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April 24, 2003  No lions or giraffes but plenty of llamas and flamingos.  The far southwest corner of Bolivia is home to some of the most bizarre and extreme landscapes in the world. By far the world's largest salt flat and some other very interesting geology make it and unforgettable place to visit. The harsh and inhospitable environment also make the visit hard to forget. Bitter cold and blistering sun made comfort a sparse commodity on the four-day adventure. In the desolate little town of Uyuni, we contracted a guide to take us through the desert and across the salt flats. A trip without guidance is nearly impossible and certainly foolhardy. A local family froze to death a few years ago when their vehicle broke down and they attempted to walk to shelter.  Much of the trip is across huge expanses of flat desert or salt with no roads, only tracks with distant landmarks for reference. Sixty gallons of gas on the roof, an extra spare tire, four days worth groceries and we were ready to go. Services along the way were practically non-existent, so we were prepared to be self-sufficient for the whole trip. All of the guides working in the area look out for each other and are called upon in case of an emergency of or some kind of jam. THE FIRST DAY was spent almost entirely in transit. We passed a railroad graveyard with what looked like the first trains ever built. At lunch we met what had to be the most affectionate animal I have ever come across. A llama! It was after lunch, not FOR lunch. I have written previously about llama for lunch but this was most certainly someone's pet. It approached me and began nuzzling its head into my chest begging to be petted.

Mark

Llamas are pretty much the cows of this part of the world. Many residents earn their keep by raising them. I'm sure the locals must wonder about visitors and all their fascination with the cows.

THE SECOND DAY was a bitch. Our guide, Ray, assured us that we needed to get up at 2:45 AM in order to get to the geysers by sunrise. The LandCruiser has no heater. In addition, the doors and other junctions leaked so much air that was a definite wind chill factor inside the vehicle! I have never been that cold for that long in all of my life. Ray did most of the driving; I was wrapped in a sleeping bag and still shivering for three solid hours

The kicker was arriving at the geysers to find, basically, bubbling puddles of mud. For this I froze since 2:45 AM?? Ray! What were you thinking?
 

THE SECOND NIGHT was spent in a primitive eco-lodge. The lifestyle of the people at the small settlement (you couldn't quite call it a town) was certainly not enviable. Bleak is the word that comes to mind. A cold desert with freezing wind and nothing else around for miles. Unbelievably bleak.

The glowing warm light in the hallway of the lodge was very deceiving.

It was cold. The radiator was frozen in the morning. You would have thought that I would have thought, or Ray would have thought, "Hey, Anti-freeze!" Aside from that oversight and waking us up for the geysers, Ray actually turned out to be much more than just a guide. 

He was a good mechanic, a good driver and a halfway decent cook. With a flaming torch under the frozen radiator, Ray got us back on the road without much delay.

The second day we had visited a couple of different lakes, each strikingly beautiful with its own exotic color. The different colors were from different mineral in the water, or microorganisms, depending on which source you believe.

BY THE END OF THE THIRD DAY it was like, "Oh, yawn, another incredibly gorgeous distinctly colored lake, dotted with flamingos and flanked by snow-capped peaks? Isn't there anything else to see around here? 

THE FOURTH AND FINAL DAY there was much more to see. It was another early riser, but this time it was more than worth the effort

We drove many miles on a bumpy dirt road and then across more than fifty miles of salt, in the dark, to get to Isla Pescado, Fish Island in time for sunrise. The island rises out of the middle of the salt flat. Surrounded by hundreds of miles of salt, it has its own peculiar and very hardy little ecosystem. The most striking part of the biology there are the gigantic cactus, some purported to be 1200 years old.

Another planet? The middle of the ocean? A winter wonderland? I kept reaching down to touch the salt expecting to feel snow or ice. The strangeness of it all left me sort of stunned. Then again, it could have just been the lack of sleep.

The following are Mark's previous articles for the magazine:

Through Bolivia ~ Riding My Bike On The World's Most Dangerous Road
Living Large In Buenos Aires ~ Argentina
At The Bottom Of The World - Ushuaia
Adventures In Colombia ~ The Journey Continues
El Salvador Autohotel ~ Salvadoran Hotel Pleasure ~ by Mark McMahon
Baby Blue And La Paz ~ Making It Through In Bolivia
What Doesn't Kill You...  ~ Noel Kempff National Park, Bolivia
Bolivia To Buenos Aires -On The Road
ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENT ~ Politics In Latin America
Cuba ~ Having Fun

Go to Mark's web site and check out his new book, DRIVING TO THE END OF THE WORLD, due out at Christmas.  Click Here

To contact Mark Click Here
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