The tour guide picked us up at 7 am and we picked up the remaining ten people, eight Israelies and a couple from Spain. San Pedro de Atacama is at 2400 metres, no wonder why I battled cycling in the desert, had nothing to do with my fitness or physique. We drove on R27 uphill for 34km to 4500 metres to the border of Bolivia where we changed vehicles, six people in each Land Cruiser.
We were first in line at the border shack and C had to pay $160 for a visa ! They would not accept her S.A. passport cause she entered Chile with her US passport, a huge error on her part. Had a great breakfast and then set off for our three day, two night tour to the Salar. You could feel the altitude on your body, but luckily nothing serious, light headed and lungs burn a bit and you suck air when you exert yourself and a few folks suffered badly but overcame it the next day. We had the young Jewish and Spanish couple with us in the vehicle and the driver who could not speak a word of English.
We visited all different coloured lakes and geysers and incredible desert scenery. Words can't describe the beauty and the harsh conditions on the route. The group luckily was fantastic, they really made the trip for me, they embraced us old foggies and were full of fun and always laughing and joking around and made it a great time. The accomadation the first night was lovely, we had a bed box and mattress on floor in a huge room, thats it and paid 10 Pesos for a hot shower. Hey it was fine and the food mama cooked was all right I guess.
The following day was another eight hours driving and visiting desert scenery and rock formations and llamas grazing on green pastures in the middle of the desert, crazy stuff.The Jewish couple rode in the other vehicle and we got two young guys, so now our vehicle all eat meet and the others are all vegeterians, and our new companions are not real good Jews like the other vehicles, who are a lot more religious. They all have to go to the army and then they all seem to come to South America after they are done for five to eight months and all do the same route from what I am told.
Got to Uyuni at 4 pm after having a puncture and grabbed two cans of beer and then went to our hotel which is made of salt, ja even the tables and chairs. The dinner came three hours later, a chunk of Alpaca and rice. With a 5 am departure tomorrow we went to bed early which was rock hard.
We were all up at sparrow fart for the big day on the Salar de Uyuni and arrive for sunrise, the bummer was that it was all clouded over! The Salar is covered with about five inches of water at this time of year and is an absolute stunning sight into infinity that the photos can't capture, especially mine.
All the vehicles descend on the lake lake at the same hour for the sunrise and there are many, I mean many vehicles driving real slow in the lake to get a view of the sunrise on the 11500 sq.km Salar, the largest salt lake in the world. Well the sunrise did rise except we couldn't see it obviously with the clouds covering everything, but waded in the cold water and then went for breakfast at the Salt Hotel, where everyone else gathers as well. After breakfast we drove to another spot and it had warmed up and the clouds burned off eventually and we had blue skies with a few white puffy clouds and it was the largest mirror in the world that words can't describe. We made videos and crazy photos with the gang and it was an absolute blast and a laugh a minute. We were on the Salar for seven hours and then had leave and 500 metres from shore our car died. So another two hours on the lake as we waited for the mechanic to come and fix a wiring issue and then went to Uyuni for lunch and the train graveyard.
That was the end of the trip and we all said farewell and the Jews had to hurry and go cook food for the following day by 8 pm because after that till 8 pm on Saturday they are not allowed to exchange money, work, or turn on any switches or use a phone ot travel, so they can't warm up their food but they have it all figured out and eat their food hot.
We boarded the 8:30pm bus to La Pay as Uyuni is not a place you need to hang around in, just nothing there and the locals were protesting and shutting down the highway so I did not want to be stuck there. Another nine hour ride on a Bolivian bus, what a way to end a great trip and arriving in La Pay at 5 am !
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