We left La Paz on an overnight bus and I can honestly say I will never forget that ride. The first couple of hours were relatively smooth until the pavement ended just after 1 am and we spent the last 5 hours shaking like crazy with the windows rattling so loud it was impossible to sleep. The one good thing is we managed to meet three English girls who we booked a salt flatts tour with. The 6 of us arranged a 4x4 jeep for 3 days and 2 nights to take is through the antiplano and drop us off at the Chilean border.
We spent the entire first day driving though the salt flats which stretch in all directions as far as the eye can see. Millions of years ago when the pacific plates collided with the South American continent and the Andes were formed a large body of salt water was trapped forming a lake. Over time that lake evaporated resulting in a 25 meter layer of salt which is absolutely amazing to see. We got some awesome pictures and spent the first night in a salt hostel. We sat down for dinner at a table made of salt and slept in salt bed frames.
The second day we left the salt flats and headed south. We passed smoking volcanos, toxic lakes crowded with colorful flamingos and a petrified tree in the middle of the desert. It's crazy how the land changes so drastically and all the extremes we were able to see throughout the day. That night we stayed in a very simple hotel where we were able to meet some other groups on similar tours and have some drinks. What a night!!! It never ceases to amaze me what a couple of beers can do to you at +4,000 meters. We laughed our asses off and I ended the night with my first official game of yanef with some new Israeli friends. The next morning was very interesting getting moving at 4:30 without any power. Luckily nothing was left behind and within an hour we were watching the sun rise over geysers and enjoying some natural hot springs. Our driver dropped us off at the border just before noon where we cleared customers and headed into Chile.
I can't imagine more of a contrast between two bordering countries. One minute you are in the poorest country in South America struggling to breath where you haven't been on a paved road in three days and then next your quickly descending down some of the smoothest highways in the world to South America's most expensive country. The bus dropped us off in San Pedro de Atacama which is a small oasis town on the north part of the Atacama desert that existed purely for tourist. We spent $12 each on a menu of the day and despite the sticker shock were rewarded with an awesome lunch. We had a lightly fried seafood starter followed by a tender steak all washed down with a glass of awesome Chilean house wine. Unfortunately there really isn't much to do here and since everything is so expensive we are heading to Santiago tomorrow with the girls.
Its so nice to be at a normal altitude after three weeks!!!
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