The Salt Flats

After a rediculously disorganized 5 hour long border crossing into Bolivia, Hobbit and I caught a bus to a little town called Tupiza.


We were on our way to the Salar de Uyuni, the worldest largest salt flats.


This post is best experienced in pictures, I think, so I´ll keep the descriptions to a minimum.


Together with Thomas, the Swiss guy from New Years and Laura, a girl we met on the bus who is from Holland and booked a Jeep and headed out on a 4 day tour of the remote and beautiful southern region of Bolivia.


The first day was all about llamas and colorful landscapes.


The mountains in this area are are extremely rich in minerals, which is apparent in the beautifully varied colors on the mountainsides.


We stayed that night in a little mountain pueblo (village) with maybe 25-30 inhabitants.


The next morning was a 4 am wake up call to start the journey up.


This second day was the beginning of the serious elevation, and for me, elevation sickness.


A little nausea, shortness of breath and a headache couldn´t keep me out of the natural hot springs though!


Even those that weren´t sick were huffing and puffing on the 10 meter walk to and from the jeep--4500 meters is very high.


Day 3 was the day of the flamingo!


We saw 3 varieties at various lakes, which were themselves colored spectacularly by minerals.


We stopped to observe a newly developed geyser that had just started erupting 5 days earlier.


That night we stayed in one of the famous salt hotels.


These buildings are constructed from--you guessed it--salt.


Not just the walls though, furniture was constructed from salt blocks, benches, tables, chairs, we even slept on beds made of salt brick (with a mattress).


And the final day was the crowning moment.


We drove directly accross the salt flats which are really a prehistoric salt lake that is constantly still evaporating.


We stopped at a cactus "island" for breakfest, a bit of somewhat fertile land which used to be an actual island.


It is covered in ancient cacti, some as old as a thousand years.


While there we were graced wth the presence of an ostrich begging for a little of our breakfest.


Then we headed out onto the great expanse of chrystalline whiteness.


We stopped and took some photos, and headed back to town.


A really beautiful 4 days of early mornings, spectacular sunrises and 5000 meters of altitude.