When we arrived last night at our salt hotel in tiny San Juan in southwestern Bolivia, all we wanted to do was escape immediately from the wind and cold winds into the warmth and wines inside! Here's a photo of our abode:
As we left before 8 to continue our second of three days on the Southwestern Circuit tour, we drove through the hamlet of San Juan. How lucky I felt that we were born and live where we do and not in San Juan as I couldn't imagine living there.
Lonely Planet described the Circuit better than I ever could so here's their description of that corner of Bolivia and why we had wanted to include it on our itinerary. "Bolivia's southwestern corner is an awe-inspiring collection of diverse landscapes ranging from the blinding white Salar de Uyuni salt flat to the geothermal hotbed of Los Lipez, one of the harshest landscapes and a refuge for Andean wildlife. The ground here literally boils with minerals and the spectrum of color is extraordinary.
Much of the region is nominally protected in the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa, created in 1973 to cover an area of 2,760 square miles. It receives in excess of 50,000 visitors annually and emphasizes the conservation of the vicuna, James's flamingo and the yareta plant, all of which are globally threatened species."
Isaac, our driver/guide/cook and all around great guy, explained we were heading southwest to Salar de Chiguana, a salt deposit near the border with Chile. Formed in a depression fed by small streams through which water is filtered from the mountain range and from the Salar de Uyuni, it is located at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. In the Salar de Chiguana there are small deposits of boron ore, which were exploited in the early 1900s for export to Europe.
The terrain was very desolate as so much of the Southwestern Circuit had been we'd driven through yesterday since leaving Uyuni. There appeared to be no chance of farming in the area. My concern yesterday of being part of a large caravan of vehicles going from place to place in the Circuit was luckily unfounded as we saw no other vehicles for a long period of time.
In the distance was Volcan Ollague, situated on the Chilean/Bolivian border in the northern Atacama Desert. The volcano was considered active, with quite intense fumarole activity, although there has been no historic record of an eruption. Near the 18,370 ft summit, there used to be a sulfur mine, one of the many mines that were infamous for poor working conditions.
The sudden dust whorl and the lack of any obvious roads in the vast and stark expanse made driving extra difficult for Isaac.
Much to our delight, Isaac left the main track to go to the tiny Bolivian military outpost as we were so close to Chile.
I wondered if this location was akin to being sent to outer Siberia as it was bitterly cold and as desolate and lonely a place as one could imagine. We'd traveled to some bustling cities and vibrant communities in Siberia on our first overseas trip together in 2013, but what we saw here was like the desperate stories we knew of being sent to Russia's hinterland.
Poor Steven - he was so cold. Thank goodness, the winds weren't whipping up that morning.
Steven and I were so lucky with our fellow passengers as we had a hilarious time with them for three days even if their taste in music and the volume differed from ours! On the right in the middle was Fabio, a delightful Bolivian who loved to sing along with Anna, a sweetie from Brazil who spoke Spanish and very good English and acted as our unofficial translator as Isaac, the driver, could not.
Since we had left close to two hours ago, we had seen not one sign of any wildlife in the barren terrain.
Of course, no more than three minutes after I had written down that observation, we saw two vicuñas, which are a relative of the llama, and believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas.
More views of the mountain range and the semi-active Volcan Ollague:
Even in the wilds of southern Bolivia, we came across a cairn, a human-made stack of stones, we have seen all over the world. I hadn't known until I googled the word cairn that it comes from Gaelic. I learned that cairns have been used from prehistoric times to the present and are often erected as landmarks, burial monuments, for defense and hunting, for ceremonial purposes, to locate buried items, such as caches of food or objects, and to mark trails, among other purposes.
The unusually shaped rocks at the viewpoint reminded both of us so much of Goblin Valley State Park in Utah that we'd visited umpteen years ago. If you have a chance, I urge you to go there as it's much closer than Bolivia!
As we always changed seats every time we stopped, it was my turn in the back as we drove toward Las Lagunas, four lakes located about an hour away. Though I felt every rock, bump and every bang of my head along the way, the views of the martian landscape made up for any minor aches and pains!
Our journey took us through a small mountain pass where the track got even worse but the views were still remarkable.
Never had I seen such a variation of color in any mountains as I did there. Living in the spectacular Rocky Mountains in Colorado, I assure you we've seen a good number of mountains, too!
Judy: I know you've been waiting forever and ever for a flamingo photo I can have made into a puzzle for you but be patient as you will see more flamingos that you ever thought possible in this and other posts I will write as soon as possible, I assure you! When you see the one you like best, let me know and I will follow through on my promise.
Flamingos can often be seen standing on one leg in the water which may be a way for them to conserve body heat. They also stamp their feet to stir up food from the muddy waters. Flamingos feed by putting their large beak upside down in the water and use their tongue and beak to suck in and filter food from the mud and water.
What a view with the flamingos in the foreground and the multi-colored mountains in the background.
