Salar, Altiplano, and the Southwest Circuit

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GETTING THERE:

Uneventful overnight bus ride to Uyuni in a tour bus, where they showed The Unbreakable. Brian won´t stop talking about Street Fighters. He just won´t stop...

DAY 1:

We arrived early in the morning, and had breakfast at a local hostel. Talked with other backpackers who just completed the tour. They were french, and had quit their jobs to go on a year long backpacking trip through Central and South America. Pleasant guys who warned us about diarrhea.

Around 10AM, we assembled our group, and started out for the Salt Flats. First, a group profile:

DRIVER: Octavio the Mechanic, yes, his name is Octavio, how awesome is that?

MEMBERS:
Phil the Ronin: Traveling photographer from the UK
Alfonso the Wizard: A Bolivian geologist trained in the US
Carol: The Wizard´s wife
Dave and Naomi the Hitchhikers: Comp Sci from UK hitching a ride for Chilean border
Brian the Alchemist: dude brought ALOT of antibiotics
Me the Apprentice: I refrain from talking about anything medically related on this trip

RIDE:
Millenium Falcon: 1985 Toyota Landcruiser. That´s right, you heard me, 1985.

After some driving, we got to the Salt Flats. 3600m above sea level and 12,000 sq km. It literally is like being in a different world. Everywhere you look is blue. The rainy season just past, so there is a good amount of water on the ground, making perfect reflections of the blue sky. It was breathtaking, especially because of the high altitude. Our LandCruiser looked as if it was driving on the ocean, with the winds making waves.
Around 3PM, we arrived on Fish Island, an island in the shape of a fish with gigantic cactus in the middle of the salt flats. There we had lunch, which Octavio prepared.
In the evening, we arrived at the Salt Hotel. It´s a building constructed entirely of salt. And actually, while inside, it looked like a fortress. With two long banquet tables in the main hall. And we feasted on Sopas and Illama Steak til late at night. Local Bolivian children did some kind of local dance thing. And Phil the Ronin told us stories from his travels.
"One time, I was hiking at an alititude of more than 5000m above sea level. And at night, my bottle of water froze into a piece of ice right in front of my eyes, took about 3 minutes."
"Did you know that the porters on the Inka Trail have a race every year through the trail? I think the record is 3 and a half hours for the entire trail. I raced them once, and actually beat one of them, but it was only for part of the path."
After the meal we went star gazing. There were no lights in sight, and the Hotel shuts off electricity by 9PM. So it was just us, the moon, and the stars. It was amazing how many stars there were, and yes, it´s true, 1 shooting star every 5 minutes.
We went to sleep that night full and content, protected in the cradle of salt hotel. Little did we know...

