Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The border crossing from Chile to Bolivia is pretty basic to say the least. It was the first stop on our Salar de Uyuni tour which would take us from the desert of San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni a town by the famous salt flat in Bolivia. Before embarking on our three day, two night tour by Jeep we had to formally exit Chile and enter country number six of our travels, Bolivia. The immigration office was a small wooden shack in the middle of nowhere surrounded by 4X4's and tourists. We queued in the wind to receive our stamps before breakfast by the Jeep and being sorted into our tour group. We were put with two Italian guys and two Brazilian guys and we met the man who would take care of us; for the next three days he would be our tour guide, driver and cook. 

Bolivia Border Crossing

Salar de Uyuni Jeep

We jumped in the Jeep and first visited a clear lake surrounded by mountains, the next stop was a desert-like landscape. The third stop was a colourful lake, the yellow grass clashed with the azure skies. While many people took a dip in the thermal pool we decided instead to admire the stunning scenery. Craig was in awe of the colours in the landscape and couldn't stop taking photographs. We had lunch in a building by the lake and I for one was very impressed, mostly because there was mashed potatoes. I haven't had mash since leaving the U.K. and at home it is one of my favourite foods! We continued on to a geyser field and walked through the sulphur smelling steam, it was like walking among the clouds. The mud bubbled and the minerals stained the earth with bright colours. Our last stop of the day was to see flamingoes though they were quite far away and the wind was whipping at our faces. We shared a room with the rest of the group, I had trouble sleeping and so took a look out of the window only to see the brightest stars I think I've ever seen. 

White Lake

Spectrum of Colour

I completely forgot that we were in a new timezone and woke up an hour too early. I spent the extra time day dreaming before breakfast and packing everything back on to the jeep. We drove to a rock formation that looks like a huge camel and a lost city which was a joy to walk around. We climbed rocks and stood in huge holes in the cliffs, one of our stops was so beautiful and peaceful that I relished sitting alone away from everyone else to admire my surroundings. A visit to Black Lake saw us climb to the top of some rocks before spotting a type of rabbit and some llamas. A highlight of the day for me was a visit to a town with a railway line running through it. The weather had completely turned; from blue skies there were ominous black clouds and the landscape was very atmospheric. We walked along the railway lines passing a stopped train and took photographs. I couldn't help but think about my drawings and how this sight would make a wonderful series of work in ink. 

Bolivian Landscape

Peaceful Contemplation

We checked into a salt hotel which was a new experience; as described the hotel is completely made of salt, the floor is made from ground up salt and crunchy underfoot. We had a private room which was very pretty with a view over the salt flat. We woke before sunrise to drive to the salt flat, the stars were still twinkling. I couldn't believe how the flat terrain stretched on for miles into the distance. We watched the sunrise and then drove to Isla Incahuasi an island in the middle of the flat covered in cacti. We had breakfast after a wander amongst the cacti and then drove to a spot to take perspective photos. Now, I don't really have patience for moments like this. Perspective photos are hard to achieve, they require teamwork and also involve having to lie on the hard, rough salty floor with the camera. I found it difficult asking for help with the kind of photo's that I wanted and eventually gave up in a huff. 

Isla Incahuasi

Jump!

We continued to the final stop. We had been informed that Uyuni had been barricaded due to some sort of strike and would be inaccessible. The Uyuni train graveyard that I'd been really looking forward to seeing was a no-go. With the festive season just around the corner we had no idea how we would make it to Sucre and the nice accommodation that we had already booked. We were talking with our group and the group that we had been doing the tour alongside about what to do next, we tried bargaining with our driver to take us out of the little town and onto a bigger one and he said no. We had been stranded in a small dusty town just outside the salt flat with hundreds of other backpackers and nobody knew what to do. Another backpacker approached us to ask what our plans were, she said she had asked her driver to take her out of the town and he had quoted her $250 USD. I started to panic. We didn't have that kind of money to spend but maybe we'd have no choice? Our driver said that although he wasn't willing to take us any further he did know of a coach to the next biggest city Ururo. He drove us to the coach stop and we all snagged the last seats. The price was usually 50 bolivianos, when writing our names on the list it went up to 80 bolivianos, by the time we went to pay it was 100 bolivianos. It was frustrating but luckily £1 is equivalent to 8 bolivianos so it wasn't the end of the world. 

