When traveling internationally, certain skills are learnend quickly. For example, we rarely return in the same form of transportation that we arrive in. On a day trip, we might take a collectivo (minibus) and taxi to get somewhere, and then return on a large bus. A great excercise in letting go, we just figure out how to get somewhere and then the method of return presents itself depending on various factors such as time of day, money and amount of people traveling. Other international travel skills have prooven difficult for us to acquire. Namely, never go with the first offer on the table. Whether considering a taxi ride or a three day trip through the Salar de Uyuni (salt flats of Uyuni), it´s better to shop around.
Both skills were ignored on this excursion - we returned in the same vehicle we left in, and we went with the first offer that came our way . We spent over 24 hours in a beat up ´82 Toyota Land Cruiser that made our butts hurt and knees sore. What an adventure!
Juliet snagged our group of three (our friend Shanti, Josh and I) the moment we got off the train late at night. Her price was consistent with what we´d read in the guide book, so we agreed to go with her tour agency the following day. As about two dozen new or newer Land Cruisers prepared to leave, we eagerly awaited ours. The last to arrive, our jalopy pulled up and we cringed. It all seems a bit funny now, but driving through extremely treacherous dusty roads with windows that don´t roll up was not the most enjoyable of experiences.
Our first stop was at a train grave yard. All the trains that stopped working throughout the 1940s were deposited here. The grafitti on the side of one read "experienced mechanic needed".
Our next stop was the salt flat. Over 4,00o square feet, this prehistoric dried up lake bed is located at the crest of the Andes and contains over 10 billion tons of salt. The salt is very hard, shortening our afternoon yoga practice because it hurt our hands!
We stayed the night in a hostal made entirely of salt! We met some great musicians from Argentina and had a lovely open mic night full of accordian, fiddle, guitar and flute. Below is the dining area of our hotel. The walls, floor, chairs and tables are made entirely of salt. Even our mattresses sat atop salt frames!
The following day was filled with short stops at various lakes, rock formations and parks. Pink flamingoes migrate to the lakes near the salar, but we only saw a few because winter had almost arrived.
Our last night on the tour was freezing! Everyone in our group of five slept with all clothes on, and several blankets each. We awoke before dawn and headed for a hot spring. It was so fabulous we decided to skip a two hour trip to another lake and soak instead. Feeling quite refreshed, we loaded once more into the trusty Land Cruiser (which had only broken down once on the trip) for the seven hour drive back to Uyuni.
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