The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Recent weather: 30s during the day, -15 at night in Uyuni; 60s and sunny in Potosi; 70s and sunny in Sucre.
Recent reads: Esther, Job, "Under the Olive Tree" by Courtney Miller Santo.

Truth: The past few days have included some of the most amazing, challenging, and miserable moments of my life.

The 3 Day 4WD Trip to Uyuni Bolivia
Day 1, Friday morning a van took our 12 person group to the Chilean and Bolivian borders. At the Bolivia border I started to feel sick. While altitude sickness would be the most plausible culprit (we were at about 13,100 feet), my symptoms were less head-related and more...well, the other end. At this point, we were in the middle of nowhere, the van was gone, and the 2 SUVs were ready to escort us through the desert. I had no option to go back or call a cab or crawl into bed and wallow. Our Toyota Land Cruiser took off, off roading through the freezing desert with a car full of enthusiastic travelers ready for an epic adventure. And then there was me, in the front seat, praying that I just make it through each minute. It was especially cold. Really cold. Like 6 layers of clothes cold. And with nasty winds of 50-60 mph. That didn't help.

Days 1 and 2 we made many stops along the way throughout la Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa which doubled as bathroom stops for me on the first day. 

We arrived at our rustic accommodations the first day at about 4pm where I immediately crawled into my sleeping bag under several blankets for a nap. Once I woke up from my snooze, I felt significantly better. That night, prepared for what was going to be -15 or colder, I slept in pretty much all the clothes I had and survived to tell about it. The second night we stayed in a salt hotel! When I say "salt," I mean salt. The walls, floor, tables were all made of salt. And when I say "hotel," I mean very rustic hostel conditions. It was definitely warmer than the previous night so I wasn't complaining.

Highlights of the national park from the first two days include:
1) Laguna Verde-at the base of Volcan Licancabur is a lagoon which is green in color due to high levels of arsenic and copper. That's right, arsenic.
2) Laguna Colorada-a red lagoon which changes intensity of red depending on the pigment of its microscopic algae life and is the primary home to 3 different species of flamingos. Why the flamingos do head to Florida for the winter beats me.
3) Aguas Termales de Polques-thermal pools that get can get up to 104 degrees F. 
4) Geyser Sol De Maňana-at an altitude of over 15,000 feet above sea level, this set of geysers was formed by lava from an active local volcano and constantly expels water vapor and other gases.

I look cold, right?

Day 3: We had an early start at about 5:30. This was by far the best and warmest day. Right in the middle of the flat salt plain is a little island of cacti, Isla Inca Huasi, where we watched the sunrise.

Awaiting the sunset.

Think like the cactus. Be the cactus. I am the cactus.

Then, we headed to the salt flats. The salt flats is a plain as far and as wide as the eye can see in the Atacama Desert of Bolivia made entirely of salt. This is a staple stop for most South American travelers and many, many travelers do this same exact trip that I did. Yet we still found a secluded spot on the salt flats and it felt epic. It's difficult to explain but being there made me feel like a tiny little spot in the corner of our vast world and yet simultaneously, I felt like the captain in charge of this epic ship that was all mine.

It's impossible to come up with an original perspective photo because they've all been done before. However, the 11 of us girls did manage to take some uniquely beautiful photos that are more creative than most but inappropriate to post here. You get the idea.

Lastly, we visited the train cemetery before heading into the small town of Uyuni.

With not much to do in Uyuni, most of our group caught a bus to Potosi. Immediately upon arriving in Potosi, I took a hot shower. I was disappointed to discover that what I thought was a tan was actually just layers of dirt. The rest of the group left on Monday to continue on their way but I stayed in Potosi to check out a silver mine.

