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After meeting up with the rest of our group we set off to the Chilean border and entered into what can only be described as no mans land. 40 minutes later we arrived at the Bolivian border control at around 4300m. The border control was housed in a small mud and stone brick building with a corrugated iron roof held down with large rocks to prevent the wind taking the roof away with it. The altitude was very noticable and the cold wind really cut through our clothing and the shelter of the border control hut was the first prioriety of all those seeking to cross the border.
After the red tape had been sorted out we had quick breakfast of bread, ham, cheese and marmalade which I didn't hesitate in combining together into gourmet delight.
We were now seperated into our two 4x4s. In the "A" team was myself, Helena, Irati & Aitor (Spain), Martin(France), Lorette(USA) and in the "B" team were Kevin, Franzi, Julia (Germany), Franco (Chile), Karen(Scotland) and James(NZ). Ready to go we set into the desert we some trepidation.
The first of the colourful lagoons was the Laguna Blanco which as the name suggests was white giving a great mirror reflecting the snowcapped mountains in the back ground one of which was spewing smoke.
Next stop was the Laguna Verde which is green obviously. Upon arriving the lagoon didn't appear very green though and there was no wildlife there due to the toxicity of the water. Directly behind this high altitude body of water was a snow capped volcano which provided a great backdrop. A breeze started to pick up and the water began to change colour and the colour given to the name of the lagoon started to appear. At first just a faint hint but after five minutes or so the green brightened. Magic.
As with all these types of tours its a case of drive around and stop to take photos but with such amazing landscapes abound the time spent in the vehicle didn't seem to drag too much. Unfortunately our next stop was unscheduled due to a flat tyre. None the less this stop provided a chance to stop and walk around an area seldom visited. Ronan our guide and driver had the wheel changed in quick time and we were off again. Not so much
"A" team more like "F" team as the other group were way off ahead of us.
The next stop was salar de Chalviri and this again was idylic as the amazing view was made up of a spectrum of pastel colours and to top it off we also had a soak in a thermal pool. Nice! As we drove on we would see groups of vicunas grazing. There didnt seem to be any plant life surrounding us, just dirt, sand and rock so I have no clue as to what was sustaining them.
Continuing on the thermal theme we reached the highest part of our trip at a height of 4900m to an area of spluttering mud pools, steam and sulphur smelling smoke. At this height we easily got breathless while walking. James in the 1st jeep was suffering much worse with vomiting and dizzy spells.
After lunch we headed out for our last laguna of the day. The laguna colarado. This laguna was red due to the algea that lived there and this was enphasised by the bright green grass clumped at some edges of the water. Flamingos dotted the laguna and the back drop was again snow capped mountains. I didnt think I would ever get bored of surrounding like these.
By 9am the next day we were back on the road. The road was dirt tracks or sometimes there didnt seem to be a road but in a hefty 4x4 jeep this was no problem. Our first stop of the day was at Arbol de Piedra or Tree of Stone for those not fluent in Spanish. This seemed to be a golden sand beach that contained odd rocks. Andrew not able to help him self got straight onto the first good looking rock and in trainers tried a few routes.
As the day progressed the surroundings started to tinge with vegetation and finale on day 2 was at dusk as we passed through an immence area of boulders in odd shapes and sizes that seemed to go on for as far as the eye could see.
The last day of our trip, day 3 we headed of for uyuni and stopped off at the train cemetry. Although it seemed that I was the only person from both jeeps excited at the prospect of going here everyone seemed to be impressed by the many rusting steam engines covered in graffitti. Finally the trip had reached it's main attraction! Whoo hoo! The Uyuni salt flats. The biggest salt flats in the world. As it is the end of the rainy season the salt flats were wet meaning if we were lucky we could get perfect mirror images of the landscape. There was a slight breeze when we arrived but it was still impressive yet tranquil to look at. The salt flats were about ankle deep in water and the salt crystals were painfull if you were bare footed. There were men working to collect the salt in places creating many perfectly conical piles of salt crystals about 2ft tall. In some directions the salt flat continued into the sky and you couldn't tell when the salt flat ended or the sky began.
After lunch we were driven into Uyuni and prepared ourselves for our overnight bus trip to La Paz.
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