The Salt Flats of Uyuni - Bolivia

Where salt is dried in piles

Uyuni, a little but well known town just on the edge of the massive salt flats of Bolivia. I found a hostel for 35 pesos (single room) just before the rain set in and could store the bike inside. Although everything is expensive in Uyuni, I treated myself with a pizza and a glass of red after the long day on the road!  

Our Jeep & Crew

The next morning the plan was to wake up early to decide whether I could visit the salt flats on my motorbike, or if a tour would serve me better. It turned out that it is very easy to get lost due to serious lack of road signs or... anything to orientate by, so I decided to go with a tour instead. Luckily, I was able to join the very last jeep leaving Uyuni for a just day in the worlds largest salt flat! I would also recommend the three day tour, especially if you´d want to continue on toward San Pedro de Atacma / Chile (which is also highly recommended!).  

The Volcano through the windshield

It is hard to grasp the sheer size of the salt flats, and it takes about an hour to arrive at the first island, a little cactus filled island that stands out alone within at least a 90km radius. Even if you could see something on the horizon, the vision is was so distorted that you could't even make out what it was! Before we entered the salt flats, we made a stop at a market / museum where you could buy souvenirs and learn more about how the indigenous population still use the salt flats. 

The train graveyard is usually part of the regular tours, though I noticed that we were bound for the volcano instead, situated sort of on the Northwest side of the salt flats. At first, you notice nothing but something rising up from the horizon, but as we continue to cruise through the white flat patterned with the typical salt hexagons, the majestic sight turns out something like this (see pic below).

The Volcano, "thin ice" just beyond the left car, and farther still some stones buildings the farmers still live in

The driver left us a 200m short, to allow us to take some pictures before gathering up for some lunch. As I was chatting away with another group and lost track of time, I decided to take a "short-cut" directly toward the small houses where my group was preparing lunch. Almost like ice, the salt-layer broke underneath my feet and left me almost knee-deep in foul-smelling mud.

I was almost surprised that I seemed to be the only one who had thought of this "ingenious" idea...

 Lunch was good, and did not leave me hungry. I decided to make a quick visit to see the llamas right next to us (bear footed).  

We made our last stop at the Cactus Island, where you can disembark for a $US 5 fee and hike the 80 m high summit for a spectacular view of the flats! Also, for ~$US 20 you can do a cruise with a glide around the island, which looked very tempting but could not fit into my cheep-skate-budget. Instead, I paired up with a group from South Korea, who well prepared had brought props to use for the must-do photo sesh!

The Korean Crew

The last stop we made just before exiting the salt flats was at the Salt Hotels currently under construction. The building will be constructed entirely out of salt, kind of like the Ice Hotel in Sweden! The bricks you see in the picture are formed just by salt. Maybe when come through here in a few years time, you will be able to stay here!

C.N.F. represent! (Uruguayan soccer team!)

Salt Hotel

 On the way back, I again faced the dark and malicious clouds of thunder and rain, however comfortably and protected in a modern jeep. Also, there was constantly a good number dust devils roaming in the open lands of Bolivia.

If you want to get an idea of what the salt flats have to offer, do some youtube-searching! And also remember that the raining season starts in December, and during Januari to March could pose complications to enter the flats. But the water offers an amazing opportunity for some stellar shots with the reflection of the water, and some people do not come to visit until there is a layer of water. - In any case, Enjoy!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQ2hborMa0

The trip to the lake in the mountains

Buying supplies!

So Saul wanted to visit this lake higher up in the mountains, about a 3 hour hike. "Sure!" The cab driver of the day left us about where the trail started, fairly deep within the mountains.

This was no tourist route, but a rough and torn trail on which they transport the milk from the cows each day. - I must give it to them, it is a tricky path, and not altogether easy at this altitude. But we trudged on, and kept our eyes open for special orchid leafs on the sides.

Saul found an rare species of Orchid hanging from the tree

We ventured into river, up into trees, through fields of mud to find these 'treasures'! As we  closed in on the 3 hour mark, a valley emerged in front of us, with only cows grazing lazily along a small stream the snaked throw the beautiful valley, surrounded by the neighbouring mountains tops. - "So, Saul, where is your lake??" I asked.

The Missing Lake

Not completely devastated, as the view was indeed rewarding, we sat down to eat.

