Salt Flats Tour Part 2

If you missed part 1, click HERE. It will take you through the first few days of this trip... But now for the crowing glory....

Day 4

Normally, people take a 4 day tour through Bolivia, but we opted for one day longer. This gave us the chance to sleep in on Day 4 (I say sleep in, but we were still up by 8am) and see a bit more. After a quick breakfast we headed out to our first stop - the Inferno Cave! Discovered only recently, it shows the lava that had, a very long time ago, flown into the ocean and frozen in the most peculiar of fashions. On the ceiling was also coral and salt water stalactites. It was a small cave, but interesting nonetheless. Our heads were grateful for the helmets as some of the passages were quite low.

After the cave, we began our drive across the salt flats. It was mesmerizing, looking out the window and seeing nothing but the flats and some distant peaks of mountains that were just barely shadows. We drove for some time, although I couldn't tell you how much, before we arrived at The Island. Poking up in the middle of the white nothingness was a small, for lack of a better word, island. We got out and had a short hike up to get a better view of the surrounding area. Other than getting a bit lost on the way down, we enjoyed ourselves and tried to hide our huffing and puffing because at about 3500 meters above sea level, we still weren't completely acclimatized.

The Island in the middle of the salt flats

A cactus on the island

One of the new Bolivian flags that recognizes native people of the Andes.

 

Our lovely driver and guide then set off in the direction of seemingly nowhere to find the holes in the flats. I have no idea how, but they found them, and we pulled over for lunch and fun pictures and enjoyment of the flats. Felipe (our driver) poked around with a screwdriver and hammer in said holes until he found us satisfactorily large salt crystals to take home as souvenirs. We ate lunch on the flats, just marveling at its vast size and seemingly endlessness. Then was the time for pictures! Because of the nondescript landscape, you can take incredible perspective pictures. Felipe and Ellie were amazing helpers in taking our pictures, directing us and suggesting funny and interesting ideas. Time flew by, and before we knew it it was time to move on. It was a good thing too, because I turned out quite sunburned and was as red as a ripe tomato! 

Honey I shrunk the Szczypkas?

Careful Paul, if you crush the truck we'll be stuck here forever.

Paul's getting blown away!

Look at tiny me doing a handstand!

Paul, contemplating life (and looking for a meteorite!)

Lunch on the salt flats!

Kisses!

We drove across the flats once again, with Elizabeth (the guide) at the wheel. We stopped to take pictures of the volcanoes and at a reflecting pool. I got soaked up to my knees in saltwater, but it was worth it for a few cool pictures! Then we were suddenly not on the salt flats and back on the bumpy dirt road, heading to our next night's sleep. We stopped in a small museum with a mummy and old Bolivian artifacts, and got the chance to see a multicolored volcano. Time slipped through my fingers and it was night in the blink of an eye. 

Perfect place for a handstand!

Multicolored volcano

Llamas! Finally!

 Day 5

This last day had precious few stops, but they were all interesting and each one got us closer to our bus and La Paz. We first stopped at a big crater, where Elizabeth informed us that no one was sure about how the crater was made. Next, we got to take a much needed rest at a thermal baths. Unlike the previous thermal bath, these were private little rooms with a bath and shower. The hot water was just what I needed after being bone cold for 4 days. A quick and delicious lunch and we were zooming on to Oruro. Most travelers don't stop in this city, and when Paul and I first drove through it felt like a ghost town with hundreds of half built buildings and no one around. The second time through it was buzzing with activity, as it is the commercial hub of the entire country. Elizabet got our tickets and waited with us to be sure we were on the right bus. Then we waved out tearful goodbyes and said our prayers as our bus zoomed off to La Paz. A short ride by comparison, only 5 hours, but sitting right at the front we got to see our very sensible driver overtake trucks on a blind curve.... going uphill... and then honk at any offending car that had the nerve to be in its own lane coming head-on at us. Informative stickers on the windows reminded us that we were required to wear our seatbelt, which we surely would have should they have been working. Ah well, it's all just another trip in Bolivia. We made it back to La Paz, to our previous hotel, for a much needed rest. 

If you are considering a trip to South America, I would strongly urge you to visit Bolivia before it becomes strangled with tourists. We had so many opportunities to just be in nature, just us, without hundreds of people milling around. This is a place best experienced through your own eyes, and it will be a trip you will never forget.

Traveler's Tip: Even though many hotels and restaurants advertise that they take credit card (Visa or MasterCard) it seems that most companies don't actually know how to use their card readers. Come prepared with lots of cash, as USD is widely accepted.