Did Joe Fraser get up when Ali got him? It's not that feasible for me to look things up at random like I would in the states or I would find out for myself. I got up....well, I'm almost all the way up again. I imagine that Fraser didn't see the punch coming either and when it connected it was instantaneous. Typically, I pride myself on my appetite and ability to eat just about anything. I'd been doing pretty well considering the places I've been and the hygiene I've seen (I'm not judging here, just stating a fact). But I might have taken this 'confidence' a little too far this past week. In case you're not following, I got a case of the liquid poo; at least that's all I think it was. It may have come from my Salar de Uyuni tour or maybe in San Pedro de Atacama. I'm thinking now because of the lack of length and quickness that it came on, that it was from somehow ingesting non-potable water in San Pedro de Atacama. (Oh, I'm supposed to describe where these places are geographically. The Salar is in the southwestish portion of Bolivia, kinda close to the border of Chile, up in the mountains. San Pedro de Atacama is in the northish part of Chile on the western side of the Andes. The Atacama desert is the highest desert in the world and also the driest in the world. One can cross the border of Chile and Bolivia and end up in San Pedro de Atacama as I did. There's the map.) All I know it's been one of the worst 36h I've had in my life. This has been much much worse than the gallon-milk challenge repercussions. Here's the scenario which illustrates my troubles as well as where I've been.
I finally left Uyuni on Tuesday after some more shenanigans provided by another tour company promising big things but not delivering. It was looking promising that Mark and I were going to be able to go on the 3d/2n tour of the area with only 4 people in the vehicle and at a bargain price. We had also gotten Mark all sorted out for getting back to the UK early. Well, Tuesday morning came up and the dood that booked us on our tour was nowhere to be found. He'd told us he'd find two other people to make up our truck and everything was going to be chill. When we went to the office that morning, the kid that opened the office had no idea what was going on. I didn't figure it out until much much later that the kid was just there to open the office and that it was the dood, Brian, that was responsible for getting us on the tour he had promised. Well, Brian had 'an emergency' come up that night and wasn't around in the morning. He eventually called in, but the plan he had for us wasn't going to go through because the kid in the office was resistant saying it was too late for the plan envisioned. After some deliberation, we were able to get our money back, again, and get a tour set up with Ripley Adventures. Me, Mark, and Laura, the other castaway from the 'Brian tour company' got a private vehicle, Mark and I paying much more for leg room.
Our tour was definitely last minute. The Land Cruiser that pulled up had seen better days. The 3 bald tires and the rust spots and parts held together with wire were scary signs. And that was just the outside. But we didn't really have a choice at this point. I didn't really want to spend another day in Uyuni and Mark needed to be off today in order for his travel plans to take shape. More about the setup--these tours typically have a driver/guide and a cook. Our guide/driver and cook was pretty much one in the same. Ok. Fine. Whatever. All part of the experience. We were off for the Salar de Uyuni.
The Salar itself is quite amazing! Mind boggling really how large it all is. It comes together when one gets to Isla del Pescado that this was a lake at one time. The salt hotel was strange and I couldn't ever imagine wanting to stay there or in a salt hotel, for that matter. Our first night was in San Juan, somewhere outside of the Salar, at this suspect residential place. Fortunately, Milton, our driver wasn't responsible for making dinner that night, but looking at the kitchen left hygiene being desired. I ate it anyway since I was hungry. Vegetable soup, baked chicken and rice. It was actually pretty good too. Soup was nice since it gets really cold out there. Really cold.
After an early rise suggested by Milton, which was followed by his getting up 45mins after he said he wanted to leave (he'd been drinking with his friends the night before, he's only 20. I can't blame him too much), we went off on to the second day. The stops we made were much less interesting to me than the Salar de Uyuni but the landscape around it all is something to behold. It's easy to see how Mars might be a viable planet for habitation when one sees the southwest of Bolivia. It really looks like an alien planet. Seriously. I think there might be hope if this exists on our planet. I might have picked up my parasite this day since we ate boiled hamburgers (a first for me. 'Using oil is better?' Milton asked Mark) and some form of pasta. Again, quite hungry I ate 2 burgers and lots of pasta, and, oh yeah, unpeeled tomatoes and peeled cucumbers. I'm not sure which of those 2 vegetables is more dangerous at time of consumption since unpeeled fruits and vegetables are supposed to be hazardous and Milton never washed his hands from...who knows when, and he was tinkering with the truck most of the morning.
