Salar de Uyuni

Bolivia is known for the salt flats more than anything else and I soon discovered why this was.

The only way to see the salt flats is to take a jeep trip and I choose the 3 day trip. It sounds very lazy but it was nice to spend a bit of time doing nothing and not having to worry about meals / hostels. My feet appreciated the break from walking, I have lots of blisters on my toes!

The first thing that we went to visit was a train cemetary. This sounds like it was just something to keep us occupied (and it probably was) but it was cool to see. The trains have just been left there to rust away and are still sitting on the tracks in the middle of the desert. It is very different to England´s policy on making sure that everything is environmentally friendly!

We then saw were the salt was processed and bagged. There was salt everywhere. Even the buildings were built out of salt bricks (although they said that houses weren´t as the salt isn´t good insulation but hostels are built out of it). It´s all a family business and there were three girls, no older than 12 bagging up the salt for sending on. They filled the bags and then used a flame to seal the edges. The fact that tourists were allowed in just to watch them felt like a violation on their part but their father was collecting tips at the door for their trouble. There is plently of salt for them to sell but the price of it is still very cheap and it is necessary to import iodine from Chile, which is not so cheap.

After seeing this we went to see the salt flats and they´re impossible to imagine! It is just white for miles and miles. Some parts are organised into squares and then in each square (about 1m by 1m) the salt is gathered into a pile in the middle and water collects around it. It´s amazing to see, and so bright! You really squint in the sunlight. Our jeep had UV protected windows and you don´t notice the difference until you get out and are suddenly hit by the glaring sun!

The next stop was the Isla del Pescado. This is in the middle of the salt flats and is a rock with lots of cactuses on it, why it´s called the island of fish I´m not sure. The salt flats go on for miles and to suddenly see a load of cactuses is definetely a surprise, it´s so out of place compared to everything else. Standing at the top and looking down you can see cactuses, miles of salt and then mountains - a very surreal view.

Overnight we stayed in a hostal that was made of salt and everything was salty - even the floor!

The next day we stopped off in San Juan for a little longer than intended. There was something wrong with the oil in our cheap. However, our driver was fantastic and managed to fix it while we had a chance to wander around San Juan. It´s tiny, I think there was one or two buildings above one storey and you could walk from one end to the other in less than 5minutes if you were dawdling. I can´t even imagine living in a village like that - you would be completely isolated from the rest of the world.

Once we got going again we went to see the lakes and they had flamingoes in them. What suprised me most about them was that they make a noise like seagulls and they make it constantly. The second lake we saw was absolutely fillled with flamingoes - they were everywhere! It was also surrounded by mountains which were reflected in the lake.

To get to the next lake we drove through a desert. Except it´s winter here and cold - there was snow in parts of the desert. Apparently sometimes the pass gets blocked because of the snow, I was glad it didn´t as it would have meant we got stuck! The second lake was a dark red colour and apparently changes colour during the day because of the algae in it. And it had more flamingoes in it!

That night was very cold. Although we had been warned about this so I was wearing about 4 layers plus a sleeping bag plus all the blankets they gave us. I don´t think it was possible for me to be cold. However, the next morning we had to get up at 4 and outside of the many layers it was very very cold. We all sat shivering in the jeep waiting for the sun to rise. Before that we got to see geysers. It was a great way to warm you hands, but you could smell the sulphur in the air!

Our jeep then had another mishap - we decided that our jeep didn´t like mornings. This time it was a flat tyre and our driver fixed it in under 10 minutes. However, the jeep then took another 10 minutes or so to start. Luckily it did and by this time the sun was up - it was getting warmer!

To aid in returning the circulation to my toes we also got a chance to go in some thermal baths. At first I was unsure whether I wanted to remove my 5 layers to go in the water but I braved it and it was well worth it. I had feeling in my toes for the first time in hours and the scenery was gorgeous. Most thermal paths are just a swimming pool but in this one it was stones surrounding it and no swimming pool tiles. You were right next to the lake which you could see steaming. It was a good way to spend half an hour!

The final day was mostly driving. We went right to the border of Chile as some people crossed the border but then we drove back to Uyuni. I then spent a couple of hours here before getting on another bus. The salt flats tour was amazing and you see so many different things, each day is different from the one before. However, Uyuni has been ruined by tourism and most people couldn´t wait to get out and away from the over-inflated prices!