Salt Flats Baby!

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SALT FLATS! 12000km squared of salt to experience.


We had two 4x4s come pick us up and Pablo had told Callum and I that we were to be in one car to speak Spanish to the non-English speaking driver and he would go in the other. The cars arrived and we chose the back one - the one that happened to have no music outlet whatsoever (the other had an Ipod plug in!)


Anyway... we left at 10.30am to go to the train cemetery. Put simply, where all the old trains go to die. We got to treat it as a big kid´s playground, climbing around on the dead trains, pretending to drive them and pretending to fall on the tracks in front of them. Think the boys enjoyed it the most and it was the start of taking many many cool photos.

Back in the jeeps and on to the salt flats. I´m so glad I kept my sunglasses on because all that salt is mighty bright in the Sun. It really is something to behold.

We drove for a while until we reached a big island full of cacti in the middle of the salt. Got our tickets and climbed to the top of it which gave us some perspective on the salt. The island was made of super-old coral and randomly had an emu wandering around it. Came back down and had lunch made for us. Even the table was made of salt and because of its uneven-ness both Suzanne and Pablo managed to spill glasses of fanta on me.

Then it was time to drive on for hours of fun with trick photography. On the salt flats, you can make objects and people seem a lot bigger/smaller than they are and make yourself look as if you´re flying. We took photos with wine bottles, pringle tubes, a dinosaur, pretty much anything we could get our hands on.

After the photography session, the cars took us to the salt hotel - pretty much what it says it is - a hotel made entirely (except for the bathroom) of salt. I didn´t lick the walls to test it but it was an option if you found your food a little bland.

And early rise from my salt bed for another journey across the Atacama, first stop, the mountain of seven colours. Again, exactly what it says it is - seven colours on a mountain although mostly shades of brown - very cool.

After the mountain, we moved onto a lagoon (name escapes me but I´ll call it flamingo lagoon for now) filled with tonnes of flamingoes just hanging out. It was beautiful ( and only slightly tainited by the smell of sulphur) with mountains in the background, blue skies and little salty islands spread across it.

Then, after lunch, a trip to another lagoon - a breathtaking red one.

Deep, deep red contrasted with the bright white salt centred inside it accompanied again by flamingoes, mountains, the bluest sky in addition to llamas watching the world go by.

Next stop was what could only be described as a refugee camp for gringos in the desert - our home for the night.

Mike and I sat down to play a few games of spit (or speed or slam or whatever you want to call it) and taught Sarah and Pablo how to play who were both soon pretty hooked on the game so we all ended up playing each other for a couple of hours.

After the excitement of card games, the four of us went outside to star gaze. Mike, only wearing shorts, gave up pretty quickly but we stayed. There was an electrical storm in the distance which was intense to watch and it was once again clear enough to see the Milky Way. I was also lucky enough to see more shooting stars (and one of my wishes eventually came true - who knew that actually really happened?!)

Early to bed for an early rise the next day for our last day in Bolivia.

4.30am wake up in the freezing cold. At 5am, grab all my gear, and head out to the car only to have both of my contact lenses fall out. Luckily I caught them and ran back to shove them in my eyes and run back again and shove myself into the car to go to the geisers.

The first geiser shooting up into the sky from the ground was an artificial one and lots of people were jumping through it. We soon moved on to some real ones though. I stood in one and it was so warm which was a nice change from the icy temperature.

Next stop, watching the Sun rise over a hot spring. A few people were bonkers enough to strip down to their swimwear and jump in but my hatred of being cold held me back so I quite literally chilled and watched the Sun come up before breakfast.

Last stop before the border crossing was the green lagoon. Which wasn´t actually green. The direction of the wind had made it change to blue so we didn´t stay for too long.

At the border, we had to get our exit stamps. Pablo went first and spoke Spanish (obviously) and didn´t have to pay anything and neither did Sarah behind him. Then it was Mike´s turn of the guy at the desk asked him if he spoke Spanish and his response was to laugh and so he was charged 20 Bolivianos. A few more people went up and had to pay. Then it was my turn and I asked in Spanish why I had to pay when my friend didn´t and I don´t know if it was because I spoke Spanish or because I argued, but I didn´t have to pay and neither did Julie behind me.

Crossed into Chile and arrived at our hotel in San Pedro and really didn´t do much for the first afternoon except recover from the journey.

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Comments

[Clare]

What did you wish?

[Nix46]

Hehe only just saw this. Wishes stay a secret :) xx