Sadly, a sign of the times:
The algae may have been perfect food for the flamingos but it wasn't so pleasant for our olfactory senses!
I know these were Andean Flamingos as they had a pale pink plumage and black feathers on their tails. They are distinguished from other flamingo species by their pale yellow beaks and are the only species to have yellow legs and webbed feet.
I couldn't get over the incredible view - the bluest sky you can imagine seeing, not a cloud to be seen anywhere, the pale minty green of the lake, even more flamingos and the spectacular mountain backdrop to top it all off.
I could have stayed there for hours but lunch, prepared by Isaac, was waiting for us inside the Eco Hotel that was near to the lakefront.
There were only a few flamingos at the very pale Laguna Honda so we didn't stop for more than a few minutes at the deepest of the four lakes.
As we continued southward, the landscape was again very barren but in a different way than it had been previously.
The dust devil reminded of the only other one we had seen, in Oman the previous year.
I was relieved I wasn't in the back seat when Isaac drove over this especially rocky area!
It would have been so scary to be here during a flash flood. We again counted our lucky stars that Isaac was such a great driver.
As we approached the high altitude Siloli Desert, the sight almost took our breath away by its magnificence. If we hadn't been paying attention we might have thought we had inadvertently landed on another planet. Nothing could have prepared us for it and one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
As one blogger wrote, "The desert was made up of volcanic ash and gravel that had been contoured by wind and very occasional rains to look like a surrealist painting."
Dotted about the desert were rock outcrops, sculpted by centuries of wind into peculiar shapes.
According to Isaac, locals thought the huge circle on the side of the volcano was caused by extraterrestrials having landed there, giving credence to our thinking we were on Mars! He said Chile was just on the other side of the mountain.
I can only repeat what I've written before: the bewildering landscape was so unforgiving yet also beautiful in an odd kind of way.
Isaac stopped near the wind-sculpted 16-foot high Arbol de Piedra, a much photographed landmark in the huge Siloli Desert. The Stone Tree was a lump of rock that had been carved over thousands of years by wind and sand into its current tree-like shape.
Close by were more rock formations carved by fierce winds over the millennia.
As stunning as it was, we didn't wander around for long as it was bitterly cold and also more than 15,000 feet above sea level.
By 2:30 we were on our way again, this time to Laguna Colorada, a place that reminded us of home!
One of the wonders of the Circuit for me was seeing the striking red waters contrasted against the deep blue sky. Although as someone wrote "it looked like the scene of a toxic spill," the red coloration was caused by algae and plankton that thrived in the mineral-rich water.
Of course, more flamingos were a major attraction, too!
The algae was the main source of food for the three types of South American flamingos - Chilean, James' and Andean - that thrived in the region. I couldn't tell you which was which as Isaac wasn't around, either, to tell us as he had wisely stayed in the car to get out of the cold.
When we walked down by the shoreline, we were incredibly lucky that a whole line of llamas were just a few feet away from us.
The shoreline was fringed with brilliant-white deposits of sodium, magnesium, borax and gypsum.
The llamas wandered off pretty quickly as more tourists invaded their privacy.
The ripples in the ground were caused by the strong winds - we even saw the flamingos' feathers being ruffled.
The lake sediments were rich in diatoms - tiny micro-fossils used in the production of fertilizer, paint, toothpaste and plastics. They are also used as a filtering agent for oil, chemicals, aviation fuel, pharmaceuticals, beer and wine. Remember the diatoms when you sip your next glass of wine !
Thank goodness neither Steven nor I minded being in such close quarters with Anna, Fabio or the couple from Sucre OR that any of them objected to our presence either! When we began in 2013 to travel overseas for months at a time, we stayed in the occasional dorm but they were considerably bigger than this room. What luck we had all bonded so well after being together for just one and a half days.
The three of them were naturally fun-loving people but I think the wine helped, too!
Fabio aka Golden Boy and his harem!
What an amazing day we had had discovering the Salar de Chiguna, Mars-like otherworldly landscapes, flamingos of every hue and Laguna Colorada before skipping stones and tossing rocks into a cardboard box at the end of the day!
A circuit from Uyuni takes you through absolutely unforgettable, literally breathtaking landscapes and is the highlight of many people's visit to Bolivia. Although it gets plenty of visitors, Bolivia's southwest is still oddly remote with rough dirt roads, scattered mining settlements, quinoa-producing villages and little public transportation.
The two white spots we spotted on the Andina Cordillera in the Salar de Chiguana were snow even though the seasons were reversed in the southern hemisphere and it was nearing summertime.
I was quite surprised the guards didn't object to our driving around their post. Perhaps they welcomed seeing new faces to brighten up their boring routine?
A few miles away, Isaac stopped the car by the train tracks used to transport minerals and passengers between Uyuni and Chile only three times a week. That was why we had no concerns about our safety while taking photos on the track!
