May 25th 2015

One of the greatest joys of travel is the friends you meet on the road, and how sometimes paths seem to cross over and over again.  The internet and social media has only made this easier and it’s something I truly love.  Friends for a few days meet all over the world, and that’s exactly what happened in my few days in San Pedro de Atacama where I met up with Rob and Bethan from Wales, Cecilia From Argentina, Ben from Italy, and Andreas from Austria, all people I’ve met in Pucon or La Serena.  Banded together as a group of six I decided to change my plans of saving the bolivian salt flats for later, and go with them on a stunning 3 day tour of south western Bolivia.  A brief 3 entry teaser of what this country has to offer before I head back later this summer.

Here’s the cast of characters, I like to think of us like S club 7 including the driver of course.

Ben: The sensitive one

Ceci: the Angry one

Robb:  The sexy one

Bethan:  The Crazy one

Andreas:  The smiley one.

Luke:  The Bad Boy

and Andreas:  The driving one (a.k.a the craziest of them all.)

The journey begins in San Pedro de Atacama which is a beautiful place but because of some lazy but very fulfilling days spent hanging with friends, playing ping pong and planning the Uyuni escapade, it will be covered in later entries.  For now let’s begin at the beginning, a late night of ping pong and pokemon (we found them in the shop and made our own too!) followed by a pre sunrise wake up call.

We booked our 3 day Uyuni tour leaving from San Pedro de Atacama and ending in Uyuni through Andina Sol tours (an agency in San pedro that works with Bello tours out of Uyuni) and since we had 6 people and some decent Spanish we got it at quite a decent price of 75,000 CLP (150 CAD)  including everything except park entries and excess water.  It’s the best deal I heard about in SanPedro from a reputable company that doesn’t seem to cut any corners.  I’d recommend them whole heartedly.

When I crawl out of bed in the high altitude desert cold I’m pretty bitter, ten minutes later though out in the street waiting to be picked up, I’m glad we’re up, because the sunrise behind the volcano is truly a stunning sight.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out.

 

We watch a few Swiss friends climb into their mini bus and just a few minutes Later Rob, Bethan and I are picked up to join Ben, Ceci, and Andreas in the bus.  We then drive slowly along bumpy roads out into the mountainous desert until our first stop, Chile’s border, where we wait for an infuriating number of buses before getting our exit stamps as well as some warm bread and cheese from a store around the corner.  Sometimes simple food is simply delicious.

From there we head further into the mountains bypassing roads leading to Salta Argentina and finally coming to the Bolivian Border Control, a small shack in a vast expanse of nothingness, surrounded by desolate and beautiful mountains.  I’m in shorts and even the Canadian in me is questioning the choice as at this point were pretty high up, and it’s not warm.  Still, Proud Canadian that I am I give my sweatshirt to an Aussie girl in line to get her passport stamped and as we eat breakfast outside the bus, I almost forget to go get it back.

Luckily I do just before were led away from our bus and to the black jeep which will be our home for the next 3 days.  I’ll be honest, it looks small, and the driver seems upset with the amount of luggage and water we have brought with us.  Speaking of which here’s a brief suggested packing list for any Uyuni 3 day tour for each person.

1.  Warm clothes!  I’m talking hats gloves, coats, thermals, and extra socks!  That’s right everything you’ve got.

2. At least 6 Litres of water each, better to have too much than too little.

3.  Snacks.  The meals are decent but a few snacks go a long way.

4.  Camera and batteries.  No electricity until night number 2 and so many place to photograph.

5.  A flashlight or headlamp comes in a lot of handy.

6.  Sleeping bag.  (Not necessary as you can sometimes rent them but not always and high altitude is cold.  I managed alright without)

7.  Props for Salt Flat photos and Videos.  (You’ll see)

8.  A swim suit for the hot springs.

Okay back to your regularly scheduled blog.  We climb into the bus and drive through some awe inspiring terrain until we get to the National park office were we all descend and pay our entry fee.  Waiting for the others I duck behind the building and relieve myself, once again thrilled to be a man on the road.  Coming back to the jeep We’re still waiting for some members in the bathroom so I take the chance to take some incredible photos of other jeeps speeding towards our first stop.

Eventually though we climb aboard and while our driver, also named Andreas,  seems annoyed at the wait our sheer energy of singing along to the spice girls which comes off his USB stick seems to bring him back around to us and by the time he lets us out alongside laguna blanca a smile’s back on his face.

