Bland Soup in the Bolivian Salt Flats
(Photo courtesy of Nico Kaiser via Flickr)
Picture this: you're traipsing around endless expanses of salt, so far away from civilization that you can’t bathe or use the Internet for four days. Allow me to lead you along one of the hidden gems of South America, the Salaar de Uyuni, salt flats in the south of Bolivia. To embark on such a journey, get yourself to the city of Uyuni, Tupiza, or San Pedro de Atacama. At $150 USD Cordillera is the priciest company to use, but they promise good service, responsible drivers, thorough routes, and overall the assurance that they won't leave you for dead in the Bolivian backlands. When you book, they will ask for 75,000 Chilean Pesos in cash. Do not try to pay with card like I did. They will say no! Once booked, I went to shop for rations. At the market I opted to purchase peanuts, apples, toilet paper, and a six-liter jug of water. This list of supplies will put you back about five USD. You might be questioning the need to purchase your own personal toilet paper, but your foresight will be rewarded. On the morning of, wake early, take your altitude pills, and meet at the tour office along with a slew of other backpackers to board your first transportation. The bus stops at the Chilean/Bolivian border, in the blistering wind of a deserted valley. You must get a passport stamp in a little military shack the size of a food truck.
You will then meet your driver. His name might be Javier, like mine. Javier has a rough exterior, aviator sunglasses, a neck tattoo, but he has a heart of gold and a refined sense of humor. Although he doesn't speak a word of English, he knows the lay of the land like the back of his hand. You may not comprehend the gravity of his guidance quite yet, but this particular man is your knight in shining armor. For the next three days, his driving and cooking and navigating will literally keep you alive. Day one will consist of a plethora of lagoons, which for salt enthusiasts might be a bit boring. Luckily, the lagoons are populated with flamingos and stray llamas and a slew of other wildlife. Take a few photos from different vantage points. Aim to poise sunsets or mountains in the background of your photos with some noteworthy object like a weird rock, a tree, or a body of water as the main focal point. Then, of course, post it on Instagram and watch the 'likes' flow in. At the tail end of day one you will arrive at a hotel after traversing a windy and bumpy road fraught with boulders and untreated soil. It's not the Ritz Carlton, rather a hut made of adobe and shoddy aluminum roofs. This is your home for the evening. That roll of toilet paper, by the way: there's none supplied in the bathrooms. Good job.
(Photo courtesy of Robert Cutts via Flickr)
There's no electricity before 7pm and after midnight and barely any running water at all, but the beds are comfortable and are adorned with no fewer than seven blankets, all of which you will direly need as the base night temperature can be well below freezing. Dinner will occur around 8pm and will consist of vegetable soup, bread, and pasta prepared by the local pueblo villagers.
After another expedition in the Land Cruiser, day two will conclude at a salt hotel: that is, a lodge built with only salt. The ground is lined with salt, the walls are comprised of massive salt bricks, and ironically enough the soup we had for dinner was remarkably bland. Take your altitude pills again. You're "only" at 3,600 meters (about 12,000 feet) elevation and not 4,300 (just over 14,000 feet) like the night before. But still, 4,300 meters is approximately half the elevation of Everest's peak. Take a moment before bed, throw on a jacket, and go outside. Look up at the sky. You'll see more stars than you've ever seen before in your entire life. You won't believe how many stars you can see. You'll see massive clusters of stars in every direction. The cosmos will be so clear, if you focus your eyes hard enough you can actually see a chalky, smeary trail of the Milky Way in plain view. It's like someone took a white paintbrush and swept it across the night sky. When you're through pondering the infinitesimal nature of humanity and the infinitely grandeur of the universe, you can go to bed.
Day three is the final leg to Uyuni, and you'll have to wake at 5am to see the sun rise over the salt flats. It'll all be worth it when the sun peaks out from behind the mountains and illuminates the vast horizon, rendering a shadow that stretches for seemingly forever. Forge on as you trek among a cactus island, check out some volcanoes, and admire the serenity of the salt flats. You'll stop at a small village called Colchani where you are treated to a satisfying lunch, some Coca Cola, and then you can purchase authentic Bolivian garb and play soccer with the little kids. Once in Uyuni, the standard move is a bus to La Paz. Splurge for the luxury bus. You deserve it after days in the wilderness. Reflect on the Salt Flats, the disconnect from civilization, the cleansing isolation. Then brace for the vibrant colors and commotion of La Paz.
Mike Shinzaki is a San Diego native and co-founder of When in Roams. He can be reached at mike@wheninroams.com.
Share using this link or the buttons below: http://tinyurl.com/boliviansaltflats