DAY 2:
5:30AM, and there was a knock on the door. It´s time to head for the Lagoons. Octavio seemed impatient. Something was bugging him. We had a quick breakfast and set out for the Lagoons. We had alot of ground to cover, and didn´t stop much on the way. All around us were volcanoes and Bolivian highlands. Herds of Illamas and vicunas can be found along the way. We came to a stop around noon, and Octavio explained to us that we had to hike over a hill on foot because the hill was too steep and the LandCruiser would not be able to make it over with all of us in the car. So we hiked up a steep hill, at 4000m elevation. Along the way Alfonso the Wizard pointed out various plants and animals and droppings.
When we finally got over the hill, Octavio was already there waiting for us. We hopped into the jeep and... the LandCruiser won´t start.
Ok... So the guys got off and promptly started pushing. The jeep won´t move. How can that be? There are 4 guys pushing... We pushed again, this time with all we´ve got. The LandCruiser moved 2 inches forward. And Alfonso noticed something. "Look at the tire tracks. The left rear tire must be on brake."
"Don´t worry," Octavio said, "this happens frequently, we just have to unjam the brake."
We took a break and ate lunch, while Octavio removed the left rear tire and unjammed the brake." We tried pushing again, and this time the car started. We hopped onto the moving LandCruiser and headed out for Laguna Colorado.
When we arrived at our lodging, it was already getting dark. We will have to explore the Red Lagoon tomorrow. Now, what was imperative was that we get some rest, and Octavio fix the car. Apparently the car wouldn´t start because the battery was dead. "No big deal, we will just get a new charged battery."
It was 7PM by then, and Naomi and Carol were beginning to feel sick. "Altitude Sickness," Phil said with an experienced eye, and looked at his altometer, "it´s 4700m above sea level now." He looked at us, and said with a smile, "you guys better put some clothes on, it´s going to get cold tonight." I promptly went into our room and put on every single article of clothing I had. Speaking of our room...
Our lodging was nothing compared to the night before. It was a small concrete room for all 7 of us, and the ceiling was a plastic covering with 2 holes and mold growing. Through the holes you can see the metal roofing above.
We retired early, partly because of the long day and partly because there was no electricity. "Now is high time to tell a scary story," Naomi said, lighting up a couple of candles.
"Well, I know of a story," Dave started, "once there were 7 travelers who went on a tour of the salt flats..." And then, we heard it. The crying of a cat. In our room.
"What the fuck?" We all became silent, and there it was again. We frantically searched for the cat, but couldn´t find it anywhere. But sure enough there was another cry. We never did find out where that cat was, although the room was so small that it was hard to imagine it being hidden all night long. But one thing was for sure, none of us slept well that night.
With 7 layers of clothing on me, and a sleeping bag, and 4 layers of blanket, I slowly fell asleep. Last thing I remember seeing was the mold on the ceiling and the two holes letting in the moon light from the outside. The pattern looked like an Incan man bowing down to some sort of altar, the two holes glowed like eyes in the dark...

DAY 3:
4:30AM, and there was a knock on the door. We have to head out for the Geysers before sunrise. Apparently Naomi didn´t sleep well, and cried in the middle of the night because it was so cold. "It was about 30 degrees below zero last night," Phil informed us.
It´s fucking 30 degrees below zero NOW, Phil.
We set out in the dark, telling ghost stories and sharing dirty jokes. By 6AM we were standing infront of a spectacular sight:
Top of a mountain. Steam rising from crevices in the ground. Water boiling up from the ground. And all this with the sun rising in the background. This was Geyser Basin, at 4950m above sea level.
It was still freezing cold outside. With 7 layers and my poncho, i was still shivering. "You can warm your hands at crevices, but beware, a little spurt of steam can easily cook the flesh right off of your hands."
Oh, that´s nice, I think I will put my hands in my pockets then.
By 8AM, we arrived at the near by Termas de Polques. Which is a natural hot spring at the foot of volcano. The key word here is NATURAL. That means no walls, no changing rooms, just a big pool of steaming hot water, with 4-5 SUV´s and tourists around it. After breakfast, Octavio said we can dip in the hot spring for 30 minutes before we have to go. Only it´s about 5 degrees outside. I sat there for about 3 minutes pondering, should I do it? Should I jump in?
HELLZ YEAH I´M GONNA JUMP IN. When else am I going to get a chance like this? Bathing at the foot of a fucking volcano at 5 degrees celsius?
So it was really really hot when I got into the hot spring, and really really cold when I got out. In fact, I was steaming as I stood in the chilling wind, trying to dry myself as quickly as possible.
After the hot springs, we dropped off Dave and Naomi at the Chilean border headed for Laguna Verde. The lagoon is actually emerald green, absolutely beautiful. Brian and I actually tried to hike up a near by volcano, but we were out of breath before we made much progress.
We ate out lunch back at Laguna Colorado, where we took pictures of the Flamingos. Brian actually chased after the birds so Phil and I can get a shot of them in flight.