The laguna is something else, filled with borox a chemical exported for detergent uses, the water is almost like snow with salt like crusts at the edges, placed in the backdrops of stunning mountains, it creates quite an incredible scene.  Already I’m feeling like this is going to be worth that 75,000 CLP  (150 CAD dollars).  The cold air whips across my face and tries to chill my legs as we all climb down closer to the lake, all utterly in awe of the world around us.  And this is only the beginning.  The next three days will prove to be one of the biggest highlights of my time in South America so far.

After a few more photos and some careful edging out through the solidified minerals towards the water we’re called back to the car so that we can proceed to the next stop, Laguna Verde.  One of my favourites on the entire trip.  Care to see why?

We pile out of the SUV experiencing a whole new level of awe at the turquoise waters below us.  The green phenomena is created by a cocktail of minerals in the water and is endlessly more noticeable when the wind is strong enough to stir the water.  As we’re rushing from the car Andreas tells me that today is a pretty good day, not at it’s peak by any means, but fairly green.  Either way, it’s unspeakably beautiful.

Full of foolish and frantic energy I end up running and leaping around above the lake, looking down at yet another South American marvel with wide eyes and a slack jaw.  It’s different than anything I’ve ever seen and endlessly special.  I take too many pictures, like always, but still fall into the place so entirely that it hurts to leave.  Below is one of my favourite shots, though I share it with trepidation.  It captures the best and the worst of me I think, my sheer childlike energy and earnest enjoyment, and my big gut which represents all my over indulgences in life.

Eventually almost all the jeeps are gone so we’re called back to the car and I run back across the rocky plateau reluctant to leave this place.  As is always the fault of organized tours, I never get as much time as I’d like in these amazing places.  But with the Salt Flats, other than a private guide, it’s more or less the only way to get to these places where roads are barely marked and help is a distant idea should something go wrong.

Still we zoom off through the abandoned reaches of the Andes mountains, passing by massive desert dunes and even a few flocks of wild Vicuna ( A fleeter foot cousin of the llama) as we speed across the stunning landscapes.  Honestly I feel like months spent in this region of Bolivia would be far from wasted as countless times over the next hour or so I’m wishing to ask to stop and go climbing, or running, or dancing, or anything.  It seems wrong to only drive by such beauty.

Our next stop though, is the hot springs at over 4000 Meters above sea level, the air is a bitter winter cold, but the water isn’t, and though this is a little set up that clearly only runs off tourism and the 6 bolivianos (roughly 1 dollar) fee they charge, and though it’s quite swarmed with tourists, it’s still unspeakably beautiful, and the water is beyond perfect, easing out aches I did not know existed.  It’s moments like these that help me to realize just how ridiculous my life really is.

From the hot springs we pack up, dry off and head on to the next stop and the highest point we’ll be at in the three days.  At 5000 meters the Sol de Manana Geysers  are a place that is truly hard to describe, especially since I’ve never seen geysers before, and the steam and smoke bubbling up out of the earth and shooting out into the air give off a strange sense of power.

Again were quick to pile out of the car, for me it’s easy as I have the front seat.  Sometimes it pays to be big, and to have entirely too nice friends.

Either way we all spread out navigating the narrow ridges between the boiling frothing piles of mud and gas, the warning of Andreas fresh in my mind of just how hot those pools can be.  I somehow manage to forget such warning s quickly though and almost go tumbling down into the molten mud, as a narrow ledge of rough earth collapses under my big feet and I barely mange to catch myself and haul myself up, unscathed.  But I do, and that’s what matters.  What’s traveling if not a series of close calls?

I’m amazed by these unique things I’ve never seen before (something that’s getting harder to find for me)  and could have easily spent hours exploring, but before long I realize the rest of my group is back in the van and we’ve been called to go, so, running again, despite the altitude I pile into the front seat of the jeep and we get going to our last stop on this truly incredible first day.  Laguna Colorada,  one of my brother’s highlights of his 5 month trip to South America.

The drive is long this time, but we’re wide awake and never bored. (Treble charger reference anyone)  The scenery is just incredible again, massive mountains jutting up in the distance along side several incredible volcanoes to keep us entertained until down below us we see the hard to imagine red waters of Laguna Colorada.

