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Green Lagoon
The first of many great lakes we would encounter on our 3 day adventure...Leaving Chile
Three Large vehicles waited outside for us and our bags. It was a short ride from San Pedro to the border and we were soon getting our Chilean Exit papers stamped and proceeding into no-mans land. Not long after that we were approaching a run-down stone building bearing the flag of Bolivia. I must mention that the road here was not paved. The facilities consisted of an old bus that would not be going anywhere other than on the back of a truck. Not surprisingly people passed up the opportunity of a toilet stop.
We spent about 15 minutes getting our papers for Bolivia (basically filling out our name, address and passport number) and we each had to hand over 22 Bolivianos (about 2 pounds) for the stamp. Back outside and into a chilly wind, our bags were unloaded and taken to 3 waiting Toyota 4 Wheel Drive vehicles on the Bolivian side. Our driver introduced himself as Abel and we would be sharing a car with Alex, Robyn, Steph and Kelly for the next 3 days. The roads ceased to exist.
The Green Lagoon
Our first stop was at a place whose name
translates as the Green Lagoon, the colour due to its mineral content. It was surrounded by calcium sulphate deposits from previous volcanic activity. Despite being beautiful, nobody seemed prepared for how cold the brisk wind would be and so we were literally out of the vehicles for only 5 minutes to take a photo. The viewpoint was high above the lake meaning you could not walk down to it.
The Valley of Dali
We made a brief stop in the Valley of Dali to admire rock formations blasted by the wind over time that were dotted on the side of a sand dune. Many people seemed to be more interested in finding a vacant rock for a toilet stop - mostly female and their numbers included Lisa which I labelled ´the rock hoppers´.
It was around 13.00 when we stopped for lunch. We were overlooking another lagoon, but this one had a concrete pool at the side to capture hot spring water that provided lunch time entertainment for some of the braver members of the groups that were stopping there (getting into 40 degree water is OK, getting out into a cold, bracing wind is another
matter).
Outside the restaurant we saw a woman dressed in typical Bolivian clothing which is very strange; they have a bowler hat, overalls and grow their hair in very long plaits. The food was filling, but had virtually no taste. The type of meat remained classified and the cheese was incredibly salty. It was certainly not one of my favourite meals. We then had about 1 hour to pass the time before our next leg of the journey.
Geysers
We stopped in a place overlooking several geysers which were impressive, but somewhat lacklustre after our visit to White Island the previous month. We had about 5 minutes here for photos before continuing onto our accommodation for the night - a very strange complex of buildings, backing onto a hill in the middle of the desert with incredibly stark surrounds. Many of the buildings were unfinished, but it felt that it was only a matter of time before they would be completed as tourism continues to grow. We unloaded our bags into 1 of 2 dormitory style rooms. The beds consisted of crude mattresses sat on a concrete block about two thirds of a metre
off the ground topped off with a psychedelic duvet.
Our First Night
We were at an altitude of 3200m and a few members of the group were feeling the effects. Those members of the group who were not feeling yet feeling the effects included Lisa and I and so we visited the nearby lake, Laguna Colorada. We could walk down to the edge of this lake and admire 100´s of flamingos going about their daily business. The reddish hue of the distant volcanoes provided a superb backdrop in which to admire the birds. We also caught a glimpse of a vicuña, a wild Andean deer.
Everyone was glad they had dressed warmly for the lake visit because with the departure of the sun, the temperature dropped dramatically. Our depleted convoy headed back to the hotel/dorms where tea, coffee and biscuits were served. We discovered that the Bolivian woman from earlier was actually travelling with us as our chef. Following tea most people retired to their dorm beds for a siesta as more people were developing headaches associated with soroche (altitude sickness). Four of us remained chatting in the hallway as the last of the suns rays
Laguna Colorada
Red in colour due to its high mineral content. lingered in the distance giving the desert a pink glow as the wind howled outside making the place seem very eerie indeed.
Around 19.30 the generator was fired up and we had light for 2 hours, just enough time for dinner and a quick wash. Once again the meat was ambiguous to say the least. However the soup was a welcome pick-me-up. Following dinner the single bathroom was put under considerable strain as people rushed to clean their teeth and wash in the freezing water (unsurprisingly there was no shower) then scramble into their bed. Our tour leader’s IPOD provided us with Bob Marley hits to listen to which was very surreal against the backdrop of the howling wind and general chill in the air.
