These past couple of days have been travel days. We left Tupiza very early catching the first minibus that was available and headed for the border of Bolivia and Argentina, backtracking the way we had come. We were very lucky to connect with the various modes of travel (minibus, uber, gigantic long cushy bus, airplane and lastly a ferry) without any delays, just rather exhausting making sure we’d coordinated them all properly! Yesterday evening we arrived in Colonia, Uruguay where we spent the night, then most of today. It’s a small city with lots of character known for its cobblestone streets and historic buildings many from the time of its Portuguese rule. We noticed a distinct difference in the level of prosperity in Uruguay from that of Bolivia and even Argentina. The lifestyle here is more affluent, the cost of living higher and      the general atmosphere feels more like a European country than the other two. We have travelled south by bus and now arrived in the capital city of Uruguay - Montevideo. We’ve rented a small apartment for a few days with no specific plans other than explore the city and slow the pace down a bit! 



Heading to Uruguay…

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…

Exploring Bolivia 

When I think about what day it is I have to double check the calendar, especially now that we’re into November. It’s spring time here in Uruguay, the weather has been mild and the daylight hours about 4 hours more than in Victoria right now. Montevideo, the capital and largest city in Uruguay is situated on the country’s south eastern coast on the edge of the Rio de la Plata. When standing on the shore and looking out it feels as if the expanse of water is the ocean as you can’t see any land beyond. It’s a prosperous city with an abundance of cars (mostly quite new) that we’ve never heard of, or seen before - lots of Chinese EVs. We took a ‘hop on, hop off’ type bus excursion today which took quite an extensive route giving us an overview of the most populated areas of the city. Yesterday was a national holiday - All Souls’ Day - a day of remembrance for deceased loved ones. The city was very quiet, almost felt deserted. The hustle, bustle and loud city din that we experienced today was non existent, it was such a contrast to today when things seemed to be at full speed! It always amazes me how the feel of a place is affected by so many different factors - weather (clear skies or cloudy), people out and about (or not), our own energy level and patience! The city is full of eclectic architecture - a real mix of old, once elegant, competing with the new (and not nearly as interesting)…We made a full day of exploring and decided tomorrow we’ll take a day tour out of the city, south east to Punta del Este. 



Where the path takes us!

Montevideo, Uruguay, on the Rio de la Plata…

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Heading to Uruguay…

Exploring Bolivia