Sunday, April 24, 2011
(Not even sure if anyone is reading this since I haven't had an update is three weeks, but I am trying to catch up.)
Salar de Uyuni tour starts! Breakfast at 8:30am before meeting my group. The three of them were hanging out in the tour office and I guessed it was Jonathan, Alexandra and Francesca (Jon, Alex and Faye).
We got started a bit late (supposed to take off at 9am) but instead of heading straight out of town we made about six stops gathering various food items and supplies. The four of us looked at each other with skepticism. What were our driver Gonzalo and cook Jaclyn doing? When we finally got on the road, our driver sped like crazy down the windy cliff-dropping roads. Bit terrifying… and I thought I’d booked with a tour operator with safe drivers. We caught up to the other cars at the first viewpoint, Sillar.
Gonzalo didn’t break again, as our Toyota Highlander passed other jeeps, until we reached Awanapampa, our lunch stop in a field of llama. Jon even asked if it was really necessary to pass and our driver Gonzalo simply replied yes. So we sat there holding on to our seats hoping for the best. Lunch was pretty basic, self-serve sandwiches with cheese, meat slices, tomato, onion and cumber, all having been cut by Jaclyn’s hands (which had in no way been washed). Also on offer were alpaca tamales.
After lunch we had a three hour drive to San Pablo de Lípez through stunning scenery of snowcapped peaks and river valleys. Jaclyn served up some bubblegum lollipops (a very sweet afternoon snack) on arrival in the small town where we were given a few minutes to stretch our legs and snap some photos.
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| San Pablo de Lipez |
We were the first jeep to pull up in San Antonio de Lípez at 5pm (a good thing since there are no reservations permitted, simply first-come first-serve). We settled in to our five-bed room, each bed stacked with three blankets as a substitute for heating; I was glad I rented a sleeping bag. I expected basic, and it was basic. One light, hard mattress, no outlets, no shower, one flushing toilet for about 15 people and one sink with ice-cold water. My face wipes came in handy since I had no interest in freezing my face even further. Jaclyn set up an afternoon snack with some crackers, cookies, dulce de leche, jam and tea/coffee/hot chocolate. A very pleasant, unexpected treat. Before sunset, we took a stroll around town, the highlight of which was the incredible mountains in the distance, as the town consists of small adobe houses and a church.
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| View from San Antonio de Lipez |
Our group enjoyed a dinner of soup and meatballs with mashed potatoes. We sat under the dim light trying to stay warm, even though we were wearing all of our layers. A venture outside to experience the night sky with no other light source ended up being short due to the extreme cold. We stood for a couple minutes observing the Milky Way, Southern Cross and Orion’s belt before rushing back inside. I sorted out my sleeping bag and sleeping liner and gently climbed into bed. It was only 8:30 but I was exhausted and not looking forward to a 4:30am wake-up call. To make sure I slept through the night, I popped an Ambien, and slowly, breathing very heavily (since we were at over 4,600m, or 15,000 feet, above sea level), drifted off to sleep.
La Torre description of Day 1 (with a tiny bit of editing)
Today you will visit the Quebrada de Palala, a spectacular jagged rock formation, formed over many years by intense erosion and rains of the mountainside. After this you will head on to the Sillar where you will have few minutes to get out and enjoy this dramatic landscape. Here you will appreciate some cacti which belong to the area before we continue on through Nazarenito, a small gold mining community. Then you visit “Awanapampa” whose main characteristic is its massive amount of llama. For many years these animals have been used to transport salt, charke (llama meat dehydrated) and other things in exchange for corn, sugar, etc. The llamas travel from the biggest Lipez altiplanic to Tupiza, Tarija or other valley regions. The journey takes between 15 to 20 days which is why they must stop in Awanapampa.
After visiting this nice landscape you will continue your trip visiting Cerrillos, Polulos, San Pablo de Lípez, where you will be able to appreciate animals like vicuñas, suri, zorro andino, alpaca, etc. Also you will appreciate altiplanic plants such as yareta, commonly used for cooking in the region, paja brava other type of plants used for building roofs. Finally, through San Pablo de Lípez you will arrive at San Antonio de Lípez (4260m, population 250) where you will spend your first night. If you can stand the cold, it is recommended heading outside for a few minutes to appreciate the immensity of the Milky Way above you, because in San Antonio there is no light pollution and the sky is truly breathtaking.
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