Lots of Wine and salt

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Hello Mendoza...city of fine wine and a million ice-creameries. After a day of rest and super panchos (delicious little hotdogs with fries on top) Rashy and I grabbed some bikes with Andy and Carly, an Aussie couple we met in BA, and headed for the wine region.

We started the day at Mr Hugos, a top bloke who rents out bikes with a map of the wineries and gives you a glass or two of vino to get into gear. We visited a olive and cheese place where we had 76% absinth, then went to numerous wineries and a beer garden. On the way home i accidently feel asleep onthe poor little old lady sitting next to me - I may have been a tad tired and a little drunk but I still blame Rashy for giving up hs seat without telling me!

After leaving Mendoza we headed for Bolivia with a half day stop over in Salta where we were supposed to go up in a cable car to view the city...but we may have been side tracked by a plaza side cafe with super cold beer! We arrived at the border and Argentina and Bolivia early in the morning and walked the short distance between the two countries. Here we had our first taste of Bolivian buses and toilets...both leave a lot to be desired!!

We boarded a bus to uyuni where we planned to start a tour of the salt flats, However after being on the bus for less than an hour the bus stopped for a "lunch break" at 10am as the road was blocked by a mountain bike race. After an hour and a half Rash and I decided we had enough of the bus and opted to get off at Tupiza, an unplanned stop but very fortuitous. This was truly cow boy and Indian territory and we loved staying amongst the towering mountains. We managed to hook up a tour of the solar, giant salt flats high up in the Bolivian desert.

The first day felt like we were in a strange fictional world with amazing cliffs, rock formations and dizzying heights. On our few days we bathed in thermal pools (with a number of creepy tour guides and French old men watching us change in the car), saw a billion flamingos, stayed in a salt hotel, saw an active volcano and heaps of other cool things. We finally arrived in uyuni tired, very sunburnt (me, not Rashy!) and ready for a proper toilet and a shower. At uyuni we had a quick dinner of pesto llama pizza and borded the overnight bus for La Paz. Yet again not a very plesent ride, but at least we had an excitin city waiting!!

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Photos

Wine tour
Starting the day with a shot of absinth

Wine tour
Getting close to the end of our day...still standing

Devils pass
trying not to fly away at devils pass

Flamingos
One of the million shots of flamingos...we won´t bore you with the rest

Thermal pools
They smelt awful and I came out with dry skin from the salt...but it was worth it.

Gym time
Rash even fits in some gym time in the middle of the Bolivian desert

Rude tourists
The sign was asking for it!

Salt hotel
No need for table salt...tak a bite of food and lick the walls!

salt hotel
or eat the floor!

Salt flats
Rash is sick of our tour group perhaps...?

Salt Flats
Having a romantic moment on the salt flats

Comments

[Stephen]

WOW
Howdy, Sounds like heaven in the wine country. Nothing like a shot to kick start the day. You may need to go into rehab upon your return. Speaking of returning i returned to work today. Boring. Had a great break with my dad and some of my mates. Went fishing in Port Lincoln, swam with the tuna fish and had a blast. Dad got gassed with my mates while we consumed 10 dozen oysters fresh from the sea that afternoon. It took him two days to recover but he still reckons it was one of the best days of his life, what he can remember anyway. It was a very funny day. Keep having fun. Great to hear from you. think about you lots. Cheers.