Uyuni, Hotel Tonito, 3700 m
How many miles, how many new experiences since the Salar de Surire ? It is hard to realize that we have already been in Bolivia for 4 days now. Bolivia, such a surprising country…
Leaving the Salar de Surire and the Polloquere hot springs means going back on the “road” toward Colchane, on the border, last Chilean city before Bolivia. The dirt road is definitely not easy, corrugated, sandy, steep, but crossing some of the most wonderful landscapes. Rheas, lamas, vicuñas are always around. The Altiplano is wide, wild and enchanting. Isluga National Park is set up around the Volcano of the same name. In every little village there is one of those incredible church as well as a soccer field and sometimes a basketball one.
Colchane. After those last 3 days far from everything it is like coming back to some civilization : an asphalted highway is a good start ! Colchane. It is dust, it is trashes that are blown everywhere, pushed by the wind, a dog with blue eyes, a soccer tournament which seems to be the most important event ever, a single hotel. When the wind gets stronger sand is everywhere.
On the morning, we are reaching the border with the usual dose of anxiety but finally everything is pretty quick and we are in Bolivia after a bit more than an hour. The contrast is huge. In about a mile we have just jumped in a different world, a different time.
We need gas… The gas station of Pisiga is dry ! We wonder in the village, ask around, and finally, in a small shop, an old lady sells 30 L of gas in plastic jugs. 25 miles later, in Sabaya, we will manage to buy another 30 L.
People are always welcoming and curious: Why are we here ? The highway to Oruro is excellent and deserted. To reach Uyuni it could be possible to follow this good road but it will be much longer in distance and it seems much more elegant and adventurous to follow a dirt road indicated by our GPS. At first this dirt road is great and fast, but after the first small villages, it gets smaller, and worst.
115 miles : 6 hours ! But those 6 hours are incredible : GPS navigation, awful dirt road, small villages far from everything, kids smiling and waiving at us. 6 hours during which we are between earth and sky.
In the village of Belem, the streets are made of deep sand and a car is stuck in it, blocking the only exit. People are asking for some help, and we end up running and pushing the car (in altitude…). Once the vehicle out of the sand, we are being thanked with warm and smiles, we are being asked why we are here because tourists are never coming here. Hugs, smiles, handshake. Other encounters will follow this day.
We will reach Tahua, on the northern shore of the Salar de Uyuni at dusk. The hotel mentioned in our guide (Lonely Planet) is expensive and too luxurious.
A more economic option is then recommended, generally used by drivers or local guides. 5 bucks a night, in the middle of the village with access to the kitchen. We will stay there 2 days, chatting warmly with the owner and his family : advices, questions, curiosity. A 24 hours old lama, a little puppy. Another honest handshake to say goodbye.
Tahua is an extraordinary place. A small rain shower brings humidity on the Salar and forbid us to drive on it to reach Uyuni : it could seriously corrode our car and we will have to drive around to avoid it.
Uyuni is more charming that we thought. Nothing special either, but here the tourism industry is definitely working : more than 80 tour agencies, the same restaurant other and other, pizzas everywhere… We were planning on staying a couple of days on the Salar, but the weather forecast doesn’t seem too good for the next days. We decide to finally drive toward Chile earlier in order to beat this bad rainy front : it would be complicated to drive on those bad upcoming dirt roads in a wet weather.
Therefore we will get in one of those tours with a guide and 4 other tourists to spend a single day in the biggest Salar of the world. The visit starts pretty badly by a little detour to a train cemetery more than crowded and a stop at Colchani, at the entrance of the Salar, full of souvenir shops. Once in the Salar, it is simply incredible. Our group is really nice and interesting, the scenery is outstanding. This day will be another great one and I strongly recommend such a tour (and I’m definitely not a tour person…). Tomorrow we will leave for 3 days of dirt roads to reach San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.
