The sun is just beginning to light the morning sky and slowly reveals the vast white desert around us. The ground is crunchy, but firm, like hard packed snow. We are standing in the middle of an ancient sea, now dry and pushed up to 4, 000 m (13,000 ft above sea level). The only things breaking up the flat expanse are mountains on the edges, 100 km away, and small islands scattered about. This is the Salar de Uyuni, the world largest salt flat and lithium reserve.

Four days in a jeep and we're finally there. It is hard to describe why this place is so magical. Large salt flats usually only appeal to speed freaks and hippies looking to burn down large wooden structures, but looking around I can't help but feel in awe and everyone else's peculiar attitude says the same. Some people sit quietly and just stare out into the horizontal abyss of white salt and blue sky, others play frisbee and run around gleefully, while still others took pictures with strange poses. We did all of the above.

Let me explain a bit more about the pictures. The stark white background only interrupted by blue sky allows for the photographer to take advantage of a fun optical illusion. Very simply, the person in the foreground seems like a giant compared to the person in the background. With a well positioned camera, you can take pictures of someone stomping on their companion, you can appear to be holding a jeep in your hand, or holding your partner, godzilla-style, as if you were going to eat them (check out the photos if your confused).

All goofiness aside, the downside to the Salar is that it has the world's largest deposit of Lithium. In an electronic world of batteries, hybrid cars, and laptop computers, every super power country in the world is bidding for rights to mine it. In attempt to boost its severely depressed economy, Bolivia has decided to due it in house so that they can collect the profits. We only hope that they can find a balance between their business ventures and the protection of this natural wonder.