That night we stopped in the park that holds Laguna Colorada, which is a red lake depending on how the wind blows. There are really really basic accommodations here and it gets effin cold as shit at night. I might have caught the bug here too. Don't know. Too many things to count. The first hospedaje had flies everywhere (we didn't sleep there thankfully). I've only seen more flies in one place on a pile of poo. We woke up really really early Thursday morning to go see some geysers as they're most active in the wee morning hours. Having seen Ole' Faithful, these are nothing. We ended the tour at Laguna Verde with it's shoreline of asbestos (or so said some Australians). An average pre-dawn temperature of -4.5C didn't help spirits. At the border, I had some difficulties b/c it was my understanding from Ripley Tours that I'd be taken to San Pedro de Atacama without any hassles. Turns out, all that was to be provided was transport to the border and from there I was on my own. Mark and Laura pitched in the B40 that I needed to get to San Pedro since I didn't have any other money.
Crossing into Chile was pretty easy and as soon as we got to the road from the border (an actual road after 5d) it was all downhill. Ears popping and temperatures rising, the passengers , including myself, of the new Mercedes Benz shuttle provided by Colque Tours, were brought into San Pedro de Atacama and through Chilean immigration. How! What a difference in the two countries just at the border crossing.
San Pedro de Atacama reminds me of some hippie town in New Mexico or maybe California or even Arizona. Immediately, it became apparent how much more expensive Chile is compared to any other Latin American country I've been in. San Pedro is no exception either. Extra pricey I'd say for my limited observations of Chile. I got a hostel dorm bed for about $18 but then decided, not knowing my bank account status,not to stay. Bought a night bus ticket for Caldera to go to the coast and the beach at Bahia Inglesa. Thought it best to keep moving closer to Santiago and the border I plan to cross than stick around.
I ate at some more budget places for lunch and dinner, and maybe I picked up the bug at one of these places or I got some water down my throat during my 2, 3min showers (water is very limited in San Pedro. I don't understand how so many people live there considering such. Horses too. Pretty strange.). Anyway, bus time rolls around and I'd bought some 'nutritious' snacks for the road (like bananas, yogurt drink-although it had sucrolose in it instead of sugar-and trail mix). Downed the yogurt in the first 30m and settled in for my ride. Everything was kosher until about midnight when the rumbles began. Thankfully I didn't have a seatmate. These all passed naturally but then the fever started up with the urges to empty my contents as quickly as possible. By the time I reached Copiapo, ~1h from Caldera, at 6:30 in the morning, I was in bad shape. The fever was in full affect and I had no real control. But, I must've empty thorough enough in Copiapo since when I got to Caldera I was able to walk the 5 blocks to the tourist office, translate for a just-learning-Spanish-English couple in the tourist office, and walk around to 3 different hospedajes before we all decided on a good cheap one (Residencial Milaray, next to the pharmacy and the police station). Even there I had something like a 15min conversation with owner Elisabeth and Sasha and Alex, the couple. After that, I passed out for the rest of the day, hoping that I could help things by sleeping the sickness out. I also medicated to break the fever and hopefully help my good bacteria. I didn't want to drop the Cipro bomb killing off everything since I know my boys can handle a lot.
After sleeping until about 6pm, getting up every so often to evacuate my system, I went to the market with Sasha and Alex to load up on liquids. Somehow I was able to get down 2 empanadas for dinner, including a seafood one, and then stayed up chatting with Sasha and Alex about possible itineraries in S. America and comparisons of countries, and a little bit of life mixed in too. That night was bad for the fever pains. Finally, I broke my fever sometime in the early morning. What a great feeling that was. I'd just passed a major hurdle, I knew it. Spent the rest of the day in bed though. Planning my last couple of weeks, and reading up on transport options. Drinking tea with an infusion, provided by Elisabeth. I tell you what. Chilean Spanish is so hard to understand. It's so much faster and messier, but somehow I managed to converse with her. Still abstaining from food, only Powerade and bottled water, I bought my night bus ticket for Santiago.
This morning. I felt hungry again and after a hot shower realized that instantaneous evacuation was just about over. Not leaving until 8pm tonight, I decided to go to Bahia Iglesia today to see the crystal clear blue water and maybe try a LP recommended restaurant. Bahia is nice. I'd imagine it's great during the summer especially if you have kids.
