Travel
Throughout the day our small group was beginning to feel the nauseating effects of altitude sickness. For this our driver pulled out a small bag of green leaves. He told us this was the “only” cure. He handed to each of us a small measure of coca leaves, the base form of cocaine, which grew prevalently in the area. “Masticate on this,“ he said, “and it will wake you up…” We all continued to get worse! The following day we’d continue our journey past more stunning lagoons and treacherous terrain. The highlight would be spending the night in a hotel made entirely of salt. It was difficult to see how anything could survive in this climate. To our surprise we saw a small herd of llamas as if appearing from a mirage. They came forward and became so comfortable in our presence that to get close was of no concern. Truly remarkable beasts. Another rough afternoon in the jeep, our driver told us we were now entering the edge of the Salar. Immediately the horizon looked a billion miles away. The curve of the Earth could be seen as it twisted into oblivion. We were on the edge of the world, an eternal abyss.
Our hotel – Hotel de Sal was completely made of salt, from the tables and chairs, to the doors and windows. After a hearty breakfast we loaded up the van and set off for the centre of the flats. We flew across this white desert into nothingness. The smooth calm surface rolled under our tyres and in every direction there was nothing. We remained quiet; we were soaking up this spectacle. Isla de los Pescados in the centre is home to thousands of giant cacti, the only vegetation around. These enormous plants, some at least 1,000 years-old towered over us as we made our way to the summit. At the top is arguably one of the most phenomenal panoramic views on Earth and in front lies before you over 12,000 square kilometers of nothing but pure sodium chloride! For more information and pictures please click on: http://davidholt.wordpress.com/ www.flickr.com/photos/davidandrewholt/ Story and photos by David Holt
Salar de Uyuni is in the Bolivian Altiplano. It was created 25,000 years ago when it was part of a prehistoric lake – Lake Minchin. It eventually dried up leaving the salt, making the flats Uyuni and Coipasa.
Gwangju News June 2011
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