Bolivia

After thoroughly enjoying La Paz, our group traveled off-road to the tiny village of Livichuco on the altiplano of Bolivia. We stayed in the community center, toured the village with the "presidente" and listened and danced to the village band. We ended up watching the band the morning that we were scheduled to leave, because the night before was carnaval in the town some kilometers away and our interpreter informed us after dinner, "I have bad news, the band is drunk...¨

Early in the morning on the day we left I went on my first run of the trip (at 13,500 feet) with our Dragoman guide, Ivan. It was cold and windy, but I enjoyed every minute of that run. The scenery was incredible. We were nestled between two huge peaks, with a beautiful river running through the valley. Ivan and I crossed the river and ran to the next village and back. Amazing!

After Livichuco, we drove to Potosi. Potosi is a mining town at 4200 meters and claims to be the highest city in the world. The air was thin, but the sun was shining and everyone was happy to be warm for the first time in many days. The mountain looming above the town, Cerro Rico, has been mined since the days of the Spanish conquistadors. I elected not to visit the mines, as the conditions are fairly dangerous, even for visitors. Instead, I wandered up and down the steep streets shopping with some of the other travelers in the group. I even attempted a run and got lost, spending much more time running up Potosiś hills than I would have liked!

I was so excited about our next stop...Salar de Uyuni! Uyuni was one of the main reasons I booked this trip and it did not disappoint. Salar de Uyuni is a huge salt flat. When you look across the flats (with sunglasses as the glare is incredible), it looks like you can see into infinity. After a hot, dusty ride at high speeds, the group piled out and took ¨mind-bending"photos of the flats...We then visited a train ¨cemetery¨ and traveled back, exhausted, to the town of Uyuni.

The next morning in Uyuni, I saw my first Andean flamingos! There are 3 different species of flamingos in the Andes, and according our guide, only 5 species in the world. After that first morning, on our way through the Bolivian desert, we saw 1000s more of those amazing birds...

The journey across the Bolivian desert of the altiplano took 2 dusty, driving days. The views were incredible and we topped 5020 meters at one point. A lot of people on the truck were sick from the altitude and everyone was happy when we dropped down to the tiny village of Villa Mar (middle of nowhere). We visited the Valle de Rocas and stopped off at a hot springs on the way (where I left my watch!). We spent one night in Villa Mar and were on the road again by 5 am the next day for another long day on the road to Chile.

We crossed the Chilean border in the evening and stumbled out of the truck into San Pedro, Chile. After everyone set up their tents for the night, we ventured out into the town to find dinner. The town was small and dusty but lively and set up for tourists. It was a welcome change to the very basic villages and accomodations we had been experiencing. I ate Chilean salmon and drank delicious red wine that night. The salmon cannot compare to Alaskan salmon, but I enjoyed eating my first ¨fancy¨ meal since Cusco.

Later that night, 3 of us decided to stay up late and took a star-gazing tour that lasted until 1am (after getting up at 4am that morning). San Pedro is located on the edge of the Atacama desert, the driest desert on earth and an incredibly good place to observe the stars. The English tour was not available so the 3 of us attended the Spanish version. Amazingly, I understood enough to make the experience enjoyable. We found the Southern cross, discussed the differences in the view of the sky in Alaska versus Chile, and saw the rings around Saturn through the powerful telescopes at the observatory.

Again, we piled onto ¨Amber¨ early, early the next morning for another long drive...This time to Argentina. After an incredibly long journey through ever-changing landscapes, we arrived late last night in Salta, Argentina. The differences between Salta and the places we visited in Bolivia are stark. Salta is a bustling and completely modern city (although this computer is rather ancient and slow...). Today, everyone has been going crazy buying clothes and sunscreen and other supplies that we have not seen in quite a while. I have just enjoyed watching people on the street and taking in city life from a cafe table.

Tomorrow we are traveling to a camping spot about 100 kilometers from Salta for 2 days of white water rafting.

Ciao for now,
Kelly