John writes:
Last night we ventured out to the Minuteman Pizza restaurant, billed as the best pizza restaurant in Bolivia. Got to say the pizzas were great and just what we needed as was the service was very fast so maybe their boast is accurate. All washed down with another bottle of Bolivian red which was vaguely passable.
Our timing was perfect as just after we had ordered hoards of backpackers arrived each lining up to order and pay individually. There were so many I’m not sure we made a dent in the average age in the restaurant!.
This morning we gathered for an absolutely average breakfast served by a very grumpy Bolivian lady who begrudged even a second cup of coffee. This was after we all had cold showers! The KW Hotel is not the worst but perhaps least value for money.
We were being collected at 10.30 for our Salar de Uyuni tour and so I hot footed it to the pharmacy to buy 4 lipsalves as your lips take a beating in this exceptionally dry climate even when drinking water constantly. Today was a big day with a long line at the few Diabetes clinic.
To our horror the packed lunch was delivered early to the hotel – it was going to be a long day….
In true Bolivian fashion we started late. Our driver and guide spoke no English which was helpful and he was aptly named Guido. We also had Eduardo from Barcelona along too and we eventually worked our way in Spanglish. Guido’s car was a beat up Land Cruiser with a broken windscreen, no rear view mirror, dodgy steering wheel and intermittent electric windows but it did the job. Another piece of technology which delivered was Doug’s selfie stick.
By the time we’d made it through the piles of plastic litter to the train graveyard.there were 100 other land cruisers parked. We stopped for 30 minutes – about 20 mins too long.
The railway from the silver mines in Potosi to the port of Antofagasta in Chile we build by the Antofagasta Mining company in 1873. Sadly this part of the line has fallen into disrepair and the rolling stock lie rusting having been stripped of anything useful.
The place was over run by tourists, mostly backpackers and often many nationalities speaking to each other in very good English. Everyone wanted pictures and Mike in true photographer style was only too happy to help.
We continued the Land Cruiser trail about 20kms out of town to Colchani, the entry point to the Salar. Another Land Cruiser opportunity at the Artisanal market where grid lock was caused.
Another Bolivian commercial opportunity missed with no organisation, every stall selling the same rubbish and not even a sign to the salt museum. The major benefit for us was Doug found Enrique, an English speaking guide who will take us out tomorrow away from the Land Cruiser trail. Mike also continued his portrait photographer career!
Our first stop in the Salar was a natural spring which was rain water bubbling up under the pressure of all the salt. Pretty boring so we headed off to the Dakar Rally monument to commemorate the holding of the rally here in 2014. Chris was in heaven!
Nearby was a salt hotel where we stopped for lunch also with about 50 other Land Cruisers. Very Bolivian in style and nothing like the quality of the Ice Hotel – not much to buy, broken windows to the bedrooms and 5Bs to pay for the loo! Mike had prudently booked us the budget tour but we could see the posh lot out in the Salar sitting at their picnic tables sipping beer and champagne.
Good old Guido made up for it by revealing and very passable chicken schnitzel and salad! Our earlier lunch was just a snack…..
We escaped the Land Cruiser Trail after lunch and headed off into the Salar off piste. Our task was to take silly photographs were the Salar plays tricks with perspective. It was a task we excelled at with Guido’s help!!
Our final stop in the Salar was a surprise and very unusual – Isla Incahausi, a volcanic rock island covered in cactus and about 500 feet high. It was even relatively well set up for tourists with a cafe and banos although part of the Land Cruiser Trail.
We paid our tourist fee and set up to claim about 500 feet to the top having stated at 12,000 feet. Last year in the Atacama we couldn’t climb 10 feet at 14,000 feet so either we’re better acclimatised or that extra 2,000 feet makes a big difference. There were many great views during our walk and our beer at the end was well deserved!
A 90 minute race across the Salar back to our KW Hotel. No bar and no restaurant so a big incentive to write this blog en route and complete the pictures quickly on our return!! We had final stop to watch the sunset over the Salar and empty that bottle of red we had all danced on earlier. A fitting end to a great day. The only blemish was Doug yet again shutting the door on the boys in the back for the umpteenth time today in his urgency to take another selfie. His selfie stick had become his selfish stick! (Just joking Douglas)
Tomorrow it’s another tyre morning hunting for a wheel rim for the second spare tyre and then off with Enrique, our Bolivian Delboy. Watch this space for more silly pics!!
Our America’s Challenge Drive 