It’s at this point when Andreas ( the driver not this crazy and amazing Austrian character I first met back in La Serena) … When our driver tells us we have two options for where to stay tonight, we can stay right alongside the lake with the flamingoes, or a little ways back in a place a little more sheltered by the wind.  Since we’re staying indoors the answer seems clear to me and the rest of the group and we pull up to our home for the night right alongside the rusty red lakeside at around 3 pm.  We’re shown to our dorm which is full of comfy beds and not quite enough but still a lot warm blankets.

We’re then fed a hearty if simple lunch before our guide mercifully gives us the freedom to walk out along Laguna Colorada and explore on our own.  We saw a few flamingoes on the way on, but always from a distance and he assures us there are many more if we just follow the path.

On the way we play with some of our props for the salt flats who will feature again in day 3, Carlos the dinosaur, and this sexy barbie doll knock off, Rob rightly insisted we get.  Always defer to Welsh Wisdom.

Eventually we can’t resist anymore, seeing small clusters of people ahead on the higher rocks we decide it’s worth a detour which is likely not allowed.  Together we tip toe out closer to the rusty red waters, trying to keep our feet from sinking too deeply in the mud.  I thought it would allow for a better view of the flamingoes, which it did, but I never anticipated what might happen next.

We’re chatting quietly when suddenly someone points to a baby flamingo walking straight towards us though still some distance away.  For those that don’t know flamingoes are usually at the very least uninterested by humans, and usually extremely shy.  A hush falls over us and we try not to even breath as it comes closer and closer, glancing up at us with strange interest.  It looks cold.  I don’t doubt it is, since I’m still in my shorts at 4100 meters and am slowly freezing to death.  Still those thoughts are far from my mind as this young bird walks among us as if we don’t even exist.

I snap some photos, crouching down, heart racing both from amazement and the fear of being pecked in the eye, but he pays us no mind merely continuing on his way.

We leave the bird be eventually and head back to the accepted path climbing up the hill to the small house full of information and a registration book (free entry) as well as a view of the larger parts of the flamingo colony, frustratingly distant.

Up here the wind is worse and the crowds too.  While it’s still just vague smatterings of the small tour groups it feels crowded after being alone with the flamingo so I quickly find myself at the far edge of the path looking out at the flamingoes foraging for food.  They put on quite a show as the sun slowly fades towards the barren mountain tops adding a chill to the wind and making quick work of the remaining tourists, even including those of my own group and the park ranger.  It’s at this moment I’m glad we elected to stay close to the lake, it means I can walk back on my own.  And it means I’m utterly alone at the laguna for as long as I can bear the bitter cold.

It’s longer than I should as I sit in sheltered alcoves seeking silent reflection watching the fading sunlight dance over the otherworldly water as the flamingoes step carefully through the near frozen shallow water, some small groups taking flight and allowing for still more photo opportunities.

Eventually only the last glimmers of the sun remain and even the shelter of the rocks turns bare as the air itself takes on a frozen chill.  I’m Canadian. I’m good at cold.  But in shorts I look and feel utterly insane.  So, full of regret I eventually start heading back.

Once I reach the bottom of the hill though I can’t resist, it doesn’t matter that my face is burning with cold and that my fingers can barely press the shutter button, there’s a path lower down, closer to the lake, closed on this specific day, and I decide I have to walk it.

It’s worth it, giving me more quiet solitude and more close up views of these stunning flamingoes.  3 species live in the lagoon and all of them are beautiful.

Eventually the cold and the looming darkness gets the best of me and I turn to head back to the hotel.  I’d love to say I waited to long.  A normal person would admit it, but for me the torturous and seemingly endless walk back to the hotel in the ever growing frigid darkness is worth it for the solitude spent in this, one of the worlds most spectacular places.  I’ve been to almost 40 countries by now, and while it’s fruitless to pick a favourite place, this would be on any list I made.

Eventually I make it back to the hostel and find the others enjoying coffee and tea.  I’ve got quite a headache from the altitude mixed with the cold, but I’m happy to see my friends and we enjoy a hot meal that might have been delicious if not for the over reliance on plain boiled hot dogs before getting a game of Pokemon in before bed.  Because that’s just how cool Robb and I are.

Get ready for day 2.  We weren’t and it was full of surprises!