Constantly racing against the clock, I wish I had more time. Usually content with the amount of time I spend in each destination, I found myself longing for more. More time. More time to explore the beautiful country. More time to spend with the incredible people that I had met. More time to finish the race.
Where do I even begin? In so many ways, this adventure was one of the best ones yet. How does one summarize everything they had experienced in a matter of paragraphs? Not possible. The past five days have taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions – from exhaustion, adrenaline, and discomfort to lust, wonder, admiration and pure happiness.
Traveling solo forces you to let your guard down. To be social. To take part in adventures that you would not have otherwise considered. It forces you to grow as a person. I love traveling solo. But, I cannot deny that I missed sharing experiences with other people. It is one thing to write about your experiences and later share with others, but entirely different to live those moments with others that forever tie you together by the thread of memories created.
Uyuni
Uyuni – the gateway for visiting the world’s largest salt flats: Salar de Uyuni.
I am a planner. I prefer to arrange tours prior to arriving at a destination. It eases my anxiety. I usually find it cheaper to book tours directly with the tour operator versus through a third party. As noted on the Internet, booking directly with tour operators in Uyuni is next to impossible since they do not reply to emails or return phone calls. Quechua Connection and Red Planet Expedition offered the best three day tours in and around Uyuni. After many unsuccessful attempts of reaching either company, I gave up and booked the “3 Day Salt Flats Tour (Quechua Connection)” for $190 USD through Kanoo Tours – an online booking service for tours, transport, and accommodations in Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru. I chose Quechua Connection over Red Planet Expedition because it was cheaper and included a sleeping bag in the price of the tour. If you do not know when you will be arriving in Uyuni, you can join a tour after arriving; but, be aware that the specific tour you want may be sold out by the time you arrive.
Getting to Uyuni (from La Paz)
Getting to Uyuni is an adventure in itself. From La Paz, you can get to Uyuni by air or land – neither 100 percent reliable. Linea Aerea Amaszonas S.A. (shortened to Amaszonas) and Boliviana de Aviacion (referred to as BoA) each provide two direct flights a day to and from Uyuni. If frequent delays and unannounced cancelations do not raise your stress levels, this is your best option. Depending on how far in advance you book, one-way fares can cost as cheap as $64 USD. If you want more reliable transportation, take a bus. But, be aware that buses do break down and weather conditions can affect your scheduled arrival. If you want to save money, take a local bus (not recommended). For 1/4 of the cost, you can risk a breakdown while you sit in an overcrowded bus that lacks heating and toilet facilities for 12 hours. If spending a couple dollars more will not keep you up at night, take a “tourist bus”. Companies such as Todo Turismo provide a more tourist-focused service – one that includes a hot meal and breakfast, some drinks, movies, Wi-Fi, an oxygen mask and medical kit on board. The bus leaves daily from Todo Turismo’s office in La Paz at 21:00 and arrives in Uyuni about 12 hours later. “Tourist buses” seem to be the most popular means of transportation to and from Uyuni, so it is recommended that you book your bus ticket in advance as it frequently sells out. Depending on when you book, you have the option of choosing between a “semi cama” ($37 USD) and “cama” ($47 USD) service. I paid the extra $10 USD to reserve the lie-flat seat – by far the most comfortable and spacious seating.
I needed to be in Uyuni by 10:30 in the morning on Saturday, May 27. I had initially planned to fly from La Paz to Uyuni the morning of (since I did not have enough time to make the evening flight the night before). At time of my trip, BoA flights were scheduled to arrive at 09:05 on Saturday mornings. Never hearing of the airline, I decided to do some research. Immediately, I questioned the reliability of the service. Complaints regarding delays and cancelations flood the airline’s Facebook page and TripAdvisor reviews. The three day tour that I had booked left Uyuni at 10:30 that morning. If the BoA flight was canceled or even slightly delayed, I would have missed the three day tour. Too risky. I decided to book Todo Turismo’s transport service. Not only did I save myself money by not having to book a hostel for the night, but I had 12 hours to finally get some sleep.
Day 1
Having arrived several hours early, I set out to explore the small town with fellow travelers that I had met at Quechua Connection’s office during check-in. Catered to visitors, the town is filled with tour operators and backpacker accommodations.
Group travel is a shared experience. Good or bad, the people that you travel with have an impact on your experience. When joining a group tour, you never know what kind of people you will end up sharing the experience with. For once, luck was on my side. I ended up sharing three days with the most delightful, fun-loving travelers that I have ever met on a tour. We were split up into groups of four to six people per car. I was placed with Nigel (my coworker that I was traveling from La Paz with) and four women from Germany, Thailand, India, and the United States. We clicked instantly. Turned out, the three very handsome Portuguese men that I had spotted boarding the bus in La Paz were part of the group tour. They were placed in a car with a man from Malta. And, the three men from Lichtenstein were paired with the other three from the United States.
First stop: the Great Train Graveyard. Located on the outskirts of Uyuni, the cemetery houses rusting trains dating back to the 20th century. We were given some time to wander the area and climb all over these gigantic machines.
