Bolivia:
Chapter two
The desert and the lagoons.
We overnighted in a salt hotel on the edge of the salt flats.
It was basic but warm and the bed comfortable and I was exhausted so any bed would have been the best bed in the world. The floor of the rooms were made of crushed salt. It was all I could do to stay awake long enough to shower and brush my teeth before collapsing.
The morning came too soon. I dragged myself to breakfast. I could barely put two words together. Between the altitude and the lack of sleep I felt I was barely functioning. From sea level on Saturday I was now getting closer to 4000m above sea level.
We left at 7:15 and drove the San Juan village where we stopped at a shop for supplies. In the main square I took a photo of a local map and asked Ronald to trace our route. We had drive through a few small villages, one which served as the capital of the province. Roland told us they were holding regional championships, which accounted for all the traffic headed in that direction. He told us they would span a few days, the men competing in futbol; the women in basketball.
He told us that the people who lived in the villages split time between the village and Uyuni, coming back to the village to check on their llamas and their quinoa farms.
At one point we passed a military garrison and Ronald told us that all men served a mandatory year in the service when they turn 18. In the service you choose a skill, and ….
As we drove we passed vicuña foraging in the landscape. At one point we saw ostrich in the distance. Something spooked them as we drove by and we watched them appear to race the car as they sped off.
Passing a set of train tracks Ronald stopped the car. Carla remarked that it was the first stop sign we had seen in hours.
The tracks led from Uyuni to Chile. Chile lay beyond the volcanos that surrounded us, their peaks demarcating the border.
We drove to our first lagoon, stopping first at a lookout point to admire the nearby volcanic peaks. We stepped out to stretch our legs and admire the view. Tachyana took the opportunity to take a nap.
We weren’t guaranteed to see flamingos but there they were, drinking and eating in the shadow of snow-capped mountains. Ronald left us at the edge of the lagoon and told us he would pick us up again a few hundred meters on. It was a beautiful spot and amazing to be able to see flamingos up close.
The next lagoon was the stinky lagoon. A noticeable smell of sulfur lingered in the air. Once again he dropped us off a few hundred meters from where we’re to meet, a dining room attached to an eco hotel. He’d be waiting for us with lunch.
Lunch was again delicious, anchored by a roasted chicken leg and thigh. Our lunch had been prepared by the staff of the salt hotel and packed for our trip. Ronald told us that all of the food was packed in Uyuni and prepared along the way. Gas was also obtained in Uyuni; the two blue tanks slashed to the roof were dedicated to fuel for the car.
We drove further into the desert, parallel to Chile. On the other side of the mountains was the Atacama desert, one of the driest desert in the world. It was hot and dry and windy.
At one point, we pulled up to a fox by the side of the road. Ronald told us it was old and had grown used to cars stopping to give it handouts. He said you could be guaranteed to see him.
Further on, we paused by the Honda lagoon and then made a stop by some cliff walls where we saw a local rabbit. People had left fruits and we could see the animals dotting the cliffs, coming closer to grab an orange wedge.
Our next stop was the Árbol de Piedra, a tree-shaped rock that had been carved by the desert wind.
Our final lagoon, and perhaps my favorite, was the Laguna Colorada, the vibrant contrast between the red and blue waters, and the sharp pink flamingos dotting the landscape made it perhaps the most pictaresque spot on our drive. I wish we could have walked closer to the edge and spent more time admiring the gifts nature had on offer.
Our last stop before arriving at our hotel was an area of geothermal activity with bubbling pools and sulferic gases. The energy company had set up a pipe to channel steam up from the earth and Ronald encouraged us to jump through it. And so, for a moment, I felt like Jack, trying my best to be nimble and quick.
At night, after a pasta dinner, Carla and I walked down to the pool, Preet and the Brazilians trailing behind. There were a handful of people soaking and staring at the stars. We changed quickly and stepped into the warm waters. It was divine. The stars made sharp pinpricks of light against the velvet darkness. A sliver of moon appeared above the mountains.
As we left i took another look up at Orion and saw a star shoot across his belt, a quick slash of the dagger splitting the night before the black drapes closed back over the wound. 🇧🇴