Me: "Hey Saul! I think I know what happened to your lake!"

"You see these cows down there, I think they drank all of your lake!"

Saul: "Yeah, I think you're right. That must be it, the only logical explanation and it totally makes sense!"

"So maybe if we go down there and poke them, the lake will return!" 

...were the kind of conversations that Stig turned a deaf ear to.

We started our return journey a while later. At the time when the rain-  that had been hanging in the air stared to come down real hard, we had lost Saul in the woods and thus sought shelter on our own. We did find a little roof on the side of the path not too far ahead, and were joined but a skinny little Peruvian who emerged from the down pour with only a piece of garbage bag to cover himself and his rucksack. He kindly invited us to some of his home made spirits. "For the cold!" We accepted, and were surprised by the good quality. He advices us to wait a little longer, so we sat down to listen to his story. As an owner of 5-6 cows, he ventured to the "lake" 2-3 times a week. "Oh yeah, the lake emerges during the raining period!" He answered us kindly. I knew I was right!! 

Our rain shelter

So we marched on a bit later, and arrived at the road just in time to take cover with other cow herder as the next down pour caught up with us. And as promised, another shot at the finish line!

Even though we did not see the lake, I was perfectly happy to trudge through this perfectly peaceful and idyllic landscape decorated with rolling pastures, animals and small family huts on the side of the road that guided you through the hills, off the side of the mountains to the lake that had already been drunken. - I was only missing the small hobbits and a tavern for this day dream to come true! 

A quick trip through Northern Argentina

I must say I'm happy to be back on Argentinian soil. Even though I've never lived in the country, I think through its similarities to Uruguay, I kinda feel like home here. I must also mention that all the small cities here in the north are super relaxed, and the people are very polite and friendly. And to hear the Urg / Arg Spanish is a treat!! To sum it up, it's shaping up to be a terrific end to this part of the trip, before I take 3 weeks vacation at home in Sweden!!

The landscapes are beautiful with lots of mountains! From the border I have dropped down to about sea level I think and I now enjoy all the 25 Hp again!! I am very limited of time due to food poisoning in Bolivia, the super friendly people of Salta, and my first puncture. So I'm now racing to Chile / Santiago to make my flight back to Sweden on the 17th! 

1 / 2 punctures on the homestretch to Chile!

When I'm back in Sweden, I will first thing first update you all on Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. Moreover up-date the Spanish part of my blog! Until then, Hasta la vista!! 

On the road again / La Paz to Uyuni

3/12 So after a good while off he bike, I have now begun my journey back to Santiago through northern Argentina. After I left La Paz, I headed directly to Oruro, which wasn't too much for the first day back on the bike again.

From Oruro, I was told it would take me about 5 hours to Uyuni, where I wanted to visit the Salt Flats, and see if one could get access to the Dakar track. 

I really enjoyed the first part of the route with a wide open country side of clear green and yellow fields and mountains at the horizon! I also saw scattered small mud huts, and people hearing their sheep, llamas, and cows along the way. I just sat back in the seat to totally take in the beautiful sights as I comfortably cruised by on the perfectly paved road. At times I thought about how it happens that the mountains in the distance seem to be hovering in mid air, but did not come to a scientific explanation.

I stopped on the way to eat some corn and cheese that a nice lady was selling along the road. When i explained my goal for the day, she thought i was not going to be able to make it to Uyuni that same day, which got me a little stressed. But just after I saw the 200km Uyuni sign, I thought to myself, "great! I'll be home in 2-3 hours!!" ...but just then did the road turn, and turned into a really bad dirt road.

 I had to slow down to about 25 to manage the poor condition of the road. I thought to myself"this can't seriously go on for more than a few km." but I came to realize that it was good for another 150 I'm before arrivin to Uyuni. "Alright, 150 km, not too bad ... 30 km/hr ~ 5 HOURS!!!" And 5 hr later, chased by a lightning storm, I arrive to the dessert city of Uyuni and found myself accommodation min before the rain begun.

+8 hrs driving, the real poor road conditions, and the desert sun, I feel like I just completed a Dakar race!!

