6:00 am: crude breakfast
6:30 am: Departure
7:30 am: Desert de Siloli
We stopped in the Desert de Siloli to visit the locally famous Arbol de piedra (tree of stone). The tree was formed by eolian processes, that is to say, erosion by wind carried sediment. The tree is made of petrified lava with harder, iron-rich materials on top, but the bottom part is made of softer material, ie, biotitic quartz. The rocks in this area all have strange shapes and seem to grow out of the desert dust. Isabel led us in some morning dance to get our blood flowing.
 |
| Arbol de Piedra |
 |
| Getting the blood flowing in a painted desert |
 |
| Dancing with Isabel our cook to Boliviano music |
9:15 am: Laguna Onda
This was the first of three lakes. We arrived first in the morning and by the time we left many other jeeps had pulled up. The lake has a stunning backdrop of extinct volcanoes and hosts a variety of waterfowl.
 |
| Picturesque Laguna Onda |
9:00 am: Laguna Chiarkota 4285m
This lake hosts a small number of flamingos.
 |
| Laguna Chiarkota |
9:30 a.m.: Laguna Hedionda (foul smelling lagoon) 4250m
The lagoon´s waters are sulphur saturated attracting a large number of fairly docile flamingoes. The flamingos fly from lagoon to lagoon in the region.
12:30 a.m. Vally of the Rocks and lunch
This area is characterized by lots of strange rock formations. It is a popular lunch spot. I solved an easy oulder problem while Isabel set to task preparing our midday feed. I was saddened by the amount of human impact here. It seems that there was toilet paper discarded behind every rock and bush. Don´t people know that it doesnt biodegrade in the desert? Apparently not.
 |
| I soved a boulder problem, but getting down was tough |
4:00 p.m.: Railroad graveyard
 |
| Photo fun in the railroad graveyard |
 |
| An attempt at being artsy with the camera settings |
We pulled into the desolate town of Uyuni early. I took a shower but could not get any hot water. It was a real waker upper. I was able to check email on very slow internet. We enjoyed our last dinner as a group with another of Isabes feasts accompanied by some really mediocre red wine. After dinner, Isabel and Basilia (the other cook) joined us for a glass of wine. They confessed to making only 150Bs for the trip which is roughly the equivalent of $6 USD almost. They each have five children and were wearing shabby clothes and whimpy sandals. Isabel also confessed that she didnt have any photos of the trip. Hmm, I had an idea of something to accompany her tip.
No comments:
Post a Comment