We arrive at Uyuni at 6.30 a.m. after the worst night bus journey to date. The last 4 hours of it were like being in a tumble dryer! The roads were so bumpy and windy it was unbelievable!
We arrive to a one horse town, no, really, it was like something out of a western! Dirt streets and nothing looking more. We decide that we will not stay over here, so book ourselves on the first tour to the salt plains we can find.
This didn't take long, there is nothing else to do here, so the few tour operators that are here are ready to pounce as soon as you step off the bus!
We meet a lady (I use the term lightly) Andrea, who sells us our tour, - 2 nights/3 days.
First day we will go to the train grave-yard and salt plains, stay in a good hostel with hots shower and the second day would be driving through the desert, watching flamingos and such like, but the hostel this night would be basic.
Day 1. We get into our very nice 4 x 4 Toyota with Kate and Rose who are 2 19 year olds from Chorley. We then go and pick up a young Spanish couple fortunately, as Andrea has informed us that our driver does not speak English! (Useful hey?!). Poor Mirium, ends up being our interpreter for the 3 days!
We go the steam train grave yard that use to take minerals and salt out of Bolivia.
Next we go to the salt plains which are really quite amazing! 200 km of nothing but salt,(table/rock ), it is so bright, sun glasses are a must. We spend several hours here taking silly photos! We have a very good picnic lunch then drive on a couple of hours to our "good hostel" as promised by the lovely Andrea!! We arrive to a dirt street, and Freddy our driver pulls into this ...shack! I refuse to stay. (I throw my dummy out of the pram, big time!). Freddy takes us to another hostel a couple of doors away, it is slightly better, but it is certainly... no 'good' hostel, and it is dorm rooms, she forgot to tell us that too. I make Freddy take us to a phone to call Andrea, the poor chap. (I did get Mirium to explain to him we weren't blaming him). What a surprise, Andrea does not answer!
We also find out at this point, she (Andrea) has also forgot to tell us we have to pay to in to one of the national parks we have to drive through! I am fuming!
Freddy manages to put us in a dorm room with no one else in, I wouldn't sharing, my point is, we should have been told! Oh yeh, and the hot showers, we had to pay extra for them!!)
Next morning, off through the desert to see volcanic rocks and beautiful 'red' lagoons, because of the minerals in the water and flamingos galore! It is a brilliant day until we get to about 3.30 and enter the national park (the one we have to pay for), we all have to get out of the Toyota and sign in. But... yet again the lovely Andrea has balls-up! She has sent Freddy out, without the correct paperwork! He should have a permit to enter. Arrgh! that women! We spend the next 2 hours sat on the road side (desert side, actually!). There are phone calls back and forth and eventually we are allowed through. By this time we are all ready to strangle the woman!
We get to our 'basic' hostel a lot later then planned and expecting the worse, after last nights accommodation, are surprised it is not as bad as we had expected. Yes, it is very basic, but it does have an indoor loo and wash-basin!
Good evening meal and a glass of wine in the desert, it could be worse!
Next morning Freddy wakes us up at 4.30 to go to see geysers and have a dip in a thermal pool, give this a miss as it's bloody freezing!
Our company has been brilliant and we get dropped off at the Chilean border!