On the way to Salar de Uyuni, we stopped in Colchani to witness how salt is processed. This tiny, one street town is the first stop for all tours – so naturally it is filled with locals selling souvenirs. Not interested, we were all antsy to leave and make our way to the salt flats.
Out of nowhere, a white surface glistened in the distance. A remarkable landscape. I have never seen anything like it. The earth painted in white, highlighting the endless horizon.
All we wanted to do was photograph this captivating landscape. Instead, we were given bicycles as distractions to keep us occupied while the guides and drivers prepared lunch.
The bikes looked like they were pulled straight out of a junk yard. Rusted frames. No brakes. Flat tires. The short distance felt like a marathon. Was the salt hotel a mirage? I pedaled. Faster and faster. But, I was not getting any closer. Exhausted, I kept stopping to take pictures. I needed any excuse to take a break.
After lunch, we were given free time to walk around the salt hotel. Flags from all over the world covered the entrance. What an excellent idea!
What do you do in the middle of nowhere surrounded by salt? You take ridiculous pictures. Let’s be real, most people who visit Salar de Uyuni do so for the pictures. The “world’s largest mirror” was not in service upon our arrival. Dry season meant that we would not be taking those famous reflection photos. Oh well. Extending and blending into the horizon, the white canvas was ideal for perception-defying photography. We spent the next hour taking hundreds of silly pictures before heading to Incahuasi Island.
In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by salt flats, is an island of giant cacti. I am still perplexed by this island. How random.
After watching the sun set over the salt flats, we headed to our hostel in the village of Manica for dinner. Basic accommodations – no heat, but at least we had power, beds, and bathrooms. Dinnertime allowed us to get to know the other people in the group. We conversed for hours over “camp style” food.
Day 2
Bolivia: an ever-changing landscape. From salt flats, desert, and extinct volcanoes to high altitude lagoons, land coral, and mountains.
Driving south along the Chilean border, a blanket of snow covered the land.
We were headed towards Polques – located at 4,400 meters (or about 14,436 feet), where our hostel for the night and hot springs were located. With each hill, the snow grew deeper.
One by one, the convoy of land cruisers sunk into the snow.
Getting stuck in the snow for hours could ruin anyone’s day. Ironically, this was my favorite part of the trip. As we stood there strategizing, we cracked jokes and bonded over snowball fights.
Nobody was prepared for this – most of the group in soaked sneakers, standing in ankle-deep snow – but we made the best out of the situation. It was a group effort to get the vehicles out. The men pushed, shoveled, and stomped tracks. All while smile and laughter filled the atmosphere.
I have never met so many light hearted, beautiful souls on a trip.
We never made it to Polques. By nightfall, we found shelter. Budget accommodations – no heat or power, just dorm rooms crammed with beds.
While waiting for dinner, we huddled around a warm pipe in the dining area.
The next four hours brought the entire group together. Endless conversations. I did not know which way to turn. The three Portuguese men stole my attention from the very beginning. Something about them drew me in. And, I do not only mean visually. It was refreshing to have met people with depth. I wanted to be around them, I wanted to know more. About them. Their stories. I wanted to know everything. Whenever I glanced over, they were always smiling. So full of life. I was totally crushing.
My favorite part about traveling is beginning an adventure as one and leaving as a group. We were all travelers, there for the same reason. We already all had that in common. But, I wanted to get to know the rest of the group. I turned to my right and engaged in conversation with the others. Before I knew it, I was playing cards with the three men from Liechtenstein and the other three from the United States. Making up the rules as the night went on, nobody could stop laughing. I could not wipe the smile off my face even if I had tried. If only for one night, I wished time could stop.
Originally, we were supposed to stargaze after dinner while hanging out in the hot springs. Obsessed with the night sky, I went outside anyways. I stood there shaking, even while wearing base layers, two pairs of pants, a sweater, jacket, hat, and gloves. I wanted to stand there forever, but I was freezing. I have never seen the sky so beautiful. For some unknown reason, I do not know much about operating cameras. Luckily, some of the others were skilled enough to capture some incredible shots.
Eventually, the generator shut off for the night, which was our cue that it was time to sleep (or in my case, it was time to spend the next few hours staring into the darkness, wondering if I was experiencing hypothermia). Wrapped into a cocoon, I shook uncontrollably. I have never been so cold in my life. My body ached. Meanwhile, the air was so thin that I found myself gasping for more. I remember waking up in a panic throughout the night, unable to breathe. Morning could not have come any sooner.
Day 3
This was our last day together. The snow storm affected majority of the group’s travel plans, since most were continuing on to San Pedro de Atacama. Crossing the border into Chile was impossible that day. Although unfortunate, this meant that I had more time to spend with these incredible people.
Our morning began at Laguna Colorada – an amazing red colored lake, usually full of flamingos.
Since we never made it to Polques, we were unable to see the Dali Desert or visit Laguna Verde at the foot of Volcan Licancabur on the border of Bolivia and Chile. Instead, we stopped at Laguna Blanca and began the return journey back to Uyuni. Along the way, we made several stops – none of which I know the names of.
Arriving back in Uyuni that evening meant that time won and that I finally had to say my goodbyes. Several hugs and kisses later, I watched my new friends walk into the village, disappearing in the distance.
