Uyuni & La Paz

Hanging around in the hostel in Cusco thinking about the upcoming multiple hours of bus rides, just to walk on a salt desert with as little luggage as possible, I changed my mind. Originally after the 3-day Uyuni trip in Bolivia I was supposed to come back to Cusco, pick up my heavy luggage and fly to Lima to meet my friend Julia again. Since in Lima there was at least another 24 hour bus ride to be expected, I decided to change everything: I canceled my Cusco-Lima flight, booked a new flight from La Paz but directly to the North coast of Peru. Saving many hours of bus rides and getting the chance to see a bit more of Bolivia, at least the surrounding of La Paz.

This was my first night bus trip through South America crossing a country. I didn’t quite know what to expect, what kind of people, how comfortable, do I have to hold my valuables tight while sleeping...all questions were easy to answer with a „don’t worry, take it easy“. 

The bus left at 10.30pm from Cusco bus terminal.

I got a seat assigned when I checked in, even blankets and small snacks were given. Quickly I fell asleep, but getting used to a different kind of sleep I woke up many times. In the morning after sunset we passed lake Titicaca and shortly after stopped at the border to Bolivia.

We all had to get out, show our passports, luggage and could get back on the bus. We reached La Paz around midday. I had a recommendation for a hostel close to the bus terminal, so grabbed a taxi to go there. Even though I was only staying for the day, I could leave my luggage in a locked room and could take a shower. 

During the day I didn’t bother much about the city since I wanted to rest for the next bus trip to Uyuni an would come back for two days. So I simply visited the travel agency to pay my 3-day trip, had some lunch and hung out at the hostel.

The bus to Uyuni was supposed to leave at 8pm, yes „supposed“. We waited at the terminal for almost an hour before a really old bus showed up and still stood there with us on board for another half hour. I was so tired and just wanted to sleep, when we shortly after departure stopped because of smoke coming out of the engine. Trying to find out what’s wrong, after some unsuccessful communication with the bus driver everyone had to get off and change to another bus, but this time a good and modern one. Finally I got to sleep and woke up just shortly before we arrived at 7am.

A woman was already waiting on arrival and brought us to a cafe, where we could have breakfast. It was freezing 4 degrees outside, so happy to have a warm place. 

For those who hadn’t booked a tour yet, had to first walk around. It is also quite easy to book on arrival since there are many guides offering.

Around 10.30am 6 of us got on a jeep and drove to a place with old trains, that weren’t used anymore. Uyuni had been built specially for train business and wasn’t even a 100 years old, which you could see.

We took some pictures and drove further towards the salt desert, which is on 3.300 meters altitude like Uyuni. On the way we saw some natural springs from the underground mountain rivers, of which’s oxygen tried to come up.

We had lunch at the worlds only salt hotel in the middle of this pure white endless desert of nothing else but salt! 

Speechless but motivated by our guide to take great pictures.

The second spot was the island Incahuasi, formed by volcano rocks at times when the salt desert was below sea level and this island raised up while the sea level dropped. We paid 15 Bolivianos entrance and also were allowed to use the toilets. It must be noted, that at each touristic spot there are toilets, but everytime 5 Bolivianos. At least they have some in an area where there is nothing but the beauty of endless landscapes.

We stayed until the sun set shortly after, stopped for the view but we could feel the cold taking over. We drove quite a while on bumpy roads until we reached a village and our hostel. Cute place with salt bricks, no heating but a hot shower for 10 Bolivianos. Everyone tired after dinner, we cuddled in our 4 blankets to get a good night sleep.

After a pretty good breakfast we left at 8am towards the border of Chile passing a view point along train tracks to the Volcano Ollague, which is 5.860 meters high and still active, but last erupted 300 years ago. We got to a closer view point to take nice pictures from volcano rock formations.

When we reached the Lagoon Cañapa, we saw it’s inhabitants, which were the rare flamingos „James“, that are home in the Andean areas of Bolivia and Chile. A lot of them have moved to warmer areas since we were almost in the middle of the winter. 

For that at first we thought the white surface around the lagoon was ice, but with the sun it should have melted by now, almost noon. Our guide, again lucky me, didn’t explain much, so I asked an English speaking guide and our travel book confirmed that the white something was a mixture of ice and borax, that is a chemical used for paint and glass manufacturing. Due to a different PH level, the flamingos adapted and eat not only the little shrimps, but also kind of bacterias.

After lunch at another lagoon we followed the road passing some wild foxes and then drove through a kind of valley with little rabbits on the rocks.

The next two stops at Lagoon Hedionda and Arbiol de Piedra offered wonderful spots for great pictures. The landscapes here change constantly and you find yourself all of a sudden in the middle of the Atacama desert, followed by a lagoon or rock valleys. Incredible what nature has to offer, very often I just stood there speechless!

