Arrived in Uyuni on the 9th July 2008 after one hell of a bumpy bus ride. It was 07:30 in the morning and a little dazed we stepped off the bus into the freezing cold. We had heard rumours of how cold it would be, but it certainly felt like winter. Wrapped up we flagged down a taxi. We think the only taxi in Uyuni as you could (and we should have) walk everywhere. After a bit of a tour of the town and the taxi driver trying to get us into every hostel in sight, we finally got him to drop us off at the one we were booked in. Rolled into our slightly under rennovation hostel and got straight into our room. Freezers have been known to be warmer than this bad boy as with no sunlight, it was possibly artic. Sniffling and wrapped up like idiots, the boys wedged themselves into their sleeping bags for a nap. It had been a long bus! Mid morning we arose, still freezing, and decided to get our arses out into town. With 'hot' water only between 8 and 11 we had missed that boat so we rocked straight outside to a temp which was about 10 degrees hotter than our room. Popped it into a local bar for a bit of a snack before going to find an i-net to see which tour company we should go with. In there we met an English couple called Hannah and Jess, and after a while we soon established they wanted to do the salt flats with us. They were a cool couple and knew a good company, so off we went to Estrella Del Sur to get booked up. All pretty painless we were on a 3 day tour for the following day which would see us end up back in San Pedro De Atacama, Chile. Not a problem. All sorted we headed back into town for our last taste of Bolivia. James had to get his 3rd pair of sunnies so we went bartering. Now we're not too sure if James is just getting good at the language or he is just a pro at the haggling game but he decided to show Luke and Chris how it was done. After being told the glasses were a mere 25 Bolivianos (that's less than 2 pounds) James countered swiftly by offering 30. Now not being pro's Luke and Chris looked a little lost, but not half as much as the woman selling them. After she said 'yes' James realised his error and spent the next ten minutes bartering her down to get her back to the original price the cheeky b****. All for 30p. After our successful shopping we headed back to the fridge to chill. There we bumped into the smallest puppy in the world scampering around. After we'd cooled it was off for dinner. Mr Pizza was the destination for a erm a pizza which was top notch. Bumped into our fellow salt flat companions who (at being 30) told us not to stay up too late. Cheers mum. Left as late as we could before going back to sub zero. On our way in we spotted a gas powered heater and doing what we do best, we stole it. Now it's not the smartest thing we've done as it had a naked flame and we're all packing sleeping bags that are as flamable as a 1980's shell suit. However after a good 20 mins, and the room temp bearable we put it back in the hall with our eyebrows still intact.

That Thursday it was up at a reasonable hour to start the Salt Flats tour. It was just the five of us in a group and our driver. Albierto. Soon to be referred to as knobhead, t*** and a few other, far too unprintable expletives. First up was a quick trip out of town to a train cemetery. Lets just say it was no skydiving. After that brief stop and getting our passports stamped we headed back to base to pick up Hannah's and Jess' sleeping bag. Fortunately for us they both spoke fluent Spanish and could talk to Albierto as we couldn't, and after one hell of an arguement over just how s*** the sleeping bags were we finally set off with Albierto in a piss. Now it was his fault and we're the customers but that pretty much set the tone for the tour. He was in a******* mode. Not even a starburt (Opal Fruit's for the oldies) and a pat on the back from Luke seemed to thor the ice. No worries we'll make our own fun. Stopped off at some salt flats / mounds for some photo fun (this tour was all about the snaps). After a lot of jumping and posing we headed on to the salt hotel. A quick look around and we pushed on to some cactus canyon banter. Bit of a walk and some lunch and then it was time to get the money shots. The actual salt flats were soo bright you had to wear shades to avoid squinting. It was mental. We spent the next two hours trying out all sorts of stuff trying to get funny snaps. It is a lot harder than you think but still a lot of fun. We got some good ones in the end! After that, and with Albierto revving the engine we headed off to our hotel. There we had an evening of mostly food and chit chat. Hannah and Jess were a really cool young professional couple from London who had just as many tales as we did. After that it was time to get our heads down in beds made of salt. Different.

Up early on the Friday and we were treated to big day of driving and sight seeing. Along the way we had a little walk, some canyon based banter, a lake with flamingos, a couple of other lakes and a lake that appeared red to the eye - with flamingos. Chuck in a couple of rocks and a bit of lunch and there isn't a great deal to say. The scenery was again as picturesque as ever and something we hope one day we'll see again! One of those days only photos can help tell the story. That evening we were booked into the Grand Floridian hotel......... or more like some army barracks. With nothing but ourselves for entertainment we had an almighty session of s***head (it's a legit card game) and we chatted the night away. That night however was easily the coldest we had ever had. With more blankets than you could shake a stick at we burried ourselves. It's the only time we have ever managed to sleep with our heads under cover as well. It was freezing but we managed to keep warm.

The Saturday, and after Albierto said to be up at 5, we were pleased with his 05:40 wake up call saying we needed to leave now. With no light at all, we packed in the dark and set off at 06:30. Our first stop was some geezers. The lads being pro's stayed in the car, as the wind was naughty cold and to be honest we had already seen a lot better. The second stop was more rewarding as it was some hot spings. Speedo's on Luke hopped in first and Chris shortly followed. James then had his Del Boy moment by hitting the deck as he entered the spring (that had been built into a big jacuzzi but still natural). Nice and cool. It was really nice once in the water and fortunately not overcrowded. The only thing that did let it down slightly was the German's willingness to get changed infront of everyone. No man in his twenties wants to see an old German lass banding her goods around willy nilly. Gusset drying with the old hand on either end of the towel trick is a definate no no. They could have easily ducked behind a wall. Scarring is not the word. We won't even talk about the men....... After our dip it was time for a bit of breakfast out of the back of a 4 X 4. Different. After that we pushed it onto the border. There we parted ways with the tosser known as Albierto without so much as a goodbye and certainly not a tip. Luckily we'd done it with some great people and we'd had an awesome time.

With some desert foxes kicking around it was time to depart Bolivia. Whilst Bolivia is very poor and La Paz not completely our cup of tea the things we've done in Bolivia have been immense and the country is certainly one of beauty. It was an unmissable stop and proabably one of the best places (again) that we've vistited. The trips we've done were unbelievable. The jungle was crazy fun, the dangerous road was heart pumping and the salt flats were breathtaking. Again spoilt. Again amazed. We've heard the best is Argentina. We're about to find out!