Laguny a plameniaci/ Lagunas and flamingoes

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Vstavali sme o 5.45, rychle ranajky a odchod o 7. Prva zastavka bol vyhlad na stale aktivnu sopku Iruputumca, ale vsetko co sme videli bol tenky pruzok dymu, ziadna vybuchujuca lava. Cesta nas viedla cez vyschnutu pustnu krajinu pokrytu balvalmi, len kde tu odolna andska trava. Cestou sme minuli styry laguny obyvane plameniakmi a ziviacimi sa planktonom. Laguny dost casto smrdeli po sire alebo niecom podobnom a uprimne viem si predstavit aj krajsie miesto na zivot. Dalsou zastavkou bol Arbol del piedra /kamenny strom/ a okolo neho kopu dalsich skal vetrom erodovanych do roznych tvarov. Tu sa jednej dievcine omylom podarilo skopnut nebezpecne vyzerajuci kamen Stanikovi na hlavu, nastastie to vyzera ze sa nic nestalo. K veceru sme dorazili k poslednej zastavke - Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Ayaroa a jej najvacsej atrakcii Laguna Colorada /cervena laguna/, pri ktorej sme aj mali miesto na prespatie. Laguna bola naozaj cervena /na fotkach to tak neviediet/ a samozrejme v nej zili plameniaci a este nejake kacice a smiesne male vtaciky. Do laguny sa vlievala tepla termalna voda a okolo sa pasli lamy. Krasna idylka az na to, ze to bolo vyse 4000 metrov nad morom, tazko sa dychalo, fukal vietor a na vecer zacalo byt naozaj zima. Cela nasa posadka sa zhodla na tom ze nas sofer si cely den vyberal najhorsie a najhrbolatejsie cesty. Rano sme vyrazili prvy a vecer dorazili medzi poslednymi.


We woke up at 5.45, had a quick breakfast and left by 7. Our first stop was to look at still active volcano Iruputumca, but all we could see was a tiny white smoke going up, no erupting lava. Our road led us through desert landscape dotted with boulders, just every now and on a bit of tough andino grass. On the way we passed four lagunas with flamingoes living there on plankton. Laguny smelled sulphury or something similar and to be honest I can imagine better place to live. Our next stop was Arbol del piedra /stone tree/ and around it many more rocks eroded into many different shapes. Here, one girl accidentaly managed to kick quite dangerously looking stone on Stans head, but fortunately he seems fine. By the evening we arrived to our last stop - Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Ayaroa and its biggest atraction - Laguna Colorada /red laguna/, where we also had a place to sleep. Laguna was really red cos of red algae/it doesnt show on pictures too much/ and of course there were flamingoes living there and also some ducks and funny looking little birds. Laguna was fed by hot thermal water and there were lamas feeding around. It may sound idilic but it was 4000 above sea level, it was hard to breath, quite windy and in the evening it was getting properly cold. Every one of our group noticed that our driver was always choosing the worst and most bumpy roads. In the morning we set off as the first car and we arrived among last ones.

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