It was an unpleasant night for most of us as we all began to feel the effects of the altitude and developed headaches. It was very difficult to control your breathing and not get a headache. Most of us woke up short of breath suffering from palpitations, classic symptoms of altitude sickness. It was a relief when the sun came up and we could get out of bed. I felt as though I
had not slept a wink.
The 3 Lakes
After comparing horror stories of the previous night over breakfast, we were back in the jeeps at 08.00 on our way to our first stop at the Desert of Siloli (Tree Stone). Here we saw more wind blasted rock formations including the famous tree stone (the lower half was more eroded than the top making it look like a tree).
We continued on past the spectacular scenery, taking in the 3 lakes of Cañapa, Chairkora and Tiedionda. We stopped at Chairkora for lunch. It was a bright, sunny day and the wind was not as strong so apart from 50%!o(MISSING)f the food, lunch was very pleasant. A few of us tried kicking a ball around, but the altitude left us breathless after running just a few steps. I called it quits when I nearly fell down a deep well! This whole area was covered in volcanoes so yellow sulphur and white calcium deposits featured prominently here, giving each lake a distinctive colour. After lunch we drove to the Ollague Volcano, active and over 5000m tall. We stopped here for photos and could even see it smoking!
Our 4x4 transport !
All loaded up and ready for action... Chiguana and the Hotel de Sal
Our next stop of note was in a small village called Chiguana where we thought we would be stopping at a local crafts market. It turned out to be one small shop where we bought some essentials (a bottle of water and a Twix). We had a brief kick-about with the proprietor’s young kids before pushing on. The place resembled a ghost town. The only other person we saw was herding llamas across the town’s football pitch.
We arrived at our second night’s accommodation ´Hotel de Sal´ around 17.00 and got our gear unloaded. Dorm rooms again, all the gents were in one room and the ladies in another two rooms. This was all a bit weird for me - who would tuck me in?
A cup of tea and biscuits accompanied our evening light show as the sun descended over the distant salt flats producing shades of pink and orange. There was an option to take a hot shower for the equivalent of 50p which Lisa decided to take up. After having prepared myself that I was not having one, I decided I was quite happy with the new
Vizcacha
A relative of the chinchilla. Looked more like a rabbit to us! fragrance I was cultivating and wait for a free one tomorrow…
Although the name of the hotel implied it was made of salt, the truth was somewhat different. The pillars and walls were made out of salt blocks carved out of the salt flats, but the roof was made of wood. I felt a little bit better about that as I had no desire to experience what a chip goes through! Dinner was accompanied by a few of the local kids playing traditional music for us. They obviously found something funny because they kept trying to hide behind the salt pillars to hide their giggling.
A great night’s sleep ensued. This was a feeling shared by the entire group as everyone had obviously adjusted to the altitude and had some making up to do from the previous night.
The Salt Lake
Most of the group woke up feeling fantastic, obviously having adjusted somewhat to the altitude and making up for the write-off of the previous night. We were soon hurtling along onto the largest salt lake in the world at 12000km2 with the sun bouncing off it giving it a brilliant white appearance.
Isla
Crossing the salt lake
The biggest salt lake in the world at 12000km2! Incahuasi, a small coral island was our first destination. It was an oasis in the middle of the barren salt full of cacti, some of which were 1000 years old! We took a 40 minute loop walk of the small island. There were magnificent views across the salt to the distant snow capped mountains and the fun and games really began when people started getting up close and personal with the cacti and their cameras - each person trying to find their own way of getting back to nature!
Following this enjoyable stop we were driven to the middle of the salt lake and given some time to devise amusing photos, playing with the featureless landscape to compose our photos with warped perspectives. I neglected to put sunscreen on which was a big mistake as the sun’s rays bounce off the white surface making them even more potent.
We stopped for lunch in another ghost town, the least said about the pink chicken the better before heading off towards civilisation. We headed past a 2 man police checkpoint with a strange, domed building looking like something out of Star Wars. Other vehicles, some of which did not have
Shy vicuñas
These animals grow the finest fibre in the world! 4WD started appearing and before we knew it we were in Uyuni City and outside a plush looking hotel and back to creature comforts...
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