Where was I...

We stayed a night in Uyuni which was actually much nicer than it had initially appeared - especially when we found out there was hot water. It was our first real taste of a Bolivian town and we were shocked at how many old ladies there are walking around in traditional dress with their big skirts and bowler hats - we'd expected one or two to please the tourists but it seems like it's actually still a popular outfit. After a much-needed shower, we treated ourselves to a big dinner to make up for the last couple of days' slumming. We were just joking about how glad we were that we'd survived the salt flats tour (apparently 21 people have died since 2008 because of the aforementioned issues with drivers) when the gas-fired pizza oven behind us exploded. The waiters immediately jumped up to cut the gas so nothing caught fire but the force was enough to blow the hinges on the oven door and we felt the burst of heat so it shook us up a bit.

Welcome to Bolivia!