Wow, the Uyuni salt flats and desert are amazing!! Visiting the biggest salt lake and the highest desert within three days (followed by the driest desert of the world - Atacama in Chile), this is better than every movie you can watch!
We were 4 cars/Jeeps of our agency we booked the tour (Quechua connection - can hardly recommend!), acc. to this 4 drivers which were preparing our delicious food, too and 2 guides. I was in the car together with Steffi, Armin, Micha (Germany) and Dorothy (Belgium) and we had so much fun with our „party bus“ driver Manuel - thanks for that!! Most of the time we spend the driving time just with staring into the landscape, I cannot find any words for that… First day we were cruising over the salt flats, the second and third day was full of sand, mountains, flamingos, vikunyas, lagoons, sun, wind, stones, plants… Breathtaking! Always accompanied by good music.
We were riding mountain bikes for a short distance, always had delicious food, heat on the day, freezing nights, funny and gorgeous photo spots, fun, group dynamic, a great guide (thanks Avel), more or less good sleep (one night in 2 bed rooms with bathroom, the other night all 4 groups, guides and owners of the camp in one house with one toilet and no shower), hot springs, altitudes between 3000 and 5000 meters, good conversations… I think the pictures you already saw on Facebook can give a better story than I can sum up in words.
And after this unbelievable landscape trip we finally ended up in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The border crossing took ages, the restrictions what is allowed to bring are super hard, but then we got our stamp and could look for a hostel. As already mentioned, the Atacama desert is the driest desert on earth - with only one cup of rain within 100 (!!) years - can you imagine?
Steffi, Armin and myself learnt quickly, that we are entering a more touristic and more expensive area. It was Friday and we were walking around with our big backpacks for a while in this lovely small city until we found at least a 3-bed-room for a lot of money for one night. Later we booked a dorm room in a cheaper but very nice backpacker hostel, where I stayed for 3 nights - I needed a break of traveling which was worth it! With Steffi and Armin I did a 4h-tour to Laguna Cejar (a lagoon with a super high salt content, you just float being in the water) followed by a sunset with Pisco Sour and snacks and with Dorothy I did the Solar and Supermoon tour (where we got Pisco Sour and snacks, too) to see a sunset, some planets and this amazing big moon rising behind the huge volcano. I joined a free walking tour with Dorothy, we had a lot of good food all together, prepared nice brunch in the hostel, I had a lot of time to read books and let my thoughts fly.
But then there always comes the time where you have to move on… Since yesterday I’m in Santiago de Chile - seems like a very European city, a lot of small food stores, many and nice people (many Germans!), new sprout flowers, it is sunny and WARM!!! I love to wear shorts and FlipFlops in November, it is spring time here :-)
I spend the first day again with Steffi and Armin, walking around the city (Plaza de Armas, different markets), ate typical Empanadas, went up to the highest building of whole South America which was just finished last year, did some shopping in H&M (the whole shopping center is full of Christmas decoration - wuah!!) and - as all restaurants close by close at 10 - we had a late dinner in a good Hot Dog shop next door to the hostel - very famous here.
Now I will spend 2 more days in Santiago and then I will finally go to the ocean again *love* - Valparaíso (90min drive from here). :-)
„The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.“ (Wyland)