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Published: September 22nd 2007
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After being back in La Paz for one night I took a bus the next day towards
Uyuni, to see the famous Salares (salt planes). The bus ride was more or less 15 hours instead of 10, because our first bus broke down. After that I was freezing while waiting for the next (and way more) shabby bus. I had to change to another bus in the middle of the night, and the next day another bus broke down in front of us and we had to wait till that bus was fixed, because we couldn't pass on the dirt road track. Till now in all my bussing time, I had maybe 4 hours in total asphalted roads, all the rest have been on dirt roads BUT I never slept so well as this time. We arrived at 11am at this nice little town, which has actually a running train station. I checked in a hostel and got immediately the question if I want to leave on a 4 day tour, sorry, first day I always look around and rest (my favourite: siesta). So booked a 3 day tour for the next day, I looked around, ate some local food (salteñas),
tried to keep up with my diary etc. The next day it started. First started with a very boring group but with a very nice guide. In this first group there were a rich Bolivian couple and Korean girl Japanese guy. No one spoke English and the Bolivian couple only spoke to each other and the Asian couple spoke barely Spanish. This was a bit boring, but again the guide was funny and the views amazing!! Only until the afternoon then I changed to another group.The only thing I regret is that I didn't know before that on the Salar you don´t see any depth so you can make really funky pics, which I don't have now.
The Salar used to be a sea and is 12.000km2, really salty and really white. The local history is more fun though:
Around the Salar you have mountains: one looks like a woman's breast, next to that mountains small to bigger resemble the kids. Next to that a low rectangular one resembles a sombrero, next to that a guys face facing the sky and next to that a skirt with a belt ( I really couldn't get that out of it). So the 'woman's breast' gets married to the 'man's face' and they get 'kids'. He starts cheating on her with the 'skirt' and she gets angry. She throws a lasso, but it lands on his forehead that's how she takes off his 'sombrero'. She still angry, and still breast feeding their last kid, so she covers everything in breast milk as revenge.
At the Salar we see that people use the salt to make blocks to build houses and so on. There's a hotel in the middle of the Salar made out of Salt. Really everything: the walls, the seats, the beds, the tables. Only costs 20 dollars for a night. After that we were driving towards an isla, covered
with huge cactuses (highest more or less 12 meters). Too bad I don't really have time to spend there, because apparently I had to change jeeps there (without real lunch, I got dry cookies instead). And who do I end up with: the people whom I saw the day before in the hostel: Dutch couple, 2 from the UK, 1 Canadian. One guy from the UK gave immediately a wrong impression: he's drinking straight up rum already all day, weird and annoying? And later on at dinner I said something about it, because the stench was annoying all of us in the jeep and his behaviour was rude and embarrassing (like flicking the finger to other jeeps). The Dutch guy told him the same after as well. Which he didn't take this well: He didn't speak with neither of us the next day and a half. Also, the night was very very cold.
We started day 2 by seeing 2 lakes, both with flamingo's, and even a wind hose. After lunch we saw 3 more lakes and the famous Arból de Piedra, and other weird rock formations I saw faces in a lot of them. It is still really
windy and cold, so we don't spend a lot of time hanging outside of the car because of it. After this we are driving for a long time to get to Sol de Mañana were we stay the night at Lago Colorado, which is so beautiful. Just incredible water can have this red-ish colour. Apparently this is because of algae in the water. The lake is at 4450m, and it's really really cold. In the water there seems to be flakes of ice, but it actually exists from minerals. Before I walk over, there's a, what seems to be, orphaned vicuña coming to say 'hi'. Cute, really soft and very bold: it just walked in our dorm! When arriving at the 'mineral hills' in the water we take some cool pictures, only when I did a cartwheel my pants ripped.. :D
The next morning we had to wake up at 4.00, after a frickin cold night! It is snowing! We go to the geysers at 5000m, impressive. And after that a little lower to a hot spring for sunrise, this is magical and really very welcome. Then breakfast which is also very welcome. After all this we
drive up to Lago Blanco & Laguna Verde. We are lucky: there's enough wind so the water moves this is how you can see the green colour, just full on stunningness! Especially with the big volcano in the background. After this we have the long ride back to Uyuni. Overall so so beautiful, colourful and just incredible!!!!
After this I take a bus to
Potosí (4100m). It's the highest city in the world and famous for its (silver)mining. During the day the temperature is fine but at night freezing cold again. I've met again a few nice people and I felt like an old lady again: after three steps I'm catching my breath. I decide to do a tour after and end up together with 2Dutch guys, a German girl, and some others. Our guide Juan is a funny sweetheart, tiny as he is. His brother Xavier is 'in training' as a guide. Juan explains a lot. We first change clothes then we're off to the miners market to buy; coca leaves, lemonade and DIY dynamite as gifts (and for ourselves). After this we see 2 factories, people who work here have a life expectation of just 40 years.
Because of the long hours and use of chemicals e.g. cyanide and not enough protective work gear. After this we go into the mine. I get some coca leaves from Erik (Dutch) which you have to use together w/ some rock with alkaline in it, then it works. All the miners use this against the hunger, altitude and they have more energy to do the heavy labour and long hours at this altitude. My mouth, throat and cheeks go numb, that's about it and the taste is disgusting! The tea is way better. Inside I can sometimes walk straight up, sometimes need to bend and sometimes really crawl on hands and knees. We see a lot of natural poisonous things existing there like asbestos, that's one of the thing miners life is short; they have expectation to live just 30 years. Also the due to long hours, they are malnourished, the dust, the altitude and the heavy heavy labour! We see how it works till 3 levels down, the 4th is dangerous(explosions) and just too narrow. We even help them out to fill up rubber ´baskets´ with shovels. This needs to be done really fast, before the other one comes
down. I did 2 in a row, and really had to catch my breath and was sweating all over, and they do it without a break or food for hours and hours.. We see men and boys passing with trolleys filled up with rocks, 300kg- 1000kg, just using body strength to move them around and flip them over: impressive! When we are going back our guide gives us an opportunity of taking another route: climbing up through a narrow path on hands and knees. I did this with 3 others. I never knew I had some claustrophobia in me, I guess it's natural. We freaked out when we heard an explosion and smelled gas, and our guide ran off. Huge respect for what those men are doing especially in such miserable circumstances. I think I will never do it again. Totally stunned and dusty we came out, happy to be out. This after 1,5 hours and they do it day in day out for at least 8 hours in a row.
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Shay
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La Paz, Im coming
Hey Nouky Your trips look awesome, glad youre still having fun touring the world. Im coming down to Baja to do a bunch of sailing for a month in November. Thanks for the preview of La Paz. Awesome shot.