Came back about 4pm and had some more empanadas and am thinking now that maybe I shouldn't have. I think we're back up into the gaseous form however. Or at least I hope so or it's going to be another long bus ride. I'm off to Santiago. Good night and good luck.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Wild West in 2008
I'm still in Uyuni. I was supposed to go on a tour of the salt flats and some other crazy places today but the plans I'd made with my friend Mark (who I met on the bike rides) fell through this morning. It's for the best though since the decisions I made yesterday went against what my gut was telling me I should do. We've got Mark almost all sorted out for his travel plans back to the UK and I'm going to spend another day here in Uyuni and go on a tour that I feel much better about taking. Let me rephrase that, we're going on a tour tomorrow, hopefully with two bangin' chicas since we've asked for the vehicle to only have 4 tourists instead of the normal 6 for the extra leg room. Mark is 6'6". I really wish more of the world were made for me. I hate having to pay extra because I'm a mutant.
A word about Uyuni...it's what I would imagine the Wild West would look like in the US if the Wild West existed in 2008. Not really a one road town with a brothel/bar and general store but not far from it. It's covered in desert dust and quite desolate when everyone is at a lunch. All the businesses close for lunch. One of the things that's quite different is the temperature. Man is it cold even with the sun out. The agent for tomorrow, who actually has an understanding of tourism, said it gets down to -20C in June and July. Where the hell am I? Mars? Maybe. I'll let you all know when I'm on the other side.
I'm editing this after going to the Train Cemetery. It's typically part of the Salar de Uyuni tour but since Mark and I had nothing really to do today we walked out there to check it out. The walk out to the Cemetery really shows one how much of the Wild West is here in Uyuni. I began to wonder why the hell this town is here at all. It's got to be because it's a jumping off point for tourists to see the Salar. I equate it to something in Siberia. I wish I had more faith in uploading pictures quickly (really I don't have the patience nor do I have my cord and I don't think I could really do it justice with one picture) to show you all how much of a desolate outpost Uyuni is.
Walking out to the Cemetery on the train track there's trash everywhere. It looks like there are rocks littering the landscape but they're really black plastic bags that are stuck on small bushes. So many plastic bottles on both sides of the track. I'm glad we got to see this instead of just driving out to it. Made the experience that much more real to see that the consumption and byproducts of human society.
After 25mins of walking we came to the Cemetery. Coming to the beginning there are piles of iron filings lying about. The 'entrance' starts with shipping cars which are just strewn about. We kept going to see the locomotives. They're about 200m from the 'entrance' of the Cemetery. They're the real old steam locomotives. Walking out to the locomotives, there are more and more and more piles of iron. The cash value of the cemetery in recyclable metal should be something. What's really striking about that place is the eeriness of it all. Just solidifies the feeling of being in a desolate waste land. A bit of a post-apocalyptic feel too. Utter silence drowned in cold sunlight surrounded by decaying beasts of commerce. I suppose the draw of this Cemetery is just the sheer strangeness of it all. I don't have the proper words to describe it all but I hope you get the idea. I think compounding this with the other things we're supposed to see on the tour will have a cumulative affect. I hope to have a good summation once I get to San Pedro.
Peace fam.
A word about Uyuni...it's what I would imagine the Wild West would look like in the US if the Wild West existed in 2008. Not really a one road town with a brothel/bar and general store but not far from it. It's covered in desert dust and quite desolate when everyone is at a lunch. All the businesses close for lunch. One of the things that's quite different is the temperature. Man is it cold even with the sun out. The agent for tomorrow, who actually has an understanding of tourism, said it gets down to -20C in June and July. Where the hell am I? Mars? Maybe. I'll let you all know when I'm on the other side.
I'm editing this after going to the Train Cemetery. It's typically part of the Salar de Uyuni tour but since Mark and I had nothing really to do today we walked out there to check it out. The walk out to the Cemetery really shows one how much of the Wild West is here in Uyuni. I began to wonder why the hell this town is here at all. It's got to be because it's a jumping off point for tourists to see the Salar. I equate it to something in Siberia. I wish I had more faith in uploading pictures quickly (really I don't have the patience nor do I have my cord and I don't think I could really do it justice with one picture) to show you all how much of a desolate outpost Uyuni is.
Walking out to the Cemetery on the train track there's trash everywhere. It looks like there are rocks littering the landscape but they're really black plastic bags that are stuck on small bushes. So many plastic bottles on both sides of the track. I'm glad we got to see this instead of just driving out to it. Made the experience that much more real to see that the consumption and byproducts of human society.
