Will and I departed San Pedro with bated breath and a less than ordinary stomach condition. We didn't make it far - our first (incredibly long, as usual) stop being the border post on the outskirts of town to sign out of the country. At least its at a sensible altitude, though. A minibus ride brought us to the Bolivian border post, which somewhere above 4000m was cold, uncomfortable, and sans toilet facilities. I eventually paid an indeterminate amount of several currencies to the authorities - more I think a token gesture than an exact science. The Americans have to make the largest gesture (around US$150), probably thanks to a bunch of foreign policies that have nothing to do with the discerning traveller.
We were doing our Salar tour with Pamela Agency, who had three 4WDs of clients (18 all up) setting out this day, destined to travel the following 3 together. Team Red was promptly formed, consisting of Emma & Alice (UK), Gaby (Mexico), Rafael & Gonzalo (Chile) and myself - driven by the wise old Francisco Goldmouth. Morning stops included the park office (another overblown fee that reflects the number of tourist thoroughfare), Lago Blanco & Verde (flamingos - beautiful birds with dull personalities) & the 'Rocks of Dali' (who ever would have thought that nature could mimic an artist?)
After a good lunch of hot spring swim & sangers, we went to see some geysers (much better than the Tatio ones, apparently). On route Francisco doled out some coca leaves, which quite frankly taste like crap and didn't produce any noticeable effect on me even after persisting for an hour. Even if they are capable of producing the mild effects that they're claimed to, the disgusting lips, gums and teeth they're responsible for aren't worth it in my opinion.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at Laguna Colorada, an expansive lake that was an amazing mix of reds and whites. A bunch of llamas were milling around - intriguing that they can survive in such a barren landscape. It was a short drive to the collection of buildings that was to be our nights accommodation, where a bunch of the others went out for a stroll. Thanks to the altitude, all I could manage was to lay down and rest. I managed to get some soup and pasta down for dinner, but then had a horrible night ejecting every thing I could, every way I could, but it was the pounding headache that kept me awake for most of it.
The next morning we started behind most other cars (multiple agencies, multiple vehicles). First stop was the Arbol de Piedra, a funky piece of rock that has been sculptured over the ages by wind, sand and Dali. There were plenty of rock formations nearby, which we had a bit of fun scrambling around, before setting off again. Our trip took a wrong turn after this stop. What I'd seen thus far though were such incredible landscapes. The expanses of raw, earthy colours in such a dry environment, rising up in the distance to the odd snow-capped volcano, I found a very powerful place to be in.
We were doing our Salar tour with Pamela Agency, who had three 4WDs of clients (18 all up) setting out this day, destined to travel the following 3 together. Team Red was promptly formed, consisting of Emma & Alice (UK), Gaby (Mexico), Rafael & Gonzalo (Chile) and myself - driven by the wise old Francisco Goldmouth. Morning stops included the park office (another overblown fee that reflects the number of tourist thoroughfare), Lago Blanco & Verde (flamingos - beautiful birds with dull personalities) & the 'Rocks of Dali' (who ever would have thought that nature could mimic an artist?)
After a good lunch of hot spring swim & sangers, we went to see some geysers (much better than the Tatio ones, apparently). On route Francisco doled out some coca leaves, which quite frankly taste like crap and didn't produce any noticeable effect on me even after persisting for an hour. Even if they are capable of producing the mild effects that they're claimed to, the disgusting lips, gums and teeth they're responsible for aren't worth it in my opinion.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at Laguna Colorada, an expansive lake that was an amazing mix of reds and whites. A bunch of llamas were milling around - intriguing that they can survive in such a barren landscape. It was a short drive to the collection of buildings that was to be our nights accommodation, where a bunch of the others went out for a stroll. Thanks to the altitude, all I could manage was to lay down and rest. I managed to get some soup and pasta down for dinner, but then had a horrible night ejecting every thing I could, every way I could, but it was the pounding headache that kept me awake for most of it.
The next morning we started behind most other cars (multiple agencies, multiple vehicles). First stop was the Arbol de Piedra, a funky piece of rock that has been sculptured over the ages by wind, sand and Dali. There were plenty of rock formations nearby, which we had a bit of fun scrambling around, before setting off again. Our trip took a wrong turn after this stop. What I'd seen thus far though were such incredible landscapes. The expanses of raw, earthy colours in such a dry environment, rising up in the distance to the odd snow-capped volcano, I found a very powerful place to be in.
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