on a bus for San Pedro de Atacama (Chile). The scenery was spectactular, especially since the bus had to climb a 4400m high pass. Atacama itself turned out to be a dusty backpackers town which was full of life only in the morning and at sundown. However, since the town is so far out in the nowwhere the stars are sparkling amazingly bright from the sky. We therefore went on a star-watching tour that took us out of town to the French Astronomer who has set up camp there and is showing the spectacular night sky to the visitors. We not only got to know the most important stars, but also got a glimpse at Saturn, watched other galaxies, learned to calculate in light-years and looked at the black spots in the milkyway.

Early next day - after croissant and coffee at the local french bakery!!! - we hoped on a bus to start our 3-day trip to Bolivia and through the Salar de Uyuni. At the Bolivien border at about 4000m - just a small stone house in the midst of mountain peaks, stones and sand - we changed our vehicle for a 4x4 jeep. From now on and for the next 2.5 days we enjoyed the spectacular scenery, passed the highest point of our journey at 4900m altitude, slept at about 4600m (where some of our peers felt the altitude, especially headaches and sleeplessness), passed some beautiful high altitude lakes in all colours, some of which gave home to hundreds of flamingos, llamas and alpakas and got to a salt hotel for the 2nd night (this one already at only about 3600m, so everybody felt a lot better). As we wanted to see the sunrise in the nearby Salar (huge lake of dried salt) and as this wasn't included in the trip, we quickly organized for the guides to do an extra tour in the morning for some extra money per car (paid them 200 Bolivians / car = 60 USD = 10.- per passenger). This investment was for sure worth its money as we got to see a spectacular sunrise!
Later after breakfast we made our way into the Salar - drove for at least half an hour and got to an island that is situated in the midst of the Salar and gives home to hundreds of cactuses. After a stop to take pictures in the white surrounding we headed for Uyuni which meant the end of this adventure. Uyuni turned out to be a mere backpacker town, thats why the next morning we booked a bus for Potosi, a mining town.

After about an 8hour drive we checked into one of the more expensive hotels in Potosi (USD 50.-/night), as we were looking forward to find some hot water to shower, something we didn't have the night before.
As we were now in the mining town we also wanted to actually see the mines, therefore we booked a tour for the next day. The tour was run by ex-miners and 15% of the fee was due to the active miners. Nowadays the mines in Potosi are all run by private miners - meaning they work for themselves and not for a huge corporation.
Next day hoped on the tour bus (after gearing up w/overalls, lamps and helmets) that first stopped to buy some 'presents' for the miners: coca-leaves, sodas (coke, sprite, ..., as long as there was a lot of suger in it), and DYNAMITE kits!!! Yes, it is legal to buy dynamite in Potosi. Next stop was at a refinery that looked more like a run-down old barn than anything else - their final product is sand mixed w/all the different minerals. As Bolivia has no smelters, they export their refined silver, copper, etc. to Japan, for further processing.
Back into the bus and further up the mountain to the entrance of one mine-shaft. Then the mountains darkness took us in - some crawling and inhaling dust later we came to a shaft through which the miners wholed the rocks up from the lower mine-shafts. We got to climb down to the 4th level, met one miner that was working manually with hammer and iron-bar to drill a whole into the rock to then put some dynamite in it and get some 20-30cm further ahead in his seek for THE mineral lot. The guy had hired the place for 20 years from the government (dont know how you can hire a place in a mountain). We gave all our presents to the miners - of which the youngest we met was only some 13years old and the oldest some 48years. Down in the 4th level it was really hot and we were all happy when we got back to the top level and out of the mine where it was a lot cooler. And since we had saved some dynamite, we got the chance to blow it up by ourselves! WHUMMMM!
After this experience we felt very happy to get back to the hotel and have ourselves a hot shower.

Next day we boarded a bus to LaPaz, where we are now. More on the next blog.

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