My experience in the Peruvian mountains

Not more than I new about orchids before I arrived to Peru, was I aware of the actual field work ahead of me in the mountains. All the crazy jungle stories I had heard in my life came back to form this vivid idea of what I was about to encounter in the "real jungle". Although my week out in the mountains did not realize this particular fantasy (and maybe better so), I was astonished by the vivid range of plants and life in these rain forests, and the breathtaking mountains all around us. 

Just arrived at Tarapoto

The mode of transportation!

We travelled about 16 hours the first day to get deep into the mountains. From Tarapoto where we landed with the plane, we took a 1,5 hr cab ride to Moyobamba, where we changed cab and had some over-due brunch (lunch & breakfast). After the necessary brunch we were off again, and started to approach the actual mountains. The humid weather and the lunch made us all a bit sleepy, so I decided to take a little nap in the back seat, ...and turned out to not be he only one. I woke straight up when Stig announced to Saul napping in the front seat: "Saul! Saul, the driver is also sleeping!"

We stopped to allow the driver to buy some energy drink and coca-leafs to chew on. Now, as we made it up into the mountains, with killer precipices on one side, and a curvy road ahead holding but one regular vehicle, I did not sleep much for the remaining 4-5 hours drive! Not only did my heroic escape plans of how to throw myself out of the car in the case that the car would drive off the road keep me occupied, but the stunning view of the jungle covered mountains in the white fog deserved its audience. 

We decided to stick with the driver, even though we were seriously considering to swap him out, and we arrived safely to Chachabomba in the evening. I noticed I had regained my appetite after my swing with salmonella in Bolivia, and ate two entire pizzas that night! Stig became my personal food advisor, so whenever the plates arrived on the table, I looked at Stig, (with almost a puppy face) for approval before devouring the plate of food I front of me. - what got left behind was almost always lettuce and home-made sauces, which made the food we ate veery dry. Ketchup help with the fries!

Our delicious breakfast we enjoyed
every morning

We woke up at 7, ate some breakfast before Saul, without our touristic presence organized a cab for the day, as we wanted to make stops along the way to Mendoza, which were to become our HQ for the week. I was excited to get started! - In Lima they have even put up street signs to advocate a quieter traffic, but our new (very alert driver) busted the horn in each curve as we had just left the city behind us and found ourselves with steep precipices and a narrow road ahead as we continued deeper into the mountains.

Getting ready

After awhile, we arrived a little creek between two mountain sides. This were to become our first search. We put our gear on, and I was pumped to find some gorgeous orchids! I threw myself into the vegetation, fought myself up the steep slope, constantly keeping my eyes open for flowers! 

At times I stopped amazed at the thriving world of plants and vines in all shapes and forms, about everywhere you looked. When you took a moment, it really started to sink in what a rich diversity and prosperity of life that existed, and how little of it you actually saw and understood. 

                                                  -

...but no orchids, none that my eyes could find. "No big deal, let's move on, gotta be around here somewhere!" So I continued to climb over tree trunks, through webs of slings, and under seas of fern! I sat again, marvelled at the rich diversity of plants, eye- hawking for orchids. At a point, I heard the small stream again and decided it was time to head back. So I grabbed a couple reliable fern and started my decent down to the stream. At times I slipped and got entirely submerged in them, and had to find a reliable foot to get my head above the surface again. 

Tired, but frilled at my first encounter with he jungle, I regrouped wih Stig and Saul. Now, this is the time when you show the rest of the group your amazing findings, and brag about your success. "But man, all I ever saw was just a bunch of leafs! I thought we were looking for flowers, orchids!!!"

The leaf bragging community! :)

I told them, "I saw a bunch of those in there, and those too!! There were so many I could take them with me!" And the truth is, there were leafs everywhere! At the next stop, Stig patiently showed me the difference between plants with leafs, and orchids with leafs. "Ahhhh, now I see! ...them everywhere." And there were orchids about everywhere I looked, but now I actually knew they were orchids! .... Now I just had to find the rare orchids! ...Great! 

"Aw what a beautiful flower! Stig! Stig! Look here! ... ah, just a regular flower eh, not a orchid. Sure, not that interesting then". As my two, professional companions ran around the woods, I decided to take some time to look around, enjoy the time, and focus on something I knew a little about, photography.

