We signed up for a three day tour and did not really know what we were getting into despite long, descriptive paragraphs on the website. I’m going to break the blog into two as the first day was very different from the two that followed.
On our first day, there were five of us, three solo travelers and Jess and I (I’ll tell you more about them tomorrow), and our fearless leader/driver/guide, Axel. Yes, could you have a better name for a guide on the Salt Flats? Axel emanated his name. He wore driving gloves in the Toyota Landcruiser and loved chewing on coca leaves. He was quiet and calm driving over tricky landscapes, but loved being the center of attention as he taught us things about his homeland. He loved teasing us and telling us the jokes that he probably told every group that he took out day after day.
We started with a few stops around the town of Uyuni. First, a train graveyard. From what I understand, Uyuni, like many towns in the Wild West, was developed because of the train. There were mines in the area and Uyuni seemed to be the perfect middle ground for them. As I understand it, Bolivia is an incredibly mineral-rich country, but for reasons beyond my understanding, they are not exporting much of it anymore. Trains still run, but not as frequently. So, some trains that used to run were left out in the elements and now act as a tourist attraction.
We made a quick stop by a talented metal artist who created works of art from metal scraps and was no doubt a friend of Axel.
Then, we started driving out of town toward the Salt Flats. In the distance, you could see flat landscape and bits of white, so we knew it was coming, but as we got closer, Axel had us close our eyes. They were only closed for a minute, but when we opened them, the car was filled with loud astonishments as all we could see was white. It was almost blinding, but incredibly stunning to be surrounded by absolute, total whiteness.
Our first stop was the Salt Hotel. It is no longer in use, partly because the elements don’t allow the salt bricks to last forever, and partly because the locals didn’t like what the use of toilets in the hotel was doing to the environment. But the building is still mostly in tact, so we sat on salt stools surrounding a salt table and ate salt. No, just kidding, it was a beautifully prepared meal of chicken, vegetables, potato and pasta that had been prepared in town.
Then, we drove for about an hour across the salt flats. It was amazing to me how Axel knew where to go. There were no roads or street signs, there was just vast nothingness. But he grew up on the salt flats. In fact, he told stories about how his mom would wrap their heads in cloths before driving on them because sunglasses were not readily available. Plus, his years as a guide meant that he could use the mountains around the salt flats as a compass.
We stopped at an island. Yes, an island on this barren land where huge cacti grew. From what I understand, this was all once covered by water, an ancient salty lake. My geological understanding is not strong enough to truly understand how the salt flats were formed. But this island is the remains of an ancient volcano that was part of the lake, so many of the “rocks” on the island were actually coral, and perhaps it was there nutrients that allowed other plants to flourish. There were small birds hopping about who probably live here permanently as traveling back and forth would be a most arduous journey. The cactus, I believe saguaro, or at least something similar, stand tall. The tallest on the island was measured at nine meters tall. The first meter or so grows quickly, but after that it only grows about one centimeter a year, so this tells us these guys are no spring chickens! Also, I never knew that the “arms” growing on these cacti are actually baby cacti growing on one another. A short hike to the top gave great views of the island and the expanse of nothing beyond.
We drove for a while longer before stopping in the middle of no where to talk more about the salt flats, notice their interesting hexagonal patterns and the flat “pancake” formations that formed in spots along the way.
Then, came time for the fun! Axel, and I’m certain all of the guides, come up with creative ideas of ways to utilize the salt flats on camera. Because of the flat land, you can have fun playing with perspective. We had fun posing with a dinosaur who looked far larger than us, but in reality was only about eighteen inches tall. We had fun with a Pringles can and all sorts of perspectives. (Check out our fun video: https://youtu.be/fFJgSwZf2gs)
I’m afraid I could have done this all day. Who wants to go to Utah with me and see what we can recreate?
We put on water boots that we had fitted and borrowed earlier in the day to visit the eastern part of the salt flats where a few inches of water stood. Because of this, the reflections were outstanding. It was absolutely freezing, even though I was dressed in four layers with scarf, hat and gloves, but the views were well worth being outside for.
While we played in the water, Axel set up our sunset celebration. Now, the Pringles and accompanying chocolates were nothing fancy, nor was the inexpensive Bolivian chilled red wine, but I’m not sure I’ll ever have a more stunning sunset toast than what we had that night.
After the ride back to town, dinner with our new friends and a good night’s sleep in a warm hotel, we’d set out on another adventure, but it would be hard to top this day!
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