6:00 a.m.: crude breakfast
7:00 am: departure
7:30 .m.: ¨wetlands´
Our first stop was in some unidentified ´wetlands´to take some pictures while the sun edged up slowly in the sky.
Laguna Kollpa, our first lake, was interesting. The lake is encrusted with white minerals which are mined to make soap.
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| Laguna Kollpa |
9:00 a.m.: Salar de Chalviri
Next, we passed the Salar de Chalviri and took yet more photos. Sensing a theme yet? This was our first salar.
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| Beautiful palette of colors on the mountains |
10:45 a.m.: Laguna Verde
We got back in the truck and rushed over to Laguna Verde. Laguna Verde (4350m) is a salt water lagoon with an elevated content of magnesium, arsenic, lead, and calcium carbonate. The constant wind keeps the minerals mixed giving it a brilliant emerald color. Laguna Verde changes color mid-morning; it is this color change that precipitated our early monring departure. The backdrop for this lake is Volcan Licancabur (5800m) which I initially saw from the Chilean side in San Pedro de Atacama.
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| Stunning Laguna Verde |
11:30 a.m.: Desierto de Dalí
Next, we stopped in the Desierto de Dali; word is Salvador Dali got his inspiration from here. There are lots of tiny rock spires poking up surreally through the sand amid marbled mountains of sand and petrified lava. Isabel, our cocinera, loves to dance. So we had an impromptu dance party. I must admit, I was thankful to get my blood flowing after being idle so long.
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| Desierto de Dali |
12:00 ish: Polques Hotsprings
We headed to our lunch spot at Polques Hot Springs which is situated on the shores of another pretty laguna. While we bathed, Isabel prepared our lunch. We had carne de res marinated in lime juice, carrot fritters, rice, potatoes, veg, and fruit. Isabel is quickly becoming my best friend.
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| Nice spot for a good soak; the hotsprings were right next to this lake |
After lunch, we swung by the fumaroles and geysers. Nothing like a little sulphur inhalant to help digest lunch. Having been to Yellowstone and the geysers in Chile, I didn´t find the geysers and mudpots that appealling.
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| Mud pots |
4:00 pm: hostal #2 and Laguna Colorada
We dropped off Isabel, and headed to Laguna Colorada (colored lake). This was the high point of the trip for me. The lake receives its name from its fiery-reddish colored waters. It is 60km sq and 80 cm deep. The lake has gypsum, magnesium, sodium, and borax; the microscopic flagellate algae give it is color during the hours of 11:00 to 4:00. three species of flamingos frequent the lake. It was so incredible that I couldn´t stop taking pics. I think that I took the highest number of pictures I have ever taken in 90 minutes. I only wished I had a better camera. I fought against wind and dust to keep the lens clean. No photshop used to adjust these colors. It was very hard to pick out which picks to use on the blog.
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| Laguna Colorada |
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| Vicuñas next to the lake |
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| A favorite spot for 4300 nesting pairs of flamingoes |
I crashed hard after anothe of Isabel´s fine creations.
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