Uyuni salt flats (part 2)

It turned out to be an alright nights sleep, not getting too cold, so we were in good spirits going into the next day on our salt flat tour. And this is pretty much where the salt flats ended. We were now entering a completely different terrain, mainly or rock and dirt, but it was still cool with Jen sitting amongst some funky rocks.

 

 

 

A similar rock next to it with me in the top, you can just about make me out up there.

 

 

 

Back in the jeep and off to another rocky area but completely different at the same time. This area was more like lots of mini stalagmites sticking jaggedly upwards. We even stopped for a picture with the others in the group when they could be bothered to speak in English for about 30 seconds.

 

 

 

This is the whole area with these rock formations popping up all over the place.

 

 

 

Back in the jeep again and off to some more rock formations, but this one the most impressive of all, the stone tree which is carved out simply by the wind over millions of years. This rock would have started as wide at the bottom as at the top, if not wider but due to low winds, we see this rock today. When we were there it was pretty dam windy, hence the hoodies.

 

 

 

As exciting as rocks are, geysers are more impressive and although not spitting out water, they kicked out a load of steam, perhaps they would have erupted had we stayed about.

 

 

This was as close as I dared get, as its that hot they can give you third degree burns and they also come out of holes in the ground, and you can fall down them so don't want to get to intimate with them.

 

 

 

Off we set again passing what Jen described as sweetcorn and peas on our way, yet another chance in landscape. Its hard to imagine that weeds and shrubs can survive out here but they find a way.

 

 

We came across a train track which is always worth a picture and a train even came by whilst we were there. I wanted a picture of me lying on the track whilst the train was coming but Jen refused to take it (poor form on her behalf) so the German guy stole my idea and he got a photo instead much to the disgust of the train driver who was tooting his horn at us even though he was well out the way by the time we moved.

 

 

We got to see our first rhea too, which is basically an ostrich.

 

 

 

With the landscape changing again we took another snap.

 

That was about it for today and off we set to our home for the night, the slightly less luxurious room that we see here. It was freezing and by freezing I meant freezing. We waited up for our dinner which took ages, munched that and then me and the German chap went outside to try and find some liquor to warm us up but the shops were closed so we jumped into bed to keep warm. No, not me and the German, we went into our separate beds to keep warm. Not that we could manage that, the temperature that night dropped to -12 degrees, I've never felt anything like it, I thought my feet were about to drop off.

 

 

After an awful nights sleep, trying to make it through the cold night, we got up really early as we had a long drive ahead of us, and we jumped into the jeep without any heating, this picture says it all really....it was just THAT cold!

 

 

But after a few hours of numbing pain in the feet, the sun finally started to come out and we thawed out a bit. Our spirits were lifted by thousands and thousands of flamingos. It was here that we bumped into Sarah from the hostel in Uyuni and had a catch up and realised we were both going to our next destination the following day so arranged to meet up then.

 

 

 

Leaving the lake where the flamingo where we went up a bit higher and got a view of another lake.

Which had some other wildlife pottering about....

 

.....as well as more flamingo.

 

 

 

 

 

Here we got out and had lunch by the jeep and went for a little stroll taking in the views.

 

 

 

And of course....more flamingo.

 

 

 

What trip to the salt flats would be complete without some natural hot springs?! It was so cold that you could see the heat coming off the water. Bit of a body shock with the air temperature being in the minus numbers and the water being 37 degrees! People didn't stay in there for long.

 

 

 

 

Pretty much done with the salt flats and what better way to finish it all off with some more rocks.

 

 

 

Pretty impressive rocks though.

 

 

 

A mammoth 8 hour journey back which should have took 6 but our driver was the slowest driver ever. He had a 4x4 and he was going slower than our driver back from Rurrenabaque in a people carrier on worse roads. O well, better that than some stories of drunken drivers on the salt flats we had heard of, with some travellers telling us that their driver was so drunk that the people on the tour had to drive back!