Friday 28 September 2012
HOTEL GIRASOLES
AVE SANTA CRUZ 155
UYUNI - BOLIVIA
TEL ( 591-2) 693 2391
We really enjoyed our flight to Uyuni crossing the vast salt plain. Brilliant to view by air. We later learn that it covers 12000sq kms! The flight meant we arrived into Uyuni earlier, but there was nothing to see there. Straight out of a western, complete with dust and dogs. I wondered where the horse trough and saloon was. Our hotel was changed to La Petite Porte. A little oasis in this town. French owner. Very well designed - clean and modern. The town is known for its train cemetery! The old rail line ran from 1880s to 1952, as an important transport route for the local silver mine. When the mine closed, the govt just closed the train line and all just rusted to relics that tourists come to see! In its hey day I think it will have been a busy wealthy place. The two Melbourne ladies are with us on this part of our trip. We're picked up next morning by Carlos and off we go to the Uyuni Salt flats in a 4WD, stopping at a couple of villages on the way, including a salt factory that bags the salt. A 12 year old boy was doing this. We also saw salt blocks used for building houses etc. amazing! We are driven about 90 kms across the salt flat and arrive at one of the 'islands' called Incahuasi (inca house). Here we have a picnic lunch brought by our guide, then climb and climb this island to reach the top for a view. Brilliant sky, mountains in shadow in varying colors of blue and white salt as far as we can see! Cactus grows on this island - some as old as 1000yrs old. The only wildlife was a little bird we briefly saw, but saw their nests in the cactus. We're told that the salt can be mined here for 500 years! On the drive across to our salt hotel, the guide takes some funny photos of us. We also find some holes/pools in the salt and try to extract salt crystals. After watching a sunset and seeing an old salt museum (with sculptures in salt), we finally arrive at Luna Salada Hotel at about 7pm. This is a lovely hotel. Better than the dormitory accommodation we would have had. The building is made entirely of salt, floors of salt crystal, even restaurant tables of salt. Next morning we're ready to leave but only driver Richard turns up. We think Carlos had a late night last night. We are driven back to Uyuni to collect him, he made some excuse, then off we went again. Today we saw huge boulders spewed from local volcanoes, and a changing desert landscape. And then we ended up at a remote hotel (at 4500m alt) where I had my first cold shower! Neither of us slept well, but we felt better in the morning. Next day we saw a red lagoon, green lagoon, white lagoon, a thousand flamingos, geysers and boiling mud.
Eventually we cross the border to Chile, leave Carlos behind. He did what he had to. After lunch we are bussed down the mountain from 4500m to 2400m in 30 kms. Straight down! Immigration blah blah then we arrive at San Pedro de Atacama.