It was around 4PM when it happened.
On an uphill slope, the LandCruiser stalled, and then stopped. We got down and pushed, pushed with all we´ve got, but the car won´t start.
"It´s the alternator," Alfonso the Wizard told us after talking to Octavio, "the alternator has been dead since the first night of the trip. Without it, we can´t charge the battery. That´s why he had to get a new battery last night. But looks like this one died as well."
Nobody told me anything about the alternator... So what should we do?
"After this slope, it should be all downhill," Alfonso said, "we will let the battery rest a bit, and push start it one more time."
And that´s exactly what we did. And sure enough, the car started. Only it wasn´t all downhill after the slope. In fact, there was quite a bit of uphill. I´ve never prayed so much before while riding in a car. But every little uphil slope was like a miracle for us. And finally, with a final whimper, the LandCruiser came to a stop.
We got out of the car. "It´s 4500m above sea level now," Phil said. There we stood, the only living beings in site, surrounded by beautiful Bolivian landscape. It was 5PM. How far to the next village or establishment?
"If we walk, we will get there around 10PM." Octavio said.
"Guys," Alfonso said in a calm voice, "we have a flat tire."
Oh, is that all?
"Well no, the battery is dead too. But we may have a way around it."
How?
"We can bypass all electric circuitry in the car so that the battery is connected straight to the spark plug. I think there is still a little bit of juice left in this thing. If we make a direct connection we can go a little further. Every kilometer we get out of this thing is 1 less km we have to walk later on."
"It´s going to get REAL cold tonight," Phil said looking out into the horizon, "but we won´t die. We have biscuits and water, it´ll be cold, but we´ll survive."
"One thing I can definitely tell you guys," Alfonso added helpfully, "no one is going to die here."
Oh, that´s the best news I´ve heard so far. WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT DYING ANYWAYS!?!?But we all understood the situation, the faster we change the tire and trick out the battery the more daylight we will have. So we went to work, doing the best we can, with one eye kept on the horizon for the sunlight. We did it in 20 minutes. Not bad really. And started to push the car. It won´t move.
But of course, the right rear brake is jammed. So we quickly got out of the car, and removed the right rear tire.
By the time we were able to push start the car again, it was 6PM. Octavio drove fast, and we were all quiet, hoping the little bit of battery left will last as long as possible. Octavio showed off his amazing driving skills, using the terrain to his advange so that he accelerated as little as possible.
When the LandCruiser stopped again, it was dusk, around 6:30PM. We stepped out of the car, and we knew what had to be done. Brian and I, along with Octavio, scoped out the terrain before we lose all sunlight. Climbing up to the top of a near by hill. Octavio pointed down the road, at a distance there is a mountain. "If you walk toward that peak, there will be a small establishment. My brother in law lives there, his name is Fabio, we will have to go there and ask for a spare battery if this time we can´t start the car.
After we got back, we decided that Phil the Ronin was to take on the task of trekking to the village. He was the fastest of us all, and least likely to get lost in the dark.
But before that, we will give the car one more push, and if it goes for even half a km, that´s half a km less that Phil has to walk on foot.
We pushed the car one more time, and miraculously, it started up. We jumped in and waited for the moment that it will die again.
By now it was dark. And with the battery no longer connected to the car´s circuitry, we had no headlights. We rolled down the window and used the MagLite that Brian and I brought to shine a little light on the road.
And just like that, somehow, our LandCruiser made it to the establishment. No one had to walk, thank god. And we rolled in victoriously through the gates of the village with 1 MagLite leading the way...
That night was the happiest night of my life. We sat around the dinner table, drinking beer, being grateful that we´re not in the middle of no where. And most amazingly, all of us stuck together through the whole thing, working together and making what contribution we could. We kept a possitive spirit through the whole thing. "It was actually kind of fun if you think about it," Phil said, popping open a bottle of beer with his army knife. I will never forget these guys.

DAY 4
This is only half of a day, and largely unremarkable. We stopped by the Valley of Rocks, with amazing scenery. And Brian got the runs. Poor guy. But after day 3, it´s hard to find anything else exciting. We got back to the town of Uyuni by 3PM. Took a shower for the first time in 4 days, and had pizza. That night we caught the overnight bus back to La Paz.

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Photos

Salt Flats
Me in surrounded by salt water

Jumping Cowboy
It´s harder than it looks guys.

LandCruiser
Our Millenium Falcon

Laguna Verde
Yeah, that´s Brian, really really far away.

Sunrise
Sunrise over Geyser Basin

Hot Springs
Where I took a bath.

Last Stop
This is the place we finally got to the last night.