333 BOLIVIA: Fantastiske spejlbilleder i Uyuni Salt Flats
Today, we’re in Southern Bolivia for this leg of my South American journey in one of the most remarkable landscapes on earth. We’re in Uyuni Salt Flats. But we start at "The Train Cemetery" to see the first locomotives in Bolivia. This train graveyard, locally known as "Cementerio de Trenes," is a fascinating and eerie attraction located just outside the town of Uyuni in Bolivia. It is where old, rusting train locomotives and railcars from the late 19th and early 20th centuries have been left to deteriorate and slowly decay in the harsh, arid landscape of the Bolivian Altiplano. And then we headed to one of Mother Earth's most surreal and breathtaking wonders: the Salar de Uyuni, also known as the Uyuni Salt Flats, in the southwest corner of Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes. I’m here in the rainy season, meaning a thin layer of water covers the salt crust. It creates a seamless reflection of the sky above, and the boundary between the heavens and the Earth becomes blurred as clouds, sunsets, and even bodies are duplicated on the salt flats' mirror-like surface. David and our driver set up a small table and some plastic chairs in the middle of all this. And with our feet in the salty water, we had a wonderful and surreal lunch. As night falls, the Salar de Uyuni takes on a new personality. The colours of the sunset were nothing less than spectacular. And by far the most amazing sunset I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Again, we went nuts with taking pictures and videos. Exploring the Salt Flats is an adventure like no other. It's a photographer's dream come true, where every angle reveals a new perspective. Make sure you go to the blog post for this episode and @Radiovagabond on Instagram to see the pictures. The next morning, we continued our trip to the southwestern part of the country, nearer to the border with Chile. First, we drive through “The High Flats” and then into the “High Andes” and Siloli Dessert. Being between 4500 and 4700 meters above sea level, it’s the highest desert in South America. We make a stop at a lake called Laguna Q'ara and then continue a bit south to another high-altitude lake named Laguna Colorada. It’s another one of Bolivia's most captivating natural wonders. One of the most iconic features of these lakes is its resident population of flamingos. On the last morning of the tour, our alarm clock was set to 4 am. We’re greeted by the breathtaking sight of Laguna Salada. Their still waters reflect the early morning sky with hues of orange, pink, and gold. Here, geysers are natural wonders that erupt with bursts of steam and hot water, putting on a mesmerizing show. The geysers add an exciting element to our morning as we watch them spout their steam into the crisp air. At Termas de Polques at Laguna Salada, we get in the pool of the natural hot springs. As we’re in the water, we can watch the rocky formations and the rugged beauty of the Andes as the sun rises. These pools offer a soothing warmth that's especially inviting on a chilly morning like this one. At the end of the trip, the car was driving back to Uyuni, but we asked to be dropped off at the border to Chile and continue our South American journey that way. It was indeed three remarkable days in this picturesque part of the world.