Last stop for the day was the lagoon Colorado, where we first had to pay 150 Bolivianos for its national park. Only when you drove up the hill, you could see the incredible red color the lagoon had caused by algien in the water. Again many flamingos had declared this spot theirs. 

Slowly it got really cold and we drove to our place for the night, which we didn’t know yet. The village 20 minutes from the lagoon didn’t have phone connection and therefore no reservations could be made in advance. The driver stopped at a house, where you thought nobody would live there. Anyway this village seemed to be dead, nobody on the street and hardly lighted buildings. He came back and said we had a place and were taken there. In the meanwhile the temperature dropped to nearly zero and except us and the staff there was nobody in the building. Four of us shared a room thinking the more the warmer. Toilets were down the hallway and no showers available. Everything couldn’t have been more basic. We were happy to have sleeping bags with us, temperature would drop even more below zero during the night.

Luckily before dinner they served tea. By then the sun set, but lights didn’t work in the dining room, so we set up a candle, shared a bottle of wine and cuddled into our sleeping bags....nothing more to say except: it was a very cold night! 

Only reward, the amazing stars!

Breakfast at six o’clock, later than planned because the first stop Laguna Verde was not worth visiting, it would be frozen and no green color to see. 

Well, it took even longer to get to the Geysirs, our then new first stop...the car wouldn’t start. After pushing and working on it, finally the sound of an engine could be heard. It was minus 5 degrees, hands and feet ice hold. We took off, but had to stop in the middle of the dusty road short after. Some water pipe was frozen and couldn’t circulate, so we had to wait a bit.

After half an hour we reached the geysirs, impressive underground volcano activity coming to the surface, hot air beeing blown into the air and probably deep holes of grey mudd bubbling. Only a month ago a Chinese girl fell in and died, so we kept our distance.

We were still freezing although we could hold our feet into the hot air, but the next stop would reward us for coping with the cold night....thermal baths, hot of course. We enjoyed about an hour defrosting our feet and hands.

On our way to lunch we passed some cute lamas in a beautiful landscape as well as after lunch on our last stop at the Laguna Katal, a black lake surrounded by amazing sand stone rocks.

Now we made our way back to Uyuni and reached town around 6pm. As a small group we went for dinner and coffee before everyone had to get on their busses to different destinations...I was going back to La Paz.

I am not really into cities that much, but somehow I was interested in the highest capital of South America with XX million habitants on an altitude of 3.600 meters. 

I checked in to my hostel after arriving from Uyuni at 4.30am and slept a bit. Even though I had a little cold, I joined one of the free walking tours. Well the Bolivian government doesn’t allow free touristic offers, so there is a fee of 20 Bolivianos plus tip. We started with two guides at Plaza Sucre, its original name before it was renamed by locals into Plaza San Pedro. Attached to this plaza is the prison of La Paz, with the size of only one block but 3.000 prisoners a city on its own. It’s a place for men that committed low crime. Their families are allowed to live with them and enter whenever they want. Even businesses have been established like shops, bars and also dealing with „sugar“, how the guides preferred to call it. Although it might be an interesting place to visit, we were advised to never join such  an offered tour because it might be a one-way-trip!

We carried on to the witches market, where amongst other ingredients also baby lamas are sold. They are used as victims to burry before a house is built. It’s disgusting to see, but I took a hidden picture since the ladies didn’t allow to take pictures. Ladies on the street are dressed very special, long skirt and a hat, that was brought by the British, but too small for the men’s head so the ladies wore them...until now. It shows depending on its position on the head what their status is, married or single. Further on we passed the presidential area and the local market at San Francisco square. 

Finally we ended our tour at a restaurant to try a local drink, which name I forgot.

I gave tip and moved on with a girl from UK, I got along with quite well. 

We spent two hours taking the famous cable cars, that connect different parts of the city because of its altitudes. 

We also stopped at the huge cemetery, that showed lovely graphity and decorated cremates.

We had early dinner together at a cute place called „Cafe del Mundo“ close to the witches market, where they offered international food in comfortable atmosphere.

I picked up my laundry that I had dropped earlier and went back to my hostel for an early sleep.

The half day tour visiting two places North and South of the city started early morning taking us up towards Cachaltaya mountain. From the parking a short hike on rocks took us to the summit of 5.435 meters. Every breath was tough, but rewarded with a 360 degree view towards Bolivias two highest mountains, the Huayna Potosi completely covered with snow and the city of La Paz.

Second stop going down to less than 2.000 meters altitude in the South of La Paz was the Vale de la Luna, that really looked like a moon valley with 3.000 square meters area of rocks formed by the ocean.

Back in the city by the afternoon I simply did some souvenir shopping and soon to bed, my flight to Peru was leaving in the middle of the night.