9 May 2006
Salt Plains: Ups and Downs
Days 196 & 197 - Monday 3rd & Tuesday 4th April 2006
We awoke to much better weather - sun shining, no clouds. This put me in a better mood. I reckon I must have some kind of SAD syndrome going on. It was a totally different landscape from the day before, desert plains and the only snow in sight was atop the peaks that rose maejstically above, seeming close but in reality miles away.
We didn’t have such a tight schedule today and not having to cover as many kilometers meant we could stop more often for photos and to generally get out of the van. It was good being able to wander around without getting freezing but in actuality there were not many places to wander off to on the huge plains.
As we rose a little higher there was a small sprinkling of snow but nothing too bad. We got another chance to stretch our legs when the bus got a puncture but we were soon up and running again.
Before long we had reached the first of the things on the list for that day, laguna colorada. This lake glowed red at different points during the day as a result of the sandstone mountains in the background. It was also home to thousands upon thousands of pink flamingoes.
Moving on through more desert we arrived at the Arbol de Piedra (Tree of Stone) which stands eerily alone in the middle of the desert. Resembling a chicken head it has been formed by stones and sand whipping past it and eroding it away.
We stopped for a while took the obligatory photos and carried on, before arriving in our hospedaje in the early afternoon. We wanted to get to the salt plains for sunrise, which meant a very early morning as we were two and a half hours drive from them and the sun rose at about half six. Meaning a 3.30am get up.
Unsuprisingly it was cold and dark when 3.30 came around. As I was waiting for the jeep to be packed up and for us to leave, I was looking at some of the clearest skies ever (not far from Uyuni in Chile are some of the worlds best observation points) when a shooting star cut its way right across the sky. A good omen I thought and it turned out I was correct. As dawn broke we were firing our way across the desert plains, our driver trying his best to get us there in time. We just about made it as the sun poked up above the mountains and it was even better than I had thought it would be.
There were two of everything. One normal, one upside down. There was a layer of water on the ground which acted as a mirror. We had some brekkie and admired the views of pure white, absolutely nothing else.
We couldn’t venture too far out onto the plains as the layer of water covers holes that we could sink into, so we sat and admired before heading back to Uyuni, and the final point on the tour a graveyard for the rolling stock of Bolivia.
Here lay tens of trains just left to rust out in the open. Quite a sad thing to see really, just shows the lack of care about things in Bolivia. We were dropped off in Uyuni where we hung around for the afternoon before taking a bus to Potosi, once the richest city of the Americas.
8 Comments on 'Salt Plains: Ups and Downs'
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Sorry if we woke you from siesta, but needed to know if you got passport, take care, whats happening now….
Posted by Lyn on: 11th May 2006 at 08:46 am
AMAZING! Keep safe buddy.
Posted by O.C on: 12th May 2006 at 13:10 pm
hope you all sorted with passport now.
don’t eat any chicken lasagne!!
Posted by Michael on: 13th May 2006 at 09:29 am
Made it to Ecuador, in a port town of Guayguil, pretty cruddy place so will be getting to Quito tomorrow. Was going to the town of Baños but i heard that a volcano is about to explode and they are evacuating the town, so I have decided to give that one a miss……
Posted by Roy on: 14th May 2006 at 22:24 pm
Hope all is going well now and all the problems are over.
Still planning to be in Brazil for the World Cup Final?
Take care of yourself.
Posted by Wilkie on: 24th May 2006 at 12:58 pm
Hi Roy - take it your having a wonderful time are you still on the beach or moved on hope you find a internet cafe soon as family are all on tender hooks wondering how and whats happening where you are - have you tried the coca tea bags, said to make a nice cuppa. Just look after yourself……
Posted by Lyn on: 30th May 2006 at 11:07 am
Talk to me Roy……..what you up to? Long time no update.Carrick appears to have been left out the England team for a right back.Random.
All is good here, stag on 10/06 game on.
Posted by pistol pete on: 31st May 2006 at 13:26 pm
Ditto on Pistol’s Comments my man!! Where you at Big Boy? All the norm here - Just the Biscuit’s Stag action to look forward to! Team America in need of a reunion so I’ll have to work on that!!
Hope your well, we’re all ears buddy!!!!!!!
Posted by Mannequin Man on: 31st May 2006 at 19:13 pm