After 25mins of walking we came to the Cemetery. Coming to the beginning there are piles of iron filings lying about. The 'entrance' starts with shipping cars which are just strewn about. We kept going to see the locomotives. They're about 200m from the 'entrance' of the Cemetery. They're the real old steam locomotives. Walking out to the locomotives, there are more and more and more piles of iron. The cash value of the cemetery in recyclable metal should be something. What's really striking about that place is the eeriness of it all. Just solidifies the feeling of being in a desolate waste land. A bit of a post-apocalyptic feel too. Utter silence drowned in cold sunlight surrounded by decaying beasts of commerce. I suppose the draw of this Cemetery is just the sheer strangeness of it all. I don't have the proper words to describe it all but I hope you get the idea. I think compounding this with the other things we're supposed to see on the tour will have a cumulative affect. I hope to have a good summation once I get to San Pedro.
Peace fam.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Lo siento
For those of you that still read this blog, I'm sorry that I've been really awful at keeping it up to date even though I was trying to write blogs after the fact. I was almost caught up with everything at the beginning of this month, well I'd written the old blogs and just had to type them. I was doing that while I was waiting for John in Lima, Peru. So I will put the old ones up when I get home and have time to type them, but since I have some time now, I'm going to write about my current situation. Well, first a little bit of a recap to give you a bit of an idea of how I got to where I am right now.
The last blog is from Nicaragua. After that weekend I spent a few more days there taking some Spanish classes. My grasp of it all was pretty good and then I left to meet Tiffany in San Jose, Costa Rica and from there most everyone speaks English which made it more difficult to be immersed. We got there the Thursday before Good Friday and knew ahead of time that Semana Santa was going to cause us some problems. Having booked a shuttle in advance, we were able to get to the Caribbean coast on Good Friday. In retrospect, we should've skipped Costa Rica all together. We left the next day for Bocas del Toro. Bocas del Toro was really nice, really really nice. It's a bit touristy but if you get out of Bocas proper it's nice. From there we went to Panama City from which we were both leaving. Saw the city (a US city if there ever was one), saw the canal, I chilled out on an island for the day (a bit of a story), and then I made it to Lima, Peru on my flight. Went to Miraflores, the nicest neighborhood in Lima, where I waited for John to show up. Lima was completely different than the Central American cities I'd been in. Well, let me rephrase that. Miraflores is completely different than any Central American city I'd been in. I think I could live there in Miraflores. John and I banged Lima for a day or so and then flew to Cusco. I'd have to look at a map to tell you where Cusco is in relation to Lima. We flew because the bus is 24h and supposed to be hell. First day, got acclimated to the altitude then we started trying to find out about what we could do there and how to get to Machu Picchu, since the Inca Trail was completely booked until August. When we got there, we got hooked into a South African family that runs 2 hostels, a restaurant, a mountain house, and a tour agency. If you're ever in Cusco, find the South Africans. Machu Picchu is fucking great! Seriously. Be there for sunrise. From there, I went to Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and stayed on Isla del Sol. Go here if you're ever in at Lake Titicaca. From there I went to La Paz. Fuck, was that a wild place visually. Imagine if they built a huge city in the Grand Canyon, and that's La Paz. Well, there's more than that, the altitude for one thing, but I'm summing now.
Ok. So since I left La Paz yesterday let me go into more detail. The bus from Copacabana (on Lake Titicaca) to La Paz was chill. Great scenery. I wasn't going to come to Bolivia, but I'm so glad I did. Isla del Sol was an absolutely amazing place. When my Spanish is better, I'm going to go back with someone that can really tell me about the place. It's the mythical birthplace of the Incas and you'll see why it could be if you go there. The 3h bus ride from Copacabana to La Paz was really 5h and we come through El Alto, which at first I thought was La Paz. Man was I wrong! We came out of El Alto and all of sudden there's La Paz. Massive massive massive. I wish we could've got the bus to stop so I could take a proper picture. But it really is like if we would build a city of 1.5million in the Grand Canyon. I'm having a hard time putting it into words properly. But just imagine brown brick buildings from the top of the canyon all the way to the bottom and then back up the other side. It's just massive. Bolivia reminds me a lot of Guatemala, which would make sense since both countries are the poorest in their respective Latin American locations. Bolivia seems to have a bit more infrastructure in my opinion though.
