Exploring Bolivia
Last Sunday we began our four day tour - we left Tupiza heading west through high desert country, then circled north to the Uyuni salt flats. The highest elevation we experienced during our winding in and out of desert and the mountain passes was approximately 5000m. The air was super dry, the wind and sun very intense, much colder than we imagined. The scenery was spectacular, our guide and his wife were passionate about showing us the highlights of the area. It was a challenge to communicate as they don’t speak English, but google translate helped and Jim knows enough Spanish to get the gist of what was being explained, I listened a lot! Nico was the driver and guide while his wife Vilma cooked all our meals. The places where we spent the nights were a cross between a hostel and a hotel, we enjoyed having a private room with bath. The kitchens were used exclusively by the tour operators to prepare meals for their clients who shared a communal dining area. It worked out to be a great arrangement.
Each day started early and was filled with driving on gravel roads through country only experienced guides would venture out on, often driving ‘off road’ to get to a particular destination to show us something spectacular! The climate in that high country is harsh and unforgiving, it was amazing when we did see a settlement and we wondered how they coped with the wind, scarcity of water and intense sun. The wildlife we saw mostly were vicuñas, ostriches, and flamingos. The domesticated animals were llamas, goats, and a few donkeys. Tourism seems to be a mainstay in the region and we could feel the appreciation many locals had for our coming to visit their country. There were many highlights, one that really stands out is driving across the Uyuni salt flats. They are the largest in the world, it felt as if we were on a frozen ocean or on the moon!
The internet access has been sketchy at the best of times this past week. Tonight we’re back in Salta, Argentina where life seems quite modern compared to Bolivia. We’re hoping that going forward the connectivity will be more reliable…
