Salar de Uyuni
Of all the places I have visited, the most impressive is the salar de uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, and its surroundings. This area is so unique and amazing that it is hard to find the right words to describe it. I will try anyhow.
As we visited at the end of the rainy season, part of the salt lake was still covered in water. While I imagine this to be disastrous for the vehicles (they are driving them through salt water!), it added still another dimension to our visit. Driving across an endless expanse of shallow water over the salt was an almost disorienting experience. It was difficult to discern the horizon and everything seemed to be melting into each other. It truly felt like another world.
We then continued to the dry part of the Salar and were immediately blinded by the pure white that extended to all sides. At some points, we saw only white salt all the way to the horizon. We also saw an old bus again and again — though I was never quite sure if it was just a fata morgana — as it was crossing the salt lake. I couldn’t quite understand why anybody would drive a bus across a salt lake, until I understood (and felt in my buttocks) that driving on the salt lake is more comfortable than on any actual Bolivian road. Completely smooth riding.
We continued our three-day trip after a cold night’s sleep and crossed the international railway line to Chile on the second day. The crossing is unmarked, naturally, which really isn’t a problem as there was only a thrice-weekly service during our visit. What a great chance for a photo! The tracks just extend straight towards the horizon with no distraction or even usage in sight. I would not dare just standing on train tracks over here in Europe but this is just one of many Bolivian delights.
Wherever we went, we continued to see weird, intensely green patches of shrub in the midst of what is otherwise mostly a desert. It looks a little like moss from the distance but quite different with a closer view. It is dry and hard to the touch. With the help of Google and Wikipedia, I can even provide a name: yareta, a slow-growing high-altitude plant. It grows at a rate of just one millimeter per year which means that many yaretas are over 3,000 years old. When I saw it during our trip, however, I was more mesmerized by its intense green color than by its ruggedness and survival skill. What a contrast with the sky!
We also came across a multitude of unique lakes. Laguna colorada looks fairly normal in the morning but during the day the sunlight combined with certain algae turns it a deep, bloody red. The contrast between the white borax and the red of the lake could not have been more striking. We spent the evening wandering around the lake admiring the colors and long shadows. The light at this altitude is really special, drawing sharp contrasts and stark lines. We also saw laguna verde, a lake that turns green during the day. In this instance we actually saw the transformation with our own eyes. Within minutes, the lake went from translucent to bright green. Unfortunately, I am color-blind and couldn’t really see the green very well. I am told it was a very impressive sight, though. See the photo and judge for yourself. 
And these are just parts of the amazing scenery we saw! We saw a geyser field, visited volcanic hot springs, saw an active volcano spew smoke, danced with the locals for carnival, saw lots of flamingos and stroked a vicuña. We also got lost in the dark because our driver was new and didn’t know the way. (The cook, who knew the way, was sulking and refused to answer our questions.) And we spent three days with a great bunch of Chileans and Argentinians who warmed to us markedly when they realized we spoke Spanish.
If you ever get the chance to visit the salar de uyuni, do not hesitate but take it immediately. This is one of the most amazing sights you will ever see. See all photos of the trip.
