WARNING: The following blog contains pictures of outstanding natural beauty. Even the briefest exposure to such images are likely to make you want to quit your job immediately and book a ticket to Bolivia. Please make sure your boss is out of the office before you start reading. Thank you.
WHERE: the SALAR de UYUNI three day Salt Plains tour
WHERE (less detailed): northern Chile into Southern Bolivia
WHEN: days 213-216
WEATHER IS: very mixed, sometimes very windy, sometimes very cold, sometimes hot.
TEMPERATURE IS: at night pretty freezing, during the day 25-ish
PEOPLE ARE: awesome as we luck out and have another three great tourists with us in our 4x4. Even the agency’s other jeep is filled with a great bunch of tourists. The locals on the other hand are just mean, surly, nasty mean – especially the one that stones Paul (more of that later). There are six of us in the 4x4, us, a young British/Irish couple and the most nonchalant Dutch student ever. When asked what he studied he simply replied “I don’t know.” We named him Disco Maarten as he looked as if he’d gone to a club, got hammered then gone straight to the airport. He didn’t even bring a camera on a 6months trip. (ed note: Rhaani reckons Paul liked our new friend Irish Paul because he thought UK Paul was 26 and not 36.)
HIGHLIGHTS/LOWLIGHTS: Where to start? Without doubt the best thing we’ve done since leaving the UK. Originally we’d thought the first two days would just be driving but instead we had amazing scenery every day, morning, noon and night: the white lagoon, the red lagoon, the Dali Rock Desert – all spectacular...
 |
| Rhaani's lack of breathe mints proves a big hit with our new friends |
 |
| Julie and Rhaani enjoy the scorched earth scenery |
 |
| the reason Bolivian drug lords don't have sleepless nights worrying about logistics |
 |
| wow |
 |
| more cool scenery |
 |
| the only way to travel, no really it is, there's no other way through |
 |
| the gang FOOD IS: surprisingly good. Although Paul failed to taste any on the first night as he lost his appetite to altitude sickness. Considering we were in the middle of the desert we lucked out with some tasty Chicken cutlets, awesome soup and some quality spag bol. |
 |
| Paul poses relatively safe in the knowledge that its a mineral imbalance that causes the lake to run red, not a nearby genocide. APOLOGIES: due to the slowest internet connection known this side of the 1990's were are going to have to break this post in two and continue tomorrow with the best pics. Apologies once again  That's it Paul, you go behind that bush ...which leads to the stoning incident. No joke. Paul had earlier paid to use her toilet which was absolutely disgusting, so when Rhaani needs to go both Paul and Rhaani decide to go behind a rock. Suddenly we’re being shouted at by an angry lady in traditional garb. Rhaani hightails it but Paul persists. After relieving himself Paul walks past the still shouting lady and tells her in his best broken Spanish “Your toilet is too dirty, needs clean”. A fraction of a second later Paul feels the impact of a fist sized rock that strikes his back. When he turns he sees the still angry woman at the end of a throwing action...  Nothing to worry about here right? just some locals hanging out?  Wrong! in a flash these nasty bitches are spoiling for a fight ...Rhaani revels in the fact that despite her asthma and other various ailments she stays as strong as an ox while Paul turns white, loses his appetite and goes to bed early... we enjoy the warmest baths ever when we jump into the thermal springs ...  where are we again? ...finally at the Salt Planes and we’re all a little worried as it still has a fair amount of surface water on it... but it is still spectacular, as white as the eye can see ... the next three hours are filled with us trying to get the hang of illusionary photography and covering ourselves with salt.... as we drive back to Uyuni and the end of the tour Paul leans out the car to take a photo of some seated Bolivian women in traditional clothing and suddenly another rock is hurtling towards the jeep ... FUN PHOTOGRAPHY      UP NEXT: Tupiza, cowboy country and the closest town to where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid were killed. |
No comments:
Post a Comment