Salt Flats - "Solar de Uyuni" - Bolivia TRAVEL

8/3/2019 Salt Flats - "Solar de Uyuni" - Bolivia TRAVEL

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Once home to a maze of prolific coral formations and thousands of now extinct aquatic species, this prehistoric lake is famous for one thingSalt!

Centuries of volcanic activity raised the sea to a staggering 4,000 meters, drying up her bed and leaving behind over 10 billion tons of this popular

household flavoring. Double the size of Delaware, Solar de Uyuni remains the largest natural SALT deposit on earth.

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Solar de Uyuni - Bolivian Salt Flats

Scorched by day, frozen by night, the flats harbor one of the most extreme, night and day, dichotomies on the planet. Most would welcome nightfall, a

chance to escape the days unrelenting rays, however, shortly after darkness falls, it would seem sun had never touched these derelict highlands. The

warmth of day is quickly lost to the paucity of atmosphere, freezing the terrain in the same time it takes to exhale your first icy breath into the night.

Rivaling the temperature change, is the disparity of scenery, shifting from the candescent floors of heaven to the aberrant surface of Mars, in a matter of

minutes.

Before venturing off into these wild unknowns, the wearisome town of Uyuni is a mandatory stop. Arriving off yet another overnight bus ride and met with a

frosty, high-altitude welcome, myself and a few travel buddies made the half-informed decision to stay at the first hostel we came to. With an interior

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What began as a childish staring contest soon escalated to new heights

and volumes. A screaming match ensued, our broken Spanish against

Senoras potent Espanol. Underestimating our inexorable determination,

Senora launched her secret weaponLa La La. Covering her ears and

pretending we were no longer there, she detonated the worst (and oldest)

temper tantrum I have ever seen. Continuing on for what seemed like

hours, Senora ultimately folded, removing the diapers and putting on the

gloves, boxing gloves that is. Flying into a nasty rage, she threw open

the lock and quite literally kicked us out, leaving her unruly footprints on

our backsides. She was even polite enough to see our baggage outout

the door that is. Dodging airborn backpacks, sleeping bags, and tennis

shoes, an icy game of street shuffel board commenced. Whichever bag

gets closest to the gutter wins!

Direction, distance and depth were all lost in this natural illusion.

The only thing more brilliant then the mystifying scenery itself, were the photos that followed. Thanks to a green screen effect, with an ivory substitute,

perceptually deceiving kodak moments were effortlessly caught on film. Utilizing just about every strange object we could find (toy cars, beer cans, and

even a slinky), we created these briny masterpieces. Placing the camera a few feet in front of the chosen object, we slowly moved backwards, until our

once monstrous person was shrunk to a size more proportional to the object. Putting a twist on a few old favorites, Cat in the hat, Genie in a bottle,

and my favorite, Ive got you in the palm of my hand, the only thing left to do was say, CHEESE (more like, cheesy)!

almost as tiresome as the owner himself, it didnt take long to realize why the hostel was empty. No electicity, no hot water, and most dispiriting of all, no

heat! Learning these vital accomodation stats (or lack thereof) we turned to leave, but that's when Senora jumped out.

Before we could say, Aye Carumba, Senora missiled past, locking us and our packs inside the room. Threatening to call the police, she demanded full

payment for staying in their hostel all of 5 mintues. Oh good one Senora, you hold us captive and the police are supposed to sanction it? What will they

do? Rip the accomodation money from our wallets, tie us to the bed posts, and force us to stay? On second thought, this is Bolivia. Uh Oh!

After such a hospitable town welcome, its surprising we didnt want to stay in Uyuni longer. Instead, we booked straight onto a 3 day, 4X4 tour and within

the hour were off on our next adventure. First stop, Solar de Uyuni (Salt Flats).

Nearing the flats, the milky white radiance once looming in the distance, now consumed every angle of vision. As if the twinkle of a billion stars had been

bottled up and poured out over the horizon, the gap between cottony clouds and salty earth collided into one solid, wall of white, blinding even Saint Peter

himself.

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As night fell on the second day, so did the cold. Not even the crushing weight of6 oversize alpaca blankets and my deluxe sleeping bag were enough to wardoff the glacial attack. Victorious in numbing every major extremity, Jack Frostcontinued his assualt, barrading each breath with painfully icy inhales andexhausting exhales. Rendered physcically immobile, all I could do was pray formorning, when the warmth of day would vanquish the unbearable chill of night.Morning, however, came well before the sun, back in the Jeep by 4:30 am.Wrapped in make-shift alpaca cacoons, we set off for the next grand site...theSol de Manana Geysers.

Privileged to stay in the one, the only, Salt Hotel, night proved even saltier then day. Wondering how it gets the name? Well, let's just say you don't have

to ask, pass the salt, at the dinner table. Just turn to the nearest column and have a lick. Bed frames, tables, chairs, even the walls, all constructed of

this edible material. The only flaw this 1 Season Hotel has, comes with a crunch, as even the smallest move is accompanied by an insanity inducing

crackle.

Moving from salt flats, to just plain flats, the next few days afforded very different vistas. Setting the entire plateau ablaze, dizzying hughes of iron rich

oranges and burgandies replaced the whitewash effect, while armies of petrified coral stood defiantly against the otherwise flat, uncompromised horizon. At

first glance, the area would appear more alien then terrestrial. Just about as close to Mars one can get without Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise.

A ticking time bomb, the valley is smattered with over 20 active geysers, dozens of bubbling lava pools, and smoldering volcanic craters. Dissorienting

most of whom choose to enter her steamy dissaray, the consequences for taking the wrong step can be grave, risking a dip in, undoubtedly, the hottest

bath of your life.



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Only a teaser, this natural sauna provided just an inkling of the heat we so badly

desired. Our only hope, the nearby hot pools. Challenging the blistering cold, we

swiftly delayered and without hesitation, dropped into the cloudy abyss. My fingers

and toes burned against the drastic temperature change. The once inviting thermal

waters, now inducing more pain then pleasure. Eventually, the stabbing pangs were

replaced by an incredible tingling sensation, and finallydigital mobility was

restored.

Ah, this was the life...Ouch...but wait...Ouch...what's biting me? Reluctantly raising my arms into the balmy air, I was terrified to find hoards of tiny red

dots swarming up and down. Probably nothing more then harmless red algae taste testing their unexpected dinner guests, but nevertheless, they packed a

mean bite!! Just as quickly as we were in, we were out. Immediately met by the bone chilling cold, we narrowly escaping the human popsicle effect. Our

undergarments, on the other hand, were not so lucky. Anyone care for a brasicle and undersicle?

Finished up the day visiting the famous Laguna Verde (the Green Crater Lake) along with Laguna Colorado (The Red Lake). Yeah right, a red lake? But the

stories were true. Every day, when the sun hits the firey red rocked mountains, an aubern shadow is cast over the lake. Combine the powerful shadow with

an abundance of red algae already in the water (probably the same that attacked us) and you have a recipe for one majorly red lake.



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Couped up in the Jeep for triple the time spent at each of the sights combined, I wouldnt necessarily classify this adventure as a tour. More like a road

trip, covering the entire southwest corner of Bolivia in a way that few others do. Experiencing the untapped beauty and awe of an area that has quietly

carried on through the centuries, happily hidden from the outside world.

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Salt Flats - "Solar de Uyuni" - Bolivia TRAVEL

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