I have now reached the halfway point of my adventure, and this weekend provided the most exploration to date. But, before discussion of the five day experience in the SW part of Bolivia, near the frontier of Chile, I will reflect on one observation.
Normally on group tours, such as I just completed, I get the added benefit of meeting fellow travelers from other countries. So, not only do I encounter the local population, but get the added bonus cherry on top of the whipped cream. That taste is deliciosa. Without the added travel expense, less the visual aides, I still feel afterward that I know something about another place, people. My primary observation based on those who travel elsewhere, is that there are not essential differences. I`m not as tolerant as Will Rogers in liking everyone I meet, but I have not yet crossed anyone who wanted to harm or conquer. But, I have not met the political, business leaders.
On this trip I was entertained by three young South Koreans, and a lovely family (madre, padre, young adult son) from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Korean youngsters were hardly quiet or subdued, as I would have predicted, but very expressive, excited and fun loving. I enjoyed the Brazilian family even more. Their Spanish was perhaps no better than mine, if that, and so much of the communication from them was via Portuguesa. That indeed was a challenge, due to the many differences from Spanish. But, we did communicate. Best of all, after the trip, our enjoyment of each other resulted in exchange of communication data, and an invite to visit, which I am strongly considering.
As for the trip itself, it started with a nine hour bus trip from Sucre to the SW part of Bolivia, a pueblo named Uyuni. The next morning our group gathered and first visited the Salar de Uyuni, a massive salt flat, reportedly the largest of its kind in the world. At this time of the year, ending the wet season, most parts have standing water of an inch or so. This thin layer of water creates a strange mirror impression. Dozens of other tours spread out over the flat, and as they flew in random directions over the area without restriction of road or signal, it appeared that water bugs were walking on top of an immense pond. Nearby cooperatives will rake off the top layer of salt, shovel ant hill like mounds of the salt, then wait one, two days for the mound to dry, before hauling off the salt for processing. Some of the buildings in Uyuni are constructed of salt blocks. We spent most of the day here on the salar and then proceeded toward the most desolate looking atmosphere I have ever seen.
The area visited has a volcanic history and there are numerous volcanoes, mostly inactive, that rise above. For much of the three days through this area, at the foot of these peaks, lies a gravel like surface, totally devoid of plant life, except a few lichens, and nothing more. From a distant view toward the feet of the peaks, the appearance is that of a massive beach, that extends for kilometers (metric system) rather than yards. The mountains and volcanoes have no vegetation as well, clearing exposing every wrinkle, fold and crevice of their form.
Throughout this landscape are a variety of unusual rock sightings, ghost like, some exposed by erosion, others blasted from afar by ancient volcanic eruption. Once exposed, ages of constant strong winds have carved the most unusual shapes. One area is named Valley of Rocks, thrown and scattered from great distances by ancient explosions. Another area, named Desert of Dali, references the similarity to a Salvidor painting, where isolated rocks are strategically placed intermittently on this flat, plantless, sandy floor, cast shadows providing the only contrast to the backdrop. But, I saw no limp clocks from my vista. The name, however, is appropriate.
Another constant to this lifeless place are constant lagunas. A few have aqua dulce, but most are saline. At these high altitudes in excess of 4,000 kms, they only support tiny micro organisms. This is not a tropical paradise, due to extreme cold, dry and windy conditions, and yet numerous flamingos feed on these tiny organisms, providing a contradiction to the otherwise lifeless environment. They are present everywhere. When the winds blow, as they almost always do, the minerals and microorganisms, are forced to the top, and the uniqueness of each produces a variety of colors on these lagunas, from red to green, black and white. Many lagunas are aptly named the color of their resulting surface sheen. The most unusual, and one of the largest, is named Laguna Colorado (red). I attempted with many photo shots, to capture some image of the bands of red of the surface, the blue of the sky, the white bands of salt deposits, and the pink of the flamingo. Difficult.
The last leg of the trip began at 5:00 AM to drive to a post above 5,000 km (about 17,000 feet) to see geysers at sunrise, against the sunrise, where wind chill was well below zero. Interesting, but very uncomfortable. On this day we continued to see several sites of thermal activity, strange rock formations, numerous volcanoes, and lagunas.
At one such stop over Laguna Verde (green), after a group photo, I lost my camera and its documentation of a month stay in Bolivia. After several miles to a checkpoint between Bolivia and Chile, where we dropped the Koreans to enter Chile, I discovered the loss. Immediately my mental state changed and I had to test my maturity of handling and accepting conditions beyond my control. My state was not positive. I did my best to rationalize, blame, hope, accept. Blame was due to my own carelessness. My greatest worry was to the lingering impact on my attitude, and to my feelings of my trip, the possibility my adventure would leave a very bad taste. But, the tour had to stay on schedule. After possibly 100 miles of further travel toward our return to Uyuni, with the continued thought of my loss, we encountered another tour group, of the dozens in the area. They asked if anyone had lost a camera. Elation. After many many thanks, and a prayer of grace, I had to reflect on my luck as to why, the possibility of such discovery in an area larger than many states, and to whether I had promised in my hopes more than I could give for the return. I am in a better place now.
Its one of those days, you can´t explain
When nothings right or wrong
Too much wine, or not enough
So you just play along.
Theres no rhyme or reason
Ain`t a damn thing you can do
Somedays you write the song
Somedays the song writes you.
Searching for a melody, to sing my soul asleep
Reaching for some harmony, down inside of me
Somedays you know just how it goes
Somedays you have no clue
Somedays you write the song
Somedays the song writes you.
(G.Clark)
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