While I was in La Paz, I rode a bicycle down the World's Most Dangerous Road. This road isn't used anymore as a main route but when it was being used, on average, 350 people would die a year on the road. I went on this tour with Gravity Assisted Bike Tours which I highly recommend. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but well worth the price. I liked the day so much that I signed up for one of their other tours the yesterday. The Death Road tour goes down the World's Most Dangerous Road. When we were on this road you could really understand how it got it's name. For the majority of it, it's unpaved with 400m drop offs that go straight down. It's easy to see how vehicles would just go over the edge. Compound this with wet weather, landslides, waterfalls onto the road, and crazy Bolivian drivers and it would be hard to imagine what the road would be like. I suppose the name says it all. The guy that owns this company (which was the first company to do this tour) started the tours when there was still trucks and buses using the road daily. In 2004 or 06, they opened a new road, so now there's less traffic. I couldn't imagine trying to ride down that road with more traffic. Just insane I think. So much fun though. It's like skiing and riding a motorcycle and so much fun. Like I said, I liked it so much, I did another tour the next day. It was called the Ghost Ride and goes through some more technical stuff like single track trails which are just what they sound like, a single track wide enough for the bike tire. There will be a really nice video of me falling when I put everything together when I get home. It's called the Ghost ride because it goes by an abandoned church, through an area that was so polluted by smelting that there are no animals or insects living in the area, and then ends at a haunted mansion that was built by a former Bolivian president that he's now supposed to haunt along with his lover. All in all both days were fantastic. The slow Irish chic yesterday put a damper on the speed at which we could fly along but still it was great. Mountain bikes have come a long way. Front and rear full suspension and hydraulic brakes.
The Salar de Uyuni is a major reason that I'm in Bolivia. Since being in S. America, everyone I've met said I have to see the Salar so that's why I'm here. Yesterday, I chilled out in La Paz and took care of some errands needed to be done before I left for Uyuni in the southwest of Bolivia. I'm in Uyuni right now waiting for my friend Mark (who I did both bike trips with) to get here so we can book our Salar de Uyuni trip. The Salar de Uyuni is a giant salt flat. One of the largest in the world, if not the largest. The bus ride here last night was one of the coldest things I've experienced since Salt Lake City last year. I thought me toes were frostbitten it was so cold last night. But that's the desert. Hot during the day, effin cold at night. Just like our southwest I suppose. But I don't know, the seasons here are all wacky to me, being reversed and all. All of you in the states are thawing out and I'm bundling up. I'm stoked though. It's supposed to be a great couple of days coming up. I'll try to blog about it when I get to Chile. Yeah, it's possible to take the tour of the salt flats and other stuff and then end up in Chile. San Pedro de Atacama to be exact. The Atacama is the northern desert of Chile. I haven't decided what I'm going to do once I get there, maybe chill out some more in the desert. I don't think I'll go much further south than Santiago on this trip. Couldn't imagine Patagonia going into fall and winter.
Ok. That's it for now. Like I said, I'll update this later on for Central America and the rest of Lima and I'll try to be better about updating this going forward in my last couple of weeks. Ciao fam.
The last blog is from Nicaragua. After that weekend I spent a few more days there taking some Spanish classes. My grasp of it all was pretty good and then I left to meet Tiffany in San Jose, Costa Rica and from there most everyone speaks English which made it more difficult to be immersed. We got there the Thursday before Good Friday and knew ahead of time that Semana Santa was going to cause us some problems. Having booked a shuttle in advance, we were able to get to the Caribbean coast on Good Friday. In retrospect, we should've skipped Costa Rica all together. We left the next day for Bocas del Toro. Bocas del Toro was really nice, really really nice. It's a bit touristy but if you get out of Bocas proper it's nice. From there we went to Panama City from which we were both leaving. Saw the city (a US city if there ever was one), saw the canal, I chilled out on an island for the day (a bit of a story), and then I made it to Lima, Peru on my flight. Went to Miraflores, the nicest neighborhood in Lima, where I waited for John to show up. Lima was completely different than the Central American cities I'd been in. Well, let me rephrase that. Miraflores is completely different than any Central American city I'd been in. I think I could live there in Miraflores. John and I banged Lima for a day or so and then flew to Cusco. I'd have to look at a map to tell you where Cusco is in relation to Lima. We flew because the bus is 24h and supposed to be hell. First day, got acclimated to the altitude then we started trying to find out about what we could do there and how to get to Machu Picchu, since the Inca Trail was completely booked until August. When we got there, we got hooked into a South African family that runs 2 hostels, a restaurant, a mountain house, and a tour agency. If you're ever in Cusco, find the South Africans. Machu Picchu is fucking great! Seriously. Be there for sunrise. From there, I went to Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and stayed on Isla del Sol. Go here if you're ever in at Lake Titicaca. From there I went to La Paz. Fuck, was that a wild place visually. Imagine if they built a huge city in the Grand Canyon, and that's La Paz. Well, there's more than that, the altitude for one thing, but I'm summing now.
