The Extremes of Bolivia & Salar de Uyuni

The last night in Argentina in La Quiaca, the furthest point north, was our first experience of the cold. It was minus 15 at night and foudn only one restaurant open, sitting there with all our clothes on, gloves, hats etc... we ordered some very shabby food and longed for our beds!

On 3rd AUgust we left ARgentina and crossed into Bolivia, being a very organised and time obessed person I decided we needed 3 hours to cross the border just in case. WE arrived at the exit point to ARgentina, stamped our passports out, walked 5 meters along with a thousand other locals and stepped into Bolivia, our first point of contact was the immigration office and nothing like anything in ARgentina. A smalls shack with little security and small children giving out forms and helping you fill them in. The whole process took no longer than 10 minutes and being from teh EU incredibly simple.

...then the biggest shock of all, being thrown of the bus 20 minutes out of town in the pitch black as the roads into the town were blocked off.

The next 5 hours we spent in Villazon, the border town waiting for our train to Uyuni. Bolivia was certianly a culture shock, but expected. The contrasts between ARgentina were huge, the women walked around with skirts that accentuated their behinds, wore bowler hats and had small children wrapped round their backs. The streets were paved with illegal goods, everybody in the town seemed to be selling something. It was manic. Most shocking of all was the use of public toilets, there were none, so people just went in the streets. What we thought was a women sitting down waiting for her son to use the street as a toilet turned out to be the women herself using the floor as a toilet. Incredible...

When it got to 3pm we headed up to catch the train, i was very excited at this point, we had booked up an executive service and Veronica, my host in Argentina, had recommneded this journey to me. Upon arrival, a sign was at teh tstation. No trains for a week, all trains had been cancelled. OK! First realisation that finally I was in a country that no matter how much money you have, it doesnt matter. Also my first of many experiences of what Bolivia was to be like, the poorest country in South America and also the most unreliable, but certainly the most exciting.

The train was cancelled as most of the country was on strike, because of the impending elections, and minutes later we realised that leaving Villazon wasnt going to be easy, as buses were also reported to have stopped running. But we had to leave this town, it was horrendous, and not the place to stay the night. We finally found a bus out of the town to a small place called Tupiza, not originally planned on our journey. The bus ride was an experience. We met a dutch couple on the bus so we werent alone. There are no roads in Bolivia, just dirt tracks. The bus was one of those were your bags were through on the roof and you had people sitting down the isles, basically as many crammed in as possible. The route was meant to take 2 hours but took nearly 4 and once again, only the first day in Bolivia, two hiccups en route. Firstly, we had to wait over 40 minutes whilst we helped out another bus which had become stuck on the other way back to Villazon, then the biggest shock of all, being thrown of the bus 20 minutes out of town in the pitch black as the roads into the town were blocked off. Confused we grabbed our bags and headed towards the protest, fires burning and people camping, it wasnt scary, just a real experience. Knowing that we couldnt get past the blockade we had to make our way across a broken bride over a large river, which had many planks missing then walking down dust tracks with our huge bags for over 30 minutes, to finally find the town and a place to lay our heads.

On arrival, a very friendly hostel manager asked if we wished to do the Salt Tours from Tupiza, somehting we had never considered. It was expensive and we had originally planned to head to Unuyi to do this and take advantage of the competition and hence pay half the price. Over lunch we discussed nad finally decided at five past 12 we were going to do it. How exciting... had it not been for a horrendous dust filled 4hr ride, I would not have been able to sleep with excitment. This was one of the most incredible journeys to do in the world. WE booked up the 4 day tour and the next morning at 9am, met our fellow tourers, a french couple and our driver and cook. There was just 4 of us, which was great as it meant loads of space in the truck, and considering we were spending nearly 8 hours a day for 4 days travelling it was a blessing and worth any extra cost.

Our first day took us on one of the only 2 roads out of tupiza, and by road, I mean riverbed. Bizarre. We climbed up through the mountains and again, stunning scenery... at lunch we stopped in the middle of a desert surround by llamas, the back of the van was pulled upon and our first experience of eating on the road... ham and cheese sandiwches, fresh vegtables and llama and corn rolls! Simply delicious. A question had to be posed though, what about toilets, well we simply had to go on the middle of the desert and for the girls the a small manmade hole about 50meters away from the van... delightful.

That afternoon was a 4hr ride through the mountains and getting to know the french couple and stops at small towns on the way, were small local children would come running up to you mesmorised at your looks, heights etc. They were beautiful. The towns had no electricty and these people lived at 4000meters in teh middle of nowhere, they had very little but the smiles on their faces was great to see. It was also time to use the public toilets, or not as it turned out. Please excuse the graphic detail of this, but quite simply I didnt think this existed in these days, regardless of where in the world, a toilet was a hole in the floor that had not been cleaned for what seemed months. These people in their houses had no toilets, so they literally walked into an open cabin and piled their stuff on other peoples stuff.

After a few more villages and similar sights we  arrived at our first night stop. At 5pm it seemed early, but we soon realised that it gets very cold and very dark, very quickly. We unpacked the vans, went to the kitchen, had some crackers and mate and then headed out to have a look round the small village. It was only 6pm, but already the temperature had dropped to the coldest i had experienced. I was going to need every lair of clothes I had plus a super sleeping bag and at least 10 blankets if i was going to survive the night. AT the hostel, or huts, there was no electricty, no power, and our evening meal, which was stunning, was cooked on a small gas stove. A mouthwatering soup followed by some fresh cow and a vegtables..