Mining is one of Bolivia's only industries and Potosi has been considered one of the richest mines in the world since silver was discovered there by the Spanish in the 1500s. Much economic and political tension revolves around mining. Mining was nationalized during the revolution in 1952 and Bolivia has walked a fine line between aggressively keeping mineral profits within Bolivia while also trying to maintain trade relations internationally.  8% of the male population (women working in the mine and whistling are bad luck) of the town of Potosi work in the mines (not including offshoot industries like those working in the refineries or exporting). However, mineral profits have been steadily declining and the mountain itself is sinking so the mine may only be open another 10-20 years. Afterwhich, Potosi will be a ghost town since they have no other industry.

I can honestly say that going through the mine  was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done. I was equipped was boots, pants, jacket, helmet, and headlamp. With the attire alone, I should have known this was going to be more intense than I was expecting. It started with us trudging through a narrow passageway one by one. As we got further into the mine, the passageway got shorter and smaller so I'd often have to duck or crouch and shuffle along through half a foot of muddy sludge. I think a Deutch mine would be more my size.

Once we got about half a mile into the mine, we needed to go up. I stepped up a few rickety wooden stairs and then had to climb up the rest of vertical passage using both hands and feet. I learned the hard way that you need to test each rock handle before putting your full weight on it. We were already at high altitude but as we got further into the mine, it got intensely hot and very dusty as well, making it difficult increasingly difficult to breathe. For the last stretch, there was a small crawlspace that diagonaled up slightly where I was on my belly with my feet dangling off the narrow shaft as I pulled myself inch by inch with my forearms military-style, rocks flying down past me and dropping to the very bottom of the mine. By this point, our group was down to half its original size. If you are at all claustrophobic, this was not the activity for you. Even if you aren't claustrophobic, this may have not been the activity for you still.

That being said, I'm glad I did it because I met Carlos. Carlos is a miner. He is 24 and has been mining for 9 years. Along with his father, he belongs to a cooperative of miners that work the same stretch of the mine together. They don't eat the whole day while they're in the mind because it makes you sick to eat in the passages (that should tell you something). Instead, they chew on a fat cheekful of coca leaves and drink 86% alcohol (it tastes like it could double as naiI polish remover/shoe polish) all day. They decide their own hours but often work 8-16 hour days, 6-7 days a week. The same stretch that I crawled through is Carlos' daily commute except on the return trip, he carries 100 lbs worth of rock on his back! Moral of the story: Be thankful of the job you have!

In the refinery

The mining town of Potosi

And then there were 4. The only survivors.

From Potosi I headed to the beautiful city of Sucre. Sucre was originally Bolivia's capital and the city is still very regal while also having a stronger Spanish vibe than other parts of Bolivia with white-washed buildings and lush plazas. The highlight in Sucre was definitely the breathtaking view of the whole city from the belfry of Templo Seňora de Merced.

Next stop: La Paz! Stay tuned!

Hasta La Vista, Chile

Recent weather: low 70s and sunny Friday-Monday in Iquique; low 70s and sunny during the day, lows in the 30s at night Tuesday-Friday in San Pedro de Atacama; current altitude: 7800 feet above sea level.

Recent reads: Ezra, Nehemiah; "Ernesto Che Guevara" by Marcos A. Alvarez.

Long post here but it has been the best week of my whole trip so far so forgive me for gushing. I won't be offended if you just skim through the photos. Well, mostly, I just won't know.

I arrived in Iquique, Chile mid-day on Friday. If Iquique sounds familiar to you, it's probably because an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit Iquique just a little over a month ago which made world-wide news. The city is no stranger to earthquakes and reacted quickly but there still a major highway that is down to one lane as they continue to clean up the rubble that tumbled down the mountain.

Still not tired of these.

Follow the boardwalk to the casino!

Random petting zoo.