It was hard to imagine a more desolate location for a railway.
Borax, zinc silver and other minerals were mined in what looked like a vast wasteland to me.
They hadn't known each other before we were all paired together back in Uyuni the previous morning. In the back seat were a lovely couple from Sucre, the beautiful constitutional capital of Bolivia, where we'd just visited for a few days. Unfortunately, we didn't get to know them as well because our Spanish was abysmal and their English was even worse.
As we followed the train tracks for a good while through the Salar de Chiguana, Anna and Fabio sang along with much gusto to what they said were the most famous songs in the world by Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias. They were amazed, and possibly appalled, we didn't know the songs but at least I was able to redeem myself because at least I knew of the singers/songwriters!
90 minutes after leaving our hotel, we reached one of Bolivia's western borders with Chile but Isaac stopped just short of it and headed sharply south. The settlement near the border looked like another desperate place to live to my Western eyes.
That was a perfect spot to get out of the car and stretch our legs so we could see the amazing rock formations up close. They reminded me of driving through the American Southwest and particularly Utah where we'll be again in May.
We were glad we left before several other cars full of tourists also descended on the popular spot to stop!
This was the first time we'd seen any bushes, so they seemed especially pretty.
What a gorgeous sight as we approached the first of the four lakes, Laguna Canapa, a picturesque salt lake that seemed to be the deepest blue. As it was home to a large population of pink flamingos, the area was an excellent opportunity to see the elegant birds in their natural habitat.
I hope these photos will give you an idea of the astounding beauty of the lake and its flamingos we encountered.
These Chilean Flamingos were of a different color compared to those peachier-colored ones we'd seen earlier in the trip in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador.
I was so entranced with them, I couldn't pull myself away AND from taking loads of photos of the flamingos. However, the unpleasant odor from the lake due to its high sulphur content was strong! Aren't you glad you can admire the gorgeous animals yet miss the smell?!
The grassy area closer to the beach was like walking on a bog in merry old Scotland - it was so springy!
I was so happy I managed to get a shot of this one as it took flight.
They feed on algae, crustaceans, shrimp and insects, and their characteristic pink coloring is caused by the amount of beta carotene in their diet. A flamingo lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.
Anna had walked a long way down the shoreline to view the flamingos in solitude and from another perspective.
I am sure Isaac thought he would never be able to get us back to the car even though he assured us there were more flamingos close by at Laguna Hedionda. We didn't see flamingos there right away but rather llamas in the distance strolling along the shoreline!
The cold chicken, pasta and vegetables were delicious. No one going on the Southwestern Circuit with Cordillera Travellers could ever complain about the quantity and quality of the food! The company was great, too!
We needed 'directions' on how to use the toilet!
This could have been our first opportunity to access WiFi on the trip so far if we wanted to pay for 15 minutes of use. We didn't feel deprived or in need of an internet fix and much preferred to return to the lake to see the flamingos one last time before heading onward.
At the national park office, we had to each pay the equivalent of a $20 fee to enter the reserve.
A few llamas dotted the hill between the park headquarters and the rusty-burnt orange-hued lake which gave the lake its name of 'Colorada.'
We couldn't wait to see the strange color of the lake up close.
If I were a betting woman, I'd wager this one was a rare James' Flamingo because of its unique yellow beak. The James Flamingo breeds in Laguna Colorada.
I was so happy to return to the car as I don't remember ever being buffeted by winds like that before. I was glad we weren't there in the winter when temperatures can dip below four degrees Fahrenheit.
Just twenty minutes after leaving the Laguna Colorada, we arrived at our 'hotel' that was nestled between the mountains.
Steven wanted to rest before dinner so Fabio, Anna, Candy - the young woman from Sucre - and I went for a walk before the sun set for the night.
I have several dear friends that I walk with at least five times a week when we're home so, after being cooped up in the car for so long, it was out of this world being out in the wide open space of southern Bolivia as nighttime drew near with new friends.
Candy, the young woman from Sucre: Her boyfriend was also tired and was back at the hotel.
Before leaving the hotel, Fabio had bought a bottle of wine which he, Anna and Candy downed.
What a joy it was seeing these birds as they were the first ones we'd spotted since leaving civilization, i.e. Uyuni, the previous morning.
Who would ever have guessed that the stream would provide close to an hour's entertainment as the four of us tried our luck skipping rocks in the stream? Fabio, Anna and Candy did well but I failed abysmally!
However, when we tried tossing rocks into the cardboard box, I reigned supreme getting ten in. I think my shots were more accurate because they weren't 'helped' by the vino the others consumed!
Next post: A geyser basin at dawn, hot springs and on to Chile.
Posted on March 24th, 2018, from Littleton, Colorado.
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Absolutely amazing day made better by newly found friends, a skilled driver / chef, stunning mountainous vistas , spectacular lakes and above all FABULOUS flamingos and llamas !!! xo
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