At 8pm, we took our torches and headed out to a small hut in the town were we were greated with a celebration of the independance of Bolivia, played out by the local school children, a real experience, but obviously not up to the standards of a west end musical. By 9pm, it was time for bed. the four of us headed to our freezing rooms, put leggings, gloves, hats, jeans, jumpers, sleeping bags, 10 layers of thick duvets and fell asleep.

THe next morning, Day 2, was a 4am start. 4am at 4000m at minus 15, is not nice, but for me, the overwhelming cold was a sacrifice worth making for the experience. WE had a quick breakfast and headed off on our first long journey, through mainly flat landscapes but mountains in the background all the way. We had a deadline to meet and that was hitting the green lagune, whilst it was still green. That may sound bizarre, but it changes it colour during the day. After a 7hr journey, which was not as bad as you would think, (company being a godsend), we made it and it was worth the ride. Photos for this one really, but just imagine a lime green lagune with a volcano straddling the background and behind, Chile.

The next stop was another new experience, and something people had said was so crazy, that it put the fear in all of us. It was minus temperature oustide, but in the middle of nowhere there were hot springs at 35degrees. So, without changing rooms we all stripped of, and into our swimwear and jumped in. It was bliss, having had no shower for a few days, I certainly wasnt getting out fast. 15 minutes was our time limit though and obviously stepping out of that temperature into minus temperatures was not something i looked forward to, but as usual, the fear was worse than the actuality, it wasnt too bad. After changing we walked back to the trucks and had another quality lunch.

The final part of the day was a drive to our night hostel. Different to the first as it was a literally no village, but only there for the tourist routes, so we encountered quiet a few other groups and had good conversation. Opposite the the hostel was a red laguna with flamigos. So, before dinner we took a freezing cold and windy walk over to the viewpoint. That night, another early night, I beleive 8pm, there was simply nothing to do and it was freezing cold. But, again, wrapped up in every layer I have, bearable.

The third day, slightly later start, 6am, and we headed off through once again breathtaking scenery, taking in more flamingos, volcanos and landscape that inspired Dali, or the other way round. I felt for 30 minutes, I was in one of his paintings, and that is no exageration! It was bizarre formations and your eyes were fixated to all kinds of rock formations and colours of the landscapes. Another great lunch by our cook Daisy overlooking a volcano and the final part of the journey to end up at our last nights stop in a small village at a salt hotel. With the salt lakes literally 15 minutes away. We unpacked our bags and headed into this wierd and wonderful building. Made completely of salt, the beds were salt, the tables were salt, the floor was... salt. You cold lick the tables... very unhygenic, but where else in teh world can you do that. I pop outside to view the town, and found a small local boy kicking round a football. FOr 3 months i have been desperate to play football, so I managed to coerse the drivers from the tours, a few locals and a group of us gringos to play on the football field which was situated 5 minutes walk from our hotel. (Oh, by Hotel i dont mean hotel, i mean shack). Now, imagine playing football normally, and how exhausted you get, times that by 4500 meters in the sky,where breathing is hard anyway in the freezing cold and you have what I put myself through just to play a game of football. Thankfully most of the players were talentless, and I managed to score 3 of our 5 goals and also net the winner... nice!

That night was very social and I stayed up drinking local wine and eating with a few of the other tour groups which after 3 days 24 hrs of being with the same people was refreshing.

The next morning was the final day and to be the ultimate, the salt lakes. 12000sq miles of pure white salt, where your vision becomes distorted and all sense of reality is lost behind. We woke at 6am to clouds. Not good. No breakfast this time, first stop was Isla del Pescado, where we climbed the mountain and viewed 360degrees the salt planes. Now, normally and in 99percent of all other tours, you were supposed to be blessed with blue skies... not us! It was hugely disapointing and whilst the scenery was inredible, it just didnt give off the illusion that was promised. But hey, not the end of the world. We had breakfast after a climb down and then, the highlight for me, playing football on the salt lakes. Gringos vs Drivers! It was great, I have spent the last 2months seeing pictures of people on the salt flats, and for me its the experiences you dont expect that do it.... I knew that I could make myself small, optical illlusions etc like others, but didnt know that we would be playing football at 4000meters up on a lake made completely of salt. After the football, which once again was exhausting, we made the journey across a pure white wonderland. Stopping half way, we got out, made all our crazy photos and made good on a promise, or dare that we would get naked on the salt flats and minus dregrees for a photo! I dont think many people do this and therefore we had too.. something different hey. The pictures are great, and the illusions are so funny, hard to describe, so check the photos when I find them.

The final stop after that was another salt hotel and museum and lunch, once again fantastic. We arrived at Uyuni, our destination at about 2pm, thanked our drivers for incredible experience.

The salt tour was my first experience of a 4 day excusion in a jeep and also holds for me lots of memories of breathtaking scenery, indiginous peoples and towns and of course the footy. I also had a great time with the french couple who had been travelling for nearly a year and close to my age, we all bonded very well and I very much look forward to seeing them when I take a trip to Paris.

It was time to work out what to do, Unuyi was a hell hole and reminisance of town post apocolypse. We flagged a taxi down and took a small trip to the train cemetery. Now, being a bit of a geek, I like trains so this was a bit of a must for me. Basically imagine a desert scattered with rusty abandoned and completely trashed trains, carriarges and debris, there is nothing like it and once again, photos are going to have to do the work.

Upon our return we were stuck with a choice of either staynig in Uyuni for the night and the next day heading to Potosi or after spending all day in a jeep, getting onto another bus and heading straight to Potosi that day. We met a couple of guys from another tour, Brett and Peter who were doing the bus ride that day, so decided to suck it and see... and that is where I will leave it for now...