Ok. So since I left La Paz yesterday let me go into more detail. The bus from Copacabana (on Lake Titicaca) to La Paz was chill. Great scenery. I wasn't going to come to Bolivia, but I'm so glad I did. Isla del Sol was an absolutely amazing place. When my Spanish is better, I'm going to go back with someone that can really tell me about the place. It's the mythical birthplace of the Incas and you'll see why it could be if you go there. The 3h bus ride from Copacabana to La Paz was really 5h and we come through El Alto, which at first I thought was La Paz. Man was I wrong! We came out of El Alto and all of sudden there's La Paz. Massive massive massive. I wish we could've got the bus to stop so I could take a proper picture. But it really is like if we would build a city of 1.5million in the Grand Canyon. I'm having a hard time putting it into words properly. But just imagine brown brick buildings from the top of the canyon all the way to the bottom and then back up the other side. It's just massive. Bolivia reminds me a lot of Guatemala, which would make sense since both countries are the poorest in their respective Latin American locations. Bolivia seems to have a bit more infrastructure in my opinion though.
While I was in La Paz, I rode a bicycle down the World's Most Dangerous Road. This road isn't used anymore as a main route but when it was being used, on average, 350 people would die a year on the road. I went on this tour with Gravity Assisted Bike Tours which I highly recommend. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but well worth the price. I liked the day so much that I signed up for one of their other tours the yesterday. The Death Road tour goes down the World's Most Dangerous Road. When we were on this road you could really understand how it got it's name. For the majority of it, it's unpaved with 400m drop offs that go straight down. It's easy to see how vehicles would just go over the edge. Compound this with wet weather, landslides, waterfalls onto the road, and crazy Bolivian drivers and it would be hard to imagine what the road would be like. I suppose the name says it all. The guy that owns this company (which was the first company to do this tour) started the tours when there was still trucks and buses using the road daily. In 2004 or 06, they opened a new road, so now there's less traffic. I couldn't imagine trying to ride down that road with more traffic. Just insane I think. So much fun though. It's like skiing and riding a motorcycle and so much fun. Like I said, I liked it so much, I did another tour the next day. It was called the Ghost Ride and goes through some more technical stuff like single track trails which are just what they sound like, a single track wide enough for the bike tire. There will be a really nice video of me falling when I put everything together when I get home. It's called the Ghost ride because it goes by an abandoned church, through an area that was so polluted by smelting that there are no animals or insects living in the area, and then ends at a haunted mansion that was built by a former Bolivian president that he's now supposed to haunt along with his lover. All in all both days were fantastic. The slow Irish chic yesterday put a damper on the speed at which we could fly along but still it was great. Mountain bikes have come a long way. Front and rear full suspension and hydraulic brakes.
The Salar de Uyuni is a major reason that I'm in Bolivia. Since being in S. America, everyone I've met said I have to see the Salar so that's why I'm here. Yesterday, I chilled out in La Paz and took care of some errands needed to be done before I left for Uyuni in the southwest of Bolivia. I'm in Uyuni right now waiting for my friend Mark (who I did both bike trips with) to get here so we can book our Salar de Uyuni trip. The Salar de Uyuni is a giant salt flat. One of the largest in the world, if not the largest. The bus ride here last night was one of the coldest things I've experienced since Salt Lake City last year. I thought me toes were frostbitten it was so cold last night. But that's the desert. Hot during the day, effin cold at night. Just like our southwest I suppose. But I don't know, the seasons here are all wacky to me, being reversed and all. All of you in the states are thawing out and I'm bundling up. I'm stoked though. It's supposed to be a great couple of days coming up. I'll try to blog about it when I get to Chile. Yeah, it's possible to take the tour of the salt flats and other stuff and then end up in Chile. San Pedro de Atacama to be exact. The Atacama is the northern desert of Chile. I haven't decided what I'm going to do once I get there, maybe chill out some more in the desert. I don't think I'll go much further south than Santiago on this trip. Couldn't imagine Patagonia going into fall and winter.
Ok. That's it for now. Like I said, I'll update this later on for Central America and the rest of Lima and I'll try to be better about updating this going forward in my last couple of weeks. Ciao fam.
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