Oruro, the unintended stop on our Bolivian itinerary was an interesting one. We found a hotel by the bus stop and all checked in. The room was dank and there was so much noise outside, the beds were hard as rocks and the bathroom smelt like raw sewage. I started to cry and tearily told Craig that I didn't want to travel anymore. Any situation outside of my control seems to have a negative impact on me, I'm apparently incapable of taking things in my stride and maybe thats something I need to work on, or maybe thats how i'll always be. In the evening we all went out for dinner via the massive Christmas market that took up all of the streets. The neon lighting and brash Christmas decorations were a sight to behold. The next day we missed breakfast accidentally by 9 minutes and went out in search of bus tickets. Even finding bus tickets wasn't straight forward so we bought tickets to Potosí in the hope of being able to continue to Sucre. 

🎥 Bolivia:

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San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

After a restless overnight journey we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama, upon leaving the coach we could already feel two things; the intense heat and the thin air, San Pedro de Atacama lies at roughly 2407 metres above sea level. We walked with our heavy backpacks to our hostel and as it was too early to check in we sat on the dusty sofas in the outside courtyard with heavy eyelids and shortness of breath. After drinking as much water as we could manage to combat the altitude sickness we walked very slowly into the centre of town for breakfast before spending several hours talking to the many tourist agencies to set about organising a tour of Salar de Uyuni which we had learned could be done from San Pedro de Atacama. We found a tour operater that could organise three tours in the desert and also our Salt Flats tour.

Two by Two

Reflective Flamingos

Our first tour was to Piedra Rojas or 'Red Rock'. We were picked up early and did the rounds to pick up everybody else. After a drive the first stop was to a church tower made with old materials including cactus fibres. We then stopped at the beautiful Atacama Salt Flat where we saw flamingos perfectly reflected in the shallow water. We learned that the pink appearance comes from their diet of brine shrimp which gradually turns their grey feathers the pretty blush colour; the older the flamingo the pinker their feathers. We admired the birds and the otherworldly landscape for some time, the air was thin but bearable and the moon was out; it really felt as though we were walking on the surface of another planet. We returned to the van and had breakfast overlooking the salt, the sun had started beating down.

Mirror Lake

At Piedra Rojas

The next stop was the red rocks themselves. We had been warned by the helpful tour operator who booked the trip that the photographs advertised of the rocks aren't quite accurate, they are often photoshopped to look more red to entice visitors. Unless it has been raining the rocks are actually a dusky brown colour. Despite the colour the rock formations are still impressive. We were advised not to run and jump in the area due to the altitude as overexertion can cause altitude sickness and so we slowly walked across the landscape to the still lake reflecting the mountains. Colour remains ever present in my memory of the place, blue sky, white salt and brown rock. 

Little Stone Arch

On Another Planet

We boarded the van again and drove on to a sight with large lakes, volcanoes and vicûna's; our wonderful guide was very patient and after explaining everything in Spanish repeated it again in English for us as we were the only non Spanish speakers on the tour. The locals attribute fascinating stories to the landscapes which were a joy to hear. After a short walk by the lakes we had lunch at a quiet little town with the tour group before the long drive back to San Pedro. 

