Salt Desert Uyuni Bolivia - Extreme Adventure!

Hola Amigos!

Salt Hotel Uyuni Bolivia

We have survived our 3 day Bolivian Salt Desert Crossing in a 4 x 4 truck and we are alive to tell the tale! This was definitely the most extreme part of our trip so far.  In this picture I´m sitting at a table made of salt blocks which is in front of an entire building made of salt blocks.  The white stuff at my feet is not snow but salt.  It was really surreal walking and driving on that much salt.  They actually have one part they call the Salvador Dali desert and we can certainly see why. 

Fish Island Salt Desert Uyuni

These cacti are the oldest in the world and they only grow one centimetre every year.  We are completely surrounded by salt and the desert.  We spent one night in a hotel built entirely out of salt blocks and the floor was simply salt crystals.  It got very cold at night (minus 15 degrees celcius) and we slept with all of our clothes and jackets on.  There was frost on the inside of the window when we woke up.  Gary and I were easily the oldest folks on this tour and I told Gary if he wants to do this again he will need to find a 25 year old chick to do it with.  My high altitude salt desert camping days are quickly drawing to a close!

James Pink Flamingos at Laguna Verde Bolivia

However, when you see scenery like this you can definitely say it was all worth it! We saw hundreds of gorgeous pink flamingos in the lagoons in front of the volcano.  The scenery was pristine and we are literally in the middle of nowhere here which is why the flamingos hang out.  We also saw herds of Vicuna and a bunch of crazy llamas as well. 

This volcano actually has smoke coming out of the top left side of it. Mmmm makes you wonder when the next one is going to blow.  We walked along some Geysers which were all bubbly and it felt like walking on egg shells.  The Andes are still growing and we got to see it up close and personal.  We crossed over into Chile on a high mt. pass at 15,000ft to San Pedro de Atacama and we were able to do some stargazing in the highest, driest desert on earth.  We saw the Southern Cross and lots of  Zodiac signs in the sky.  We also saw Jupiter with its rings and moons.  Our extreme desert days are now over and we will head down to wine country in Argentina and Chile.  We are both looking forward to hot showers good wine and good food!
Much more to come,
Pat & Gary

Bolivia La Paz, Copacobana, and Isla del Sol

Hola,
Bolivia has been full of surprises. The capital city of La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at approx. 11,500 feet and yes we can feel the altitude a lot.  The view of the city when you fly in is simply stunning because it is built so high up.  The buildings seem to just cling to the sides of the valley.  We are staying near the Witches Market in the center of town and if you want to buy some coca leaves and llama fetuses for good luck there are plenty to choose from...

Witches Market La Paz Boliva

We went to Lake Titicaca and stayed in a town called Copacobana right on the shores of the lake.  Las Olas, the hotel we stayed at was like Hobbit Land and it was really fun hanging out on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  We met two couples who are doing the Alaska to Ushuaia route by camper which takes about two years total.  Our five month trip from the top of South America to the bottom seems really wimpy compared to that and we are duly humbled.

 The scenery around Isla del Sol is simply beautiful.  Don´t forget we are at high alitude here which means around 14,000 feet.  We climbed up an Inca staircase complete with waterfall and had a great view over the lake into Peru. Isla del Sol is considered to be the birthplace of the entire Inca culture so it is quite the place to visit.  We saw beautiful snow capped peaks in the distance and the terraces the Inca built are really impressive.  Gary looks just great in this hat.   Unfortunately the hat is now no longer with us as it bascially distintegrated in our suitcase.  We are on the hunt for new styling hat for Gary.  Stay tuned!

Isla del Sol Lake Titicaca

We tried Bolivian red wine and it is ok.  We are very much looking forward to Chile and Argentina where we will be sure to drink lots of the wonderful wines.We will soon be leaving Bolivia and heading into Chile.  Much more news to come!
Pat and Gary