Today our four day tour of the Bolivian salt flats began, where we will cross the biggest salt lake in the world. We headed off in our 4WD with a Belgian couple and the driver called Santos, and we followed another group also. Initially we were to have an English speaking guide but the plans changed so we would be reliant on our minimal vocabulary and our fellow passengers to translate. Within a few kilometres we approached two mountain ranges, with staggering heights and angry red pinnacles dominating the landscape. We stopped frequently to take pictures of the vast mountainous desert and many lamas littering the land. Our start point Tupiza nestles at just under 3000m, and our destination is 4200m! Hopefully our days spent at altitude has helped us acclimatise. We stopped at the base of a shallow valley for lunch, and enjoyed a meat, potato and vegetable casserole prepared by our fabulous cook called Meriathes - the plump middle aged mother figure of the group dressed in elegant traditional Bolivian clothing.
We headed off through many windy dirt roads while kicking up dust behind us like the tail of a swarm of bees. The landscape vast, a great emptiness filled with endless hills and mountains, the occasional village reminding us that we are in fact on Earth. The day quickly passed as the altitude increased and out ears repeatedly popped, and before we knew it we arrived at our destination, a tiny village called San Antonio, 4200m above sea level.
We had a coffee and biscuits and I climbed a small hill overlooking the village for a good view, while Sophia chatted away with the girls who were in the other 4WD.
We had a good meal for dinner, lots of laughs and got on well with the group. The night sky was full of stars, and the milky-way clearly visible and dominant... Magical.
We stayed in a basic dorm that is renowned for reaching a temperature of -20'C overnight...but with about ten blankets each and a sleeping bag we survived!
An early start in the morning, so an early night. Being in such a remote place I cannot believe we will be in London so soon... The end of a trip of a lifetime is near.
