Flamingo Shangri-la

At Laguna Roja in the Atacama, we were treated to flamingos – literally thousands and thousands of them in various states of activity. Some partook of the algae that gives them their pink color, while others seemed to be gossiping by the water cooler. We caught others in various states of arrival and departure – as you may be able to see here, they take several steps across the water at takeoff and landing.

I’m not typically much of a bird fan, but they had to pry us away to continue on our journey.

Atacama Desert: Landscapes Galore

As you can see, this was mostly about landscapes – and we saw many! We stopped in a couple of very small villages, but other than that, we were on the road, making our way from the town of Uyuni, Bolivia, where the salt flats were, to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile through the Atacama Desert. Pachamama, or Mother Nature, offered many interesting sites along the way, including rock formations, moonlike terrain, heat vents, and a red and a green lake (whose colors come from the minerals). On the red lake, we were treated to seeing literally thousands of flamingos, but they’re getting their own post.

We slept one night at 16,000 feet, and that was a challenge, to say the least. While I managed not to even get a headache, my head did feel slightly as if it were a squeezed tin can. A quarter of the guests in our little ecolodge (read: no electricity after 7pm – brrrr!) had fairly significant altitude sickness symptoms and needed supplemental oxygen. I haven’t checked yet, but it was either the highest or second-highest I’ve ever been, the other being Everest Base Camp in Tibet.

I can’t understand why this area (a) is not a UNESCO World Heritage site and (b) is not better known. It is truly spectacular – from the Salar to the landscapes to the wildlife. What a trip…

The Mesmerizing Uyuni Salar (Salt Flats)

The Salar (or salt flats) was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen in my life. We flew to Uyuni, in the Atacama Desert of Bolivia. At 13,000 feet, it is one of the highest deserts in the world. Long, long ago, as the Andes formed and plates shifted, salt water lakes appeared in this area. Over time, the salt continually rose to the lakes’ surfaces, creating a 10-40 foot crust that you can walk and even drive over. We visited during ‘rainy’ season, so the Salar was covered in a thin layer of water, rather than its normal, crunchy surface. This made for the great reflections and distorted sense of perspective.

We stayed in a hotel made of salt – literally. The walls were constructed with bricks of salt with some sort of protective coating. Since the local people survive exclusively on tourism, they work hard to bring the experience to life. As you can see, we caught a spectacular sunset and full moon rise, including their reflections.

This was a truly unique and unforgettable experience. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

La Paz: City, Topography, and History All in One

La Paz was the highest capitol city in the world at about 11,000 feet. It’s built up all along the mountainsides surrounding the Centro area, requiring some serious brakes maintenance. On one end of the city was the Valle de la Luna – although we didn’t think it looked particularly moonlike. Then again, never having been to the moon, I probably shouldn’t offer an opinion on that. The other pictures are from an archaeological site, Tihuanaco, that predates the Incas. The site is huge, but due to budgetary limitations, only a small part of it has been excavated and studied. Many Bolivians are descendants of the Tihuanaco.

Lake Titicaca: Birthplace of the Incas

From La Paz, we took a trip to Lake Titicaca. The town where we stayed is Copacabana, although it isn’t very similar to the Copacabana in the song. Lake Titicaca is at an altitude of 14,000 feet, so we were really feeling it. We also visited Isla del Sol, an island in the middle of the lake. The green leaves in the picture are coca leaves. People in the Andean region have been chewing them for centuries. Although they are nowhere near the potency of cousin cocaine, they do provide some energy and help with the high altitude. We had some in tea and honey candies. I don’t know if it was that or luck, but besides feeling winded with the slightest incline, I was very gratefully issue-free. The same could not be said of some of my compadres, but at that height, it’s pretty difficult to avoid.