A couple of fishermen

Highlights of Iquique include:

1. Paragliding! I've wanted to go paragliding for some time now and Iquique has a reputation as being one of the best places in South America to do it. Once the pilot got the parachute under control, he called out for me to walk and then run until I'm sprinting towards the ledge. Just when there's no more ground to run on, the chute picked us up and we were off! I'm pretty sure I was still doing the running man for a bit even after we were in the air. Once we're up, it was time to sit back and enjoy the amazing views of the city. While most of the air time we're gliding about smoothly like a baby in a bassinet, we do follow thermal wind currents which can take us in circular patterns. I didn't get motion sick at all, but I can see how some would with the circular motions. Towards the end of the ride, the pilot did some acrobatic twists and twirls which brought me back to my Six Flags Great America days. We landed on the beach with a less than graceful finish, not surprisingly.

Ready for action!

Running off a cliff. Everyone was doing it. 

This girl gives paragliding 2 thumbs up!

2. The people! After spending 3 weeks with a family in Arica (don't get me wrong, I liked it), it was nice to hang out with other travelers my age again. The hostel had a pool table, table tennis, an epic playlist, and several balconies with ocean views which set the scene for socializing. The hostel seemed to be overtaken by Australians but with the regular smattering of Europeans and a few Americans. One sweet Aussie, knowing where I was headed and knowing how cold it was going to be, even lent me his llama fur jacket for my upcoming trip to Bolivia!

3. Sushi! I've been seeing sushi a lot lately but haven't tried any yet since I consider that to be a sharing type meal. We had a few rolls and salmon sashimi which was obviously very fresh-yum!

On Monday, a New Zealander and I discovered we were both heading to San Pedro in the Atacama Desert so we set out together, taking an 8 hour overnight bus to Calama and another 2 hour bus ride to San Pedro. San Pedro is a small village, mostly just tourist agencies and restaurants along the main drag. Just two days ago, San Pedro got a foot of snow and not all of it had melted yet. (P.S. Is it supposed to snow in a desert?)

Main street in San Pedro

That afternoon, fueled on pancakes and good coffee, the New Zealander and I hit some of the local sights. First, we went to Valle de Luna (Valley of the Moon). We hiked up huge sand dunes to get a 360 degree view of the national park. Even though it was late afternoon, the sun was still fierce. (See, I do know what a desert is like.)

Next, we went to Tres Marias, a 3 pronged stone structure that they say looks like Mary in different poses. Finally, we went to Valle de la Muerte (Valley of the Dead) where we watched the sun set and the mountains change all different colors proving that God truly is the ultimate painter.

Yes, that's snow. 

On Wednesday I went swimming in Laguna Cejar which is 40% salt content so you despite your best efforts, you just float at all times. (The Dead Sea is 30-35% salt.) The water was "refreshing" to say the least but completely worth it. Afterwards, you are caked in salt so a shower is a must.

All this could be yours for 3 easy payments.

Just floating...

Typical Wednesday.

Our tour continued on to Ojos de Salar, two round bodies of water next to each other like two eyes. No one is exactly sure how these were formed, perhaps by indigenous people looking for water, entrepreneurs looking for oil, or just maybe even an alien invasion! These little lakes were much less salty but also much colder. For some reason I was the only person out of the whole group who was brave (read: stupid) enough to swim here but as soon as I jumped in, I understood why. Brr. But hey, when in Rome!

No, I'm not wearing pants.

Our last stop was Tebinquiche where we watched the sun set and the mountains change colors. The mountains reflecting in the 10cm of water in the forefront made for an amazing sight! We capped it off with a pisco sour (okay, two) and headed back to San Pedro.

Snow on the mountains, salt in the foreground.

I'll cheers to that!

I had an incredible last week here in Chile, so much so that, despite the cold, I almost don't want to leave. But Bolivia calls! On Thursday I relaxed in San Pedro, resting and mentally preparing for what's next. Friday morning I head out on a 3 day, 2 night 4WD trip to the salt flats in Uyunia, Bolivia. Most say that the trip is almost as difficult as it is breathtaking with the rustic conditions, high altitude, and bitter cold but that it's all worth it. As always, I'll keep you posted on my travels as I see it.