Salzwüste

Once again we had an early out of bed. A 4:15 clock we packed our luggage into the taxi and made our way to the airport. Our flight to Uyuni was even 20 minutes before going. We had never experienced. At minus 6 degrees we landed against 6:00 Clock and it was just bitter cold. I pulled my first at all jackets and tops, I had with. The airport was in the middle of nowhere on a narrow street or. Staubpiste. Two taxi drivers stood before the exit, waiting for customers. We went with one of them the short way up to Uyuni, a small pretty dreary city, Located at 3675m altitude on the banks of the largest salt lake in the world, the so-called Salar de Uyuni.
We were here with Rune and Kim agreed to put together a 3 Day Tour to make. As we landed earlier than scheduled, we had to throw out of bed first two. Then we looked for a warm place for breakfast. Back at the guest house we were waiting for our guide Willi. S comb sogar solid pünktlich! Also present was Cecilia, our cook, a typical Cholita with long black braids, Bowler hat, full skirt and of course without stockings. We stowed our backpacks in addition to petrol canister, Gas cooker, Food and spare tire on the roof of the jeep. First we went to a train cemetery. Here rusting old locomotives and wagons to himself. Willi and Cecilia unfortunately could not speak English and our Spanish was also strongly improved, but it worked nonetheless quite well with the understanding.
Salar de Uyuni is with more than 10.000 Square kilometers, the largest salt flat of the world and is located at an altitude of 3653m. The salt crust is several meters thick. During the rainy season, when the water on the salt surface is, it looks like a giant mirror. We were in the dry season here, but that was totally fascinating. Endless white expanses, everything from salt. We drove past the small village of Colchani, where the salt is processed, passed some small salt pyramids and saw a former salt hotel.
Of course we were always photo stops. The salt as snow crunched under our feet. About the sun shone from a blue sky, not a cloud was to be seen. It blinded him so much, that we were glad to have our sunglasses here. The salt crust had a sort of honeycomb structure and it was a very surreal image, the rings spread out in all directions around us. We drove through the middle of this huge salt flat, the horizon was barely visible, everything looked the same. The perfect setting for a few funny photos with optical illusion ... Willi knew with the photo opportunities of course well and was not afraid, lie down on the salt-floor as a photographer right for us to stuff.
Located in the Salar de Uyuni is the Isla Pescado, a small volcanic island with more than 5000 giant 1000 year old cacti. We hiked to the highest point of the small island and shot again lots of pictures. Cecilia prepared in the meantime ever have lunch and we needed to let us just taste. Next we went over the salt, that looked like snow, to accommodation for the first night, which we reached in the afternoon. The house was built entirely of salt, also tables, Chairs and even beds! We moved into our small room and even looked after a bit of the surrounding area to. The village Atulcha consisted only of a few very simple houses, probably all made of salt, and between them lay a dusty narrow road. The guys grabbed a ball from the guest house and kicked a bit on the small sports field. Kim and I discovered a few grazing vicuñas, the smallest Kamelart. The animals are very shy and we tried to stalk them to get them well on the lens. It was not so easy, because the vicuña watching us exactly. The rest of the afternoon we spent some athletic with basketball, wherein I was here rather less motivated in the thin air above than the other three.
Once the sun goes down here it gets really cold. We made ourselves therefore in the guest house cozy and spent the evening playing cards. Luckily we had the go even bought a bottle of liquor to us so warm from the inside. For there was no heating. In the hot tea liquor did so really well as nightcap. Cecilia conjured us a delicious dinner and after a hot shower we were tired in our salt bed.
The next morning we got back on the pretty dusty Jeep. On our itinerary were several colored lagoons. We first went over the Salar de Chiguana, a salt flat similar to the Salar de Uyuni, only much smaller. There are no roads but only Huckelpisten. While driving through an almost treeless landscape of endless space and from time to time a few hills, Willi stuffed all the time coca leaves in the mouth. Cecilia nodded in the passenger seat every now and then a. Both actually hardly spoke a word to each other. We took a break at a place, of which, after a few steps over boulders we had a great view of the surroundings and the volcanoes near Chilean border. For this purpose, an incredible peace.
Already at the first lagoon, der Laguna Hedionda, We saw lots of flamingos. In the water, the mountains and the blue sky reflected. It was a beautiful picture and we shot back a lot of photos. Besides us, there are several other tourists were here. Willi parked next to the other tourist jeeps and Cecilia was preparing our lunch. Then we went to the next lagoon with more flamingos. I do not know how many lagoons we had seen at the end of the day. In the late afternoon we reached the Laguna Colorada, their water due to algae and certain minerals has a red and white color. Again, strutted around again pink flamingos. It whistled a really cold wind up here on almost 4300m above sea level, but we enjoyed the great view of the beautiful landscape and the lagoon. Tonight we went to bed without a shower, because the water in the hotel was freezing. After a couple of tea with brandy we snuggled in the thick sleeping bags, but the night was very short. In the dark and felt at minus 10 degrees, we left the last day of our tour. The fingers frozen from us and I had almost pulled me almost all the clothes over each other. But I'd rather not even complain about the temperatures, Cecilia had in fact not even stockings, but three skirts above the other. First, we made a short detour to the Sol de Mañana to 4850m above sea level, where there was to see geysers and boiling mud pools. We stopped here but not for long and were thus shortly after sunrise the first, could take a nice bath in the hot springs. Around us it steamed everywhere and the sun shone brightly already. I had considered previously, if I should ever go into the hot water, from fear, that it is behind the colder. But it was not for luck. It was just great! Freshly bathed gabs first breakfast and the hot pool filled then also very fast read with, celebration- and hard drinking tourists. Luckily we had been the first and the special atmosphere could enjoy in peace. Next awaited us the Laguna Verde, a green lagoon at 4400m at the foot of the 5930m high volcano Licancabur. The color of the lake changes with the wind. Unfortunately there was no wind and thus the lake was not particularly green but rather gray. Willi chauffeured us safely over hill and dale, We passed a few small villages and saw again Lamas and their small relatives, the Vikunjas. Their owners characterize the Lamas by colorful bows on the ears. Meanwhile, not only the car and our luggage but we all was covered by a thick layer of dust. In the afternoon we were back in Uyuni and still had time for a farewell dinner with Kim and Rune before our flight back to La Paz went.