Weekend of Bolivian Wonder

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and write a blog entry, but at last, I find myself with a few minutes to reflect on the past week. Today is Wednesday, Sept 1st, which means I will be back in New York in 4 days!!

I think this past week has been my favorite here in Bolivia. Last weekend we ventured down to the Salt Flats of Uyuni, drove through the gorgeous mountains, and visited with flamingos, vicunyas, and other faunal residents of the Bolivian “wilderness.”

I cannot even begin to explain the natural beauty that we witnessed. The multicolored mountains, the vastness of the Salar, and the brilliance of the lagoons left me speechless. It was the kind of place where there is literally nothing to say but, “Oh my gosh, its so gorgeous!” and then repeat. I must have sounded like a broken record, but really, I did not have any other words to describe the emotion and awe I felt in our surroundings. And although I took plenty, pictures never do such landscapes justice.

We spent our first night on a bus – yes, it was an 11 hour bus ride from La Paz to Uyuni. Luckily, the bus was fairly comfortable if only a little bumpy.Plus, the recline-able seats, leg rests, reasonable heat, and Dramamine allowed me to sleep through 75% of the night.

In the morning, we arrived in Uyuni, had a quick breakfast, then eagerly climbed into the jeep with our team: me, Heather, Annie, Ruben (the driver), Nenna (the cook), and our old friend from Copacabana, Quik (the guide)!

Our first stop was a train graveyard. At the start of the desert, there is a deserted rail line, with abandoned, rusted, graffiti-ed train cars. Not very exciting, but interesting I guess? Next, we headed to the Salar – and oh my gosh, it is absolutely gorgeous! Although in our pictures, it appears as if we are in a vast expanse of snow, the blinding whiteness is all salt!! We stopped at an island in the middle of the salar to have lunch and take some silly, but oh so fun pictures in the Salar.

Later, we spent the night in a hotel made completely of salt – how cool?! Admittedly, when we first arrived at the hotel, we were a little weary as it is literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the tiniest, deserted town. But once we saw the inside of the rooms and heard they had hot showers, we were game! All the walls, furniture, and floor are made completely of salt! Talk about cuteness and charm ...

The following day, we woke up early enough to see the sun rise, then headed out to see the colored lagoons. Although not appreciable in the pictures, some of the lagoons are home to specific species of algae that make the water appear pink! What a sight! The lagoon was also full of flamingos (who apparently get their color from eating the algae?)!!

That night, we stayed in a ¨hotel¨aka icebox. After a freezing night with no hot water, no heating, and minimal warm blankets, we woke up at 5 am and drove to the nearby geysers – Ack, it was sooooooo cold, but also so worthwhile to arrive at the geysers with the sun rising, and the moon still hanging on for the last few minutes of nighttime (or first moments of the morning).

Once thoroughly chilled to the bone, our next stop could not have been planned better: a soak in natural hot springs! Though the run from the car in our bikinis to the water was quite a sight, the heat of the water was more than worth the pain!

We did and saw so much, that I can only give you the highlights here, but between each destination, there were awe-inspiring landscapes that frequently prompted us to stop our car so we could get out, take pictures, and wallow in the splendor of nature. One stop even included rock formations that are rumored to be the inspiration to many of Dali’s paintings!

Now, I know that I haven’t traveled to many countries, but this weekend absoltely convinced me that Bolivia has to be home to some of the most beautiful, unspoiled landscapes in the world!