Sun Mountain and Geyser

Traditional House

The following day I was awake before 4am. I could hear dogs barking, people in conversation walking by the wide open windows and cars screeching past. The air was hot and dry and the lack of oxygen made my head feel fuzzy. We had a sunrise tour of the desert geysers and so falling back to sleep wasn't an option. We got on the minibus and were squeezed between two large blokes. Everybody including us fell back to sleep for the journey as we were encouraged to do by the guide. We awoke at the geysers and disembarked, it was cold and we were grateful we decided to wear our under layers. The geysers were amazing, huge bellows of steam rose toward the moon as the sun slowly appeared shining light on the tips of mountains. We've been lucky enough to see geysers in New Zealand and Iceland on our travels but these were by far the most impressive. Walking through the worlds highest geyser field we watched as the mud bubbled and minerals caused brightly coloured water to shimmer under the sun. We had some breakfast and afterwards Craig took a dip in the thermal pool, it looked lovely and warm until he got out. The steam as his warm body hit the chilly air reminded me of why I wanted to stay a spectator in my warm thermal socks. We went to another geyser field a short drive away and saw two erupt right in front of us; we were in awe. We stopped again at a church and viewpoint before returning to San Pedro. We had a short time to organise many things before our afternoon tour to the Moon Valley. We had to have lunch, buy supplies for our Salar de Uyuni tour the following day, book accommodation for the end of the tour in Uyuni and arrange a place to stay over Christmas before places got booked up in Sucre, Bolivia. After a little stress we managed to organise everything with time to spare. 

Cinnamon Tea at Sunrise

Moon Valley

We were picked up for our Moon Valley tour which began just a short drive away as it is not far from the town. We found ourselves at some salt tunnels which we walked and crawled through; the entire tunnel is made from salt though we decided not to taste the walls. We then walked to a viewpoint where we could see volcanoes and huge sand dunes which really made us feel as though we were in the desert. As with our tour the day before we learned stories from folklore of the mountain and volcanoes which were fascinating. We saw the three 'Maria's' made from rock before watching the sunset at Mirador Coyote. The orange sun setting over the vast landscape was an excellent way to end our weeks in beautiful and diverse Chile.

Sun Set at Coyote Mirador

Next: entering Bolivia via Salar de Uyuni.

 🎥 Chile - Up's and Down's:

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La Serena, Chile

We arrived in La Serena and after checking in to our hostel went out for burritos. We managed to find a cheap place that used soya 'meat' which we haven't had since leaving the U.K. Upon leaving the little restaurant we witnessed a man running away with somebody's belongings, our first encounter of crime while in South America. We watched as another man ran after him and then saw the police arrive. We continued to walk past the church and a nativity scene to the Christmas market, the evening air was warm and therefore left us with little festive feeling. 

The next day after a lovely breakfast we booked our coach tickets to San Pedro de Atacama and walked to the beach around 20 minutes away. It wasn't the nicest of beaches that we've encountered on our travels, the surrounding area was a little rough around the edges but still we strolled along the sand leaping over the rivers of water that ran to the ocean. An ice lolly helped to cool us down from the searing heat and a gentle swing in the playground while we watched people frolic in the water was a relaxing way to while away some time. 

The area surrounding La Serena is famous as a producer of grapes to make Pisco an alcoholic drink well known in Chile. We decided to visit the Elqui Valley the following day to see the landscapes of the Pisco region. We took a collectivo which is a shared bus to Pisco Elqui; the journey took over an hour but went through rolling hills and little towns. We arrived in the tiny town and wandered the streets, where we were dropped off was a pretty church and square sheltered from the sun by all sorts of lush trees and colourful shrubs. We treated ourselves to a refreshing drink at a cafe under a palm tree, the seats and table had been made with repurposed wooden crates painted in pastel shades which was a delight. We took photographs of the graffiti and cacti that littered the town before returning to the pretty square to eat our delicious packed lunch of salad and homemade coleslaw. The heat in the air made walking feel very exhausting and so we sat and watched local children play and had a little nap before taking a collectivo back to La Serena.

Pink House and Cactus in Pisco Elqui

Green Window in Pisco Elqui

The following day we packed our things and before leaving for the desert of San Pedro de Atacama went out for a 'meaty' vegetarian burger and handout chips from a local cafe. Our time in La Serena had been brief, we mostly wanted to break up the journey from Valparaiso to the desert but the friendly hostel and excursion to the pretty Elqui Valley had made the stopover worth it. 

🎥 Chile - Up's and Down's:

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