The Altiplano, Tupiza to Uyuni

You know that feeling of dread you get before an exam you fear might go horribly wrong? Well that was pretty much how I felt as I signed on to a 4 day jeep tour to the remote altiplano in South West Bolivia: Travelling to freezing altitudes of 5000m into remote desert expanses crammed into a worn looking jeep with six strangers and a Spanish-speaking Bolivian driver with no means of bailing out? This, could go horribly wrong. Yet somehow the prospect of seeing flamingos, llama, endangered vicuñas, multicoloured lagunas, remote villages, geysers, hot springs and of course the world´s biggest salt flats was enough to pull me in, and before I knew it I´d been convinced by an enthusiastic guide who I became known to as ¨Felicidad¨ and five other travellers keen to fill a car and get a discount price to depart the following morning on the tour.

So it was time to test the wonders of modern medicine and despite the assurances from locals that a bit of coca would be enough to cure soroche (altitude sickness), I started on the Diamox and crossed my fingers that none of the worst-case scenarios I kept envisaging would come into play. And I´m happy to report absolutely no dramas at all, unless you count a particularly hairy river crossing involving some ice-breaking, but thankfully no wet feet! Happily I suffered no ill effects from the height and was able to thoroughly enjoy myself the entire tour!

I think there is too much scenery to describe in words, so perhaps it´s better to just browse the (many!) photos. I honestly never knew that mountains could come in so very many shapes and sizes, or that I could be so absolutely freezing cold whilst wearing about a 100 layers of clothing! But, we did have to be thankful that it was ´only´-3C at night, because two weeks prior the minimum had dropped to -20C. Yep -20C! I can barely even imagine how cold that is, knowing how I shivered my way through the nights at -3C. Anyway, here are a few brief highlights from the trip:

*the ever-changing picture-postcard worthy scenery. I honestly could´ve snapped away every minute or so but as it was decided to just sit back and enjoy it through my own eyes rather than a camera lens!
*Rocketing along to Bolivian folkloric music at sunrise.
*Seeing the flamingos at about a 5m distance was zoology heaven. As were numerous sitings of llamas, viscacha and endangered vicuñas.
*The toxic Laguna Verde where no animals can live but which looks spectacular amongst the black volcanic rocks and mountain backdrop.
*Not subjecting myself to the biting cold wind threatening to freeze people solid as they emerged from the hot springs at 4200m. Maybe next time...
*The Salt flats. ´Nuff said. Biggest in the world and one of the most bizarrely amazing things I´ve seen. Not to mention the fun and games taking photos playing around with the perspectives!
*Comparing deserts, Aus vs Bolivia. If you ask me, our deserts are paradise!! Literally zero plant life up here!
*The stars at night, though I wasn´t hard core enough to go out every night, even a short glimpse was enough to appreciate just how many there are. And oh yes, our old friend the Southern Cross shone bright as bright can be!
*A feast every night. Particularly good was trying quinoa in a few different variations, which is grown (only?) in South America at altitude and is becoming a major money earner in exports.
*Staying in a hotel made entirely of salt. Quite bizarre but surprisingly warm, quiet and comfortable!

So that´s it for now, hope you enjoy the pics! I have just arrived in La Paz after a few short days in the other capital, Sucre, which I will hopefully be able to tell you about soon.

Chau chau!

Bienvenidos a Bolivia

Buenas tardes chicos!

Sorry for my absence over the past few days, but I have been gallavanting around the Bolivian altiplano sin electricity and so have not had a chance to update the blog!

As you can gather I have said goodbye for now to the lovely Argentina, and crossed North into the less certain territory of Bolivia. Thankfully the border crossing was a relatively simple affair consisting of a 1km walk to the Argentinian side, where I enjoyed listening to Los Beatles as the sun rose and my passport was stamped, before crossing a bridge and entering a tiny little office to complete the Bolivian formalities. It was quite amusing being amongst about a dozen other foreigners and as many backpacks trying to squeeze into a 2 by 2 metre space and dance around the holes in the floor to fill out forms and get stamps!

The change between Bolivia and Argentina was instantaneous. The differences are everywhere- you can see it in the people, hear it in the language, and smell it in the air. Bolivians speak softly and slowly, making them seem gentle and maybe even a bit shy. The streets bustle with traders selling brightly coloured alpaca wool scarves, bags, beanies, gloves and the warmest looking socks I've ever seen! Women with long black plaits wearing bowler hats, bulky knee length skirts, tights and sandles )with or without leg warmers) march along carrying cloths on their backs like slings filled with goodness knows how heavy-a load, and men pass by with balls of coca leaves bulging from their cheeks. Peddlars selling fruit, humitas, smoothies and icecream call out their products over the trilling of flute-filled folk music echoing from the shops. Although the border town of Villazon is no picture, and despite the evident poverty, litter in the streets and my hesitation at travelling alone through a country with a bit of a security reputation shall we say, meeting this culture clash I was so glad I'd gone ahead with it.

And so began Bolivia, as I found myself squeezed into a smelly bus seat next to people jostling in the aisle for standing room, bumping along what was supposed to be a road )I'm pretty sure it was actually a river bed at one point) for several hours en route to Butch Cassidy territory and the 2900m high town of Tupiza, mourning the loss of the fantastically comfortable Argentinian buses with their wide and almost fully reclining seats, hot meals, blankets, pillows and movies.
Next post I will tell you all about the last few days in the Altiplano including my victory over altitude sickness, the biggest salt flats in the world and why one should be grateful that it 'is only'-3C.

All my love and chau for now!