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Bolivian
Safari |
April
24, 2003 - Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia |
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| No lions
or giraffes but plenty
of llamas and flamingos. |
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The far
southwest corner of Bolivia is home to some of the most
bizarre and extreme landscapes in the world. By far the
worldsą 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. |
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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. |
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Much of
the trip is across huge expanses of flat desert or salt
with no roads, only tracks with distant landmarks for reference.
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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. |
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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. |
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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 someoneąsą
pet. It approached me and began nuzzling itsą head
into my chest begging to be petted. |
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If I coulda
I woulda taken it home with me.
Llamas are pretty much the cows of this part of the world.
Many residents earn their keep by raising them. Iąm sure
the locals must wonder about visitors and all their fascination
with the Ocowsą. |
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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. |
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The
kicker was arriving at the Ogeysersą to find, basically,
bubbling puddles of mud. For this I froze since 2:45
AM?? Ray! What were you thinking? |
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A
minor consolation was being served breakfast in the
nearby hotsprings. Flamingos stalked the icy waters
of the lake next to me. When I think of flamingos,
I think of Florida and balmy weather. Ice and flamingos
donąt seem to go together, but they seemed to be thriving.
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THE SECOND
NIGHT was spent in a primitive Olodgeą. The lifestyle of
the people at the small settlement (you couldnąt 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. |
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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 Ogeysersą,
Ray actually turned out to be much more than just
a guide. |
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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. |
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The second
day we had visited a couple of different lakes, each strikingly
beautiful with itsą own exotic color. The different colors
were from different mineral in the water, or microorganisms,
depending on which source you believe. |
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BY
THE END OF THE THIRD DAY it was like, "Oh, yawnSanother
incredibly gorgeous distinctly colored lake, dotted
with flamingos and flanked by snow-capped peaks? Isnąt
there anything else to see around here? |
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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. |
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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, OFish Islandą in time for sunrise.
The Oislandą 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. |
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| 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. |
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