But as the days went on, I must say that I actually started to see the difference between the certain species, even though most of what I collected was immediately dismissed. "Por que sólo traés basura bo!?" - did my humorous friend Saul ask me when I joined the group again "Why did you only bring garbage!?" "...thanks Einstein!" :P

We visited new areas each day, and were specifically looking for a small number of orchids. We found 3 / 4 of the really important species during our expedition. When we got back to town and had dinner, not even what was still in me of my military discipline kept me up, even after one or two cups of coffee. The amount of orchid terms I tried to process, along with the sheer exercise made it hard to stay up till a decent hour. In the morning we all reunited for the epic breakfast before the next days adventure!  

Saul explained to me how, you can go with out food, climb a mountain, endure heavy rainfalls in search of orchids. Because, when you find them, it's all worth it! - And sure enough, although we were well fed, we fought through most obstacles and weather conditions to find the orchids. And how their faces lit up the when they found their precious species. - I could only smile and be reminded of Christmas when I was younger! 

...to be continued

A Swedish Coffee Shop in La Paz - Café del Mundo

I can't count my time here in La Paz /Bolivia as the highlight of the trip so far, and this is not to be misunderstood as criticism toward the city, the Bolivians, nor the vibrant culture. - I guess I drew the short straw, had extremely bad luck wih the food, or just experiencing the short-comings of my very delicate Swedish stomach. 

With a Swedish gingercookie house - Impressive!!

So, now recovering from yet another round of 'travellers diarrhea' and stomach pain, I have found a bright light in the darkness around. If not for the Swedish flag, I would never have discovered the Swedish "Fika" Coffee shop!! 

The atmosphere is very cozy, with the walls decorated with photos from all around the world. Elin the owner, drops in every now and then and make you feel right at home, when being very far from home. The menu includes everything from Scandinavian / American breakfast options to homemade salads and juicy hamburgers, and of course very good coffee!  

 Yeah!! So now I will update you all on the latest happenings, Peru!

The Swedish Crew - There ARE Swedish people in South America!!

Peru; & a thing or two about Orchids

Peru! What was going to be a motorbike adventure all the way up to Lima, took a temporary break in La Paz (Salmonella) and landed me on a flight to Lima a week later. In retrospect, i don´t think it was an entirely bad thing to leave the bike out of the Peruvian adventure, and heed the many warnings of driving alone in Peru. I was convinced that big city traffic, dangerous suburbs, and driving alone wouldn't be more of a problem than what I had already confronted along my way, but honestly, it was nice break from spending days on end in the drivers seat. 

The Wild Orchid Man

I met up with Stig at the airport in Lima. Stig, also known as the Wild Orchid Man in his community and a good friend to my family. In the car from the airport, he explained to me what in fact he is dedicating his life to. My blurred and misinformed idea of the orchid world quickly came into focus, and it started to make sense why someone would find interest and passion in collecting, and even studying this surprisingly complex plant. Orchids have actually evolved for over a 100 million of years and thrive in all parts of the world (apart from Antarctica), thus proving to be one of the most adaptable plants on our planet. 

Stig and Saul

Furthermore, there is a huge market world wide for orchids and it is quite a profitable business (especially trade with more unusual species). Stig told me something which I hadn´t paid attention to, that you´ll actually find orchids in most of the apartment windows in Sweden, and surely Sweden would not be an exception. Still, despite the world wide trade and profitability, it is of an entirely different reason that Stig and his partners head out into the jungle to look for the unique and rare plants. During my stay with Stig and his companion Saul, I witnessed a dedicated and very attentive work to the science of Orchids and the protection of new endangered species. 

There are in fact over 25,000 species of Orchids, belonging to one of +800 existing families. Still, many new species are found and "described" to the community each year. Saul explained to me that this is one of the most exciting parts of the of their work, to find something no one has ever seen before and then describe it. Still, they see it as very important to collect specimen of not yet completely described, rare or endangered species to protect them, improve the information available and increase their numbers.

It was truly a privilege to witness all the scientific work behind their passion of this perculiar plant. Saul also work in the orchid business and sell orchids around the world. Stig, now retired, travel around the work to dedicate his time to he study and protection of orchids.  

And heads up! - For those of you driving in and around Lima on motorbikes, the traffic is truly chaotic, uncompromising, and without mercy. A perfect spot for someone to relieve you of your belongings in heavy traffic.