4400m
Despite all of the comments and ratings about Tayka del Desierto, it was warm enough for sleeping. Fluffy sheets and enough blankets to satisfy anyone I slept from around 8pm until 5am, and then dozed until close to 6. Getting out of bed, showering and then walking over the cold floor to get dressed was a bit intense however. I grabbed my camera and went for a walk around the hotel to get some photos in the dawn light. Apparently it was -7 degrees during the night. It felt cold outdoors and I was wearing three layers and a beanie. Breakfast was a bit basic; there were cereals provided but no milk, pastries, doughnuts, fruit, coffee and orange juice. The waiter did come around and ask if we wanted eggs as well. Fran, Charlie and our driver Rene all got them. I declined. Two fried eggs by themselves does not a breakfast make.
We drove off at 8am and drove to several lagoons; Honda Laguna, Stinky Laguna and another we called Borax Laguna due to the large amount of borax which had crystallised into white sheets. A great contrast to the blue of the lagoon water and the brown hues of the hills. Lunch was served close to the Chilean border at a restaurant which has a view of an active volcano puffing away. Our ‘packed lunch’ this time consisted of baked chicken, pasta, vegetables, salad, apples and, off course, potatoes and Coca Cola. I did manage to spot some coca chocolate which off course had to be purchased and sampled.
After lunch we drove past the Uyuni-Chile rail line which Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid used to raid. We deviated from the normal tour here, and instead of heading directly to our hotel we visited a site which was covered with petrified coral; one of the many volcanoes had deposited a large amount of volcanic ash of the sea and preserved the coral. The other site that we visited not on the normal tour was a cave in the side of a smallish outcropping which contained a mixture of fossilised corals and algae hanging from the ceiling. It made for quite a surreal view. Next to this cave was one which contained a large number of Incan tombs, all facing towards the rising sun. By this time we were running a bit late for our hotel arrival so Rene took a short cut over a section of the salt lake which is Salar de Uyuni, the main reason we came on this route. The salt lake is the biggest in the world; 11,000 square kilometres to an average of 153 m deep. So it’s big, and flat and you can up to a pretty decent speed on it. However, due to the fact that in Bolivia the speed limit is only 80km/h, Rene decided to do the occasional loop, just to, well I was going to say, keep us entertained, but I think he enjoyed it just as much.
Tayka del Sol is quite a bit more refined than last nights, and we once again had a dinner of quinoa soup, grilled meat and this time a chocolate pudding.