Several Days in the Wilderness...

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Friday 28th
We all make sure we allow an hour for the fabulous buffet breakfast, but we can't quite do it the justice we did yesterday! We pay up, check out, and our transfer bus arrives on time. Nice big bus... We wonder why we can't have it for the whole journey, but no, we're on the public bus for 3 hours when we swap to a train to Uyani. Takes us a while to check the bags in... No one's quite sure what the limit is (10k/13k/15k?)'but they're checked as a group and we stump up 7Bs each to cover the overspill, before checking out the snacks. I resist! Sat next to Vicky on the bus (nice enough bus), and we chat all the way to Ororu where we're to get the train. We have 45 minutes for dinner... Difficult in Bolivia where it's not unusual to wait an hour after ordering. However, Lila knows a place, we order, and within 15-20 minutes tasty variations of chicken have arrived. We eat fast, one last chance for snacks on the way back, and we're on the train. Looks like a pretty nice train, we're facing forward, there's an acceptable toilet, we get an evening snack and the TV is on soon after we get going. We get Roadrunner for an hour, then Enemy of the State, then Inside Man. A Bruce Lee comedy starts up but we arrive in Uyani before it finishes, around 1015pm. En route, before it got dark, there was some interesting scenery and a great sunset to see. At the station we reclaim our bags, get into our transfer 4x4s, find the hotel, check in - am with Vicky tonight. We chat, pack our daybags, and sleep... Ready for an early-ish start.

Saturday 29th
By 10am we've had breakfast, checked our big bags into hotel storage, and headed off to market for water (2l a day, minimum... This is the desert we're heading to!) + snacks. Do give in on some Pringles plus some lollipops to soothe the throat! Back at the hotel, we wait quite a while for the 4x4s to turn up... About 45 minutes late, clamber into the nearest one.. I appear to be with Stuart, Rachel, Mark and Adriana - don't know if this is for today or for the whole trip. We head off to the Railway Graveyard... Kind of bizarre/unique: a pile of rusty train engines and other parts. We head back to change a vehicle, then head off into the dust, accompanied by a very stretched cassette of Michael Jackson's greatest hits! Half hour later we arrive at Colchani, where there's an option to buy alt products/visit the salt museum... And I purchase a funky hat like Lila's, plus a synthetic 'alpaca' scarf.

By 1pm we're on the famous salt flats, stop for photographs with the salt mounds... Some already start the weird photography but soon we're en route to the Salt Hotel - no longer functioning but there's plenty of salt sculptures to see there and you can see a room 'as was'. In return for photos they ask that you buy something. Go for Milka Chocolate to share round, but it's made in Chile and more Tesco Value than Swiss chocolate! We head towards the Isla Pescada (Island of Fish) which is marooned in the middle of the ice flats, covered in cacti. We have lunch here... Tasty, before heading for a walk up to the top of the island - some great views - get a perspective of the size of the Salt Flats - about 50km in each direction. Back on the salt and it's time for silly photos... Because it's so flat/sunny strange perspective photos are possible - we try a few, including a group photo which takes a while! As the sun starts to drop around 5 we head off to our evening destination. We arrive at our dorm, where we chuck down bags and head out to the 'soccer pitch' - where another GAP tour is playing. We chat/play with them, head in for a hot drink, I have a (cold) shower before dinner - head outside to see the stars before an early night as we'll be woken at 545am!

Sunday 30th
We are woken 605, get ready quickly, have breakfast (scrambled egg/stale bread an no plates!) and we're still on the road soon after 7am as planned. An hour later one of the other GAP jeeps blows a tyre, and we all stop to help. Next stop 'El Banos'... I don't feel too good and this is the last one today! We keep going over a barren landscape, stopping on the railway tracks to take a photo towards Volcano (O?), which borders with Chile. After an open air Banos stop we stop at a very lunar landscape, looking towards the volcano. After 20 minutes we head towards the first lake where we see a few flamingos. We'll see more lagoons so we continue... I start to feel really unwell, we stop to look at a fox and I dash for the rocks. I wasn't sure if I could go outside but now I have no choice. Next stop lunch - I don't feel up for that, so I take a cocktail of drugs and rest on the seat. Move to the front seat and we continue. By 230, the next lake, feel bit better, so go out to look at the flamingos. We head onto some rocks before arriving at Laguna Colorada (Coloured Lake:Red), where we check into our dorm rooms... Not as nice as last night but it will do. A quick walk to the lake and it's so cold that we soon head inside. Hot drink later and Lila has some news for us - there's to be a strike/protest in Uyani and she suggests that we head back to Uyani tomorrow, instead of the following day. We'll still see everything but will get a private bus at 7pm so that we're in Potosi by midnight, when the transport strike starts - otherwise we'll be stuck in Uyani for 2 days and be covering our own accommodation costs. We will have to pay about GBP10 for changing routes/accommodation, but this seems a small price to pay, especially as if we get stuck, we may miss activities and have to buy extra flights, etc. Lot of argument but the group decision is clear. We're also told that Laguna Verde, on the list for tomorrow, won't be green at this time of year/day so most of us opt not to go, but to hang out at the hot springs. Christian and Claire still want to go. Fried chicken/chips and a couple of card games later and everyone is ready for bed as we have a 4am wake-up call scheduled.

Monday 31st
We're woken 415am, on the road soon after 430am, heading first for the geysers. It is bitterly cold in the 4x4s, and even colder as we step out to look at the geysers... Quick look/attempt at photo and we head for the hot springs. We'd not realised these were outside on the edge of the lake! Way too cold at the moment although the water temperature is beautiful. As Christian and Claire head off to Laguna Verde we wait for breakfast... Boiled eggs/stale bread/no plates... But great hot chocolate... Very warming! The sun is now also warming us up, having popped up over 2 seconds at 644am! We're at 4500m here too! After breakfast decide to get in... Sun should help warm when we get out. See Christian and Claire back early... Fast driver! As expected not much to see... We get a 15 minute warning to leave, get out, pay 3Bs to get dressed/toilet before heading back on the road. Our driver, Jaime (pronounced Hi-Me), is fast, so we keep stopping to allow the others to catch up!

We stop at Villa Max for lunch... Tasty salad, more bad bread! Think have eaten too much so not much for me! We sort out the tip for the drivers/cook before we're back on the road again to Valley of the Rocls - very impressive - stacks that go on for miles. We head back onto some real 4x4 terrain before stopping at San Cristobel for Banos and junk food! We all buy more rubbish before heading back into Uyani in record time. A chance to repack the bags, order pizza (too full, but have one slice - really tasty!), exchange my book on the book exchange - not exactly what I want to read but it will do, and we're onto our private bus. 12 double seats between 15 is not bad... Road is pretty bumpy and I kinda wish hadn't drunk so much water with the pizza! It's nearly 9pm so hopefully less than 3 hours to go before we arrive at Potosi! Around midnight the bus got ABSOLUTELY FREEZING, and none of us could keep warm enough. Around 10.30pm we stopped for a proper Banos (rather than nature Banos), and heard him say 3 hours, turned out to be 3am when we finally arrived. Hotel looked like it wasn´t finished, but it was, and we crashed into rooms (sharing with Linda)... dressed in full thermals! Been awake for 23 or more hours!

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