Into Bolivia April 27, 2009

Bolivia isn’t the easiest country to get into for Americans these days. The US has made it difficult for foreign travellers, requiring fingerprints and charging hefty fees. So some countries are getting back at us. Chile charged us $125 to come in. But Bolivia, in addition to a similar fee, requires a list that includes proof of a Yellow Fever vaccination. We only planned to visit the highlands where there is no risk of getting that disease, but we got ourselves to a hospital in Santiago and rolled up our sleeves so we could qualify for our visa. Several other tasks kept us amused at the border, but finally we crossed the bridge into one of South America’s most colorful countries.

We taxied to a small train station in Villazon, past chaotic border markets with kids selling pirated cd’s and women in bowler hats selling llama sweaters. The old but comfortable train rambled and swayed (but stayed on the tracks!) for 3 hours to our destination: Tupiza.

One of Tupiza’s claims to fame is being near where Butch Cassidy and Sundance met their demise. The scenery could fool you into thinking you were in the American southwest, red rock slot canyons, cactus and adobe construction.

Tupza is small and not too touristy. We spent a couple of days eating Italian food (pizza and pasta dominated the restaurant scene), buying supplies (no supermarket, everything sold at small stalls, including coca leaves) and even going on a horseback ride. Allison’s horse, Pancho, turned out to have been a prize-winning jumper and leaped over a small ditch.

Tupiza is also a popular starting point for a jeep tour known as the Southwest Circuit. This corner of Bolivia is high and wild. Known as the altiplano, there are only a few remote settlements and various dirt tracks that lead to some of the world’s most incredible scenary. We carefullly researched our tour options and selected one known for its reliable vehicles:

Actually this flat didn’t slow us down much, and when we stopped for lunch it was great to watch the guides patch the tube so there would be a spare once again. The road just kept climbing, and the German tourist sharing our jeep kept checking his altimeter. We spent much of the tour at an elevation of up to 4,800 meters (around 15,000′)

Our first night we stayed at a family compound that had been converted into a hostel of sorts. The kids went out to scrape up some firewood. The hills had various llama corals built of stone. It was bone-chilling cold.

The Toyota Landcruiser rules out here – every tour company uses them.

Mario, our guide and driver, liked exploring and getting even further off the beaten trail.

What a Treat! A great hot spring to warm us up.

We spent a lot of time in the jeep, but there were plenty of stops. Lago Verde gets its color from minerals such as arsenic.

Lago Verde with our jeep-mates Paul and Victoria

Bubbling mud pots and geysers – Yellowstone in the altiplano

Three kinds of flamingos are found here. Yes, they often stand on one leg. It gets so cold that sometimes the lake freezes them into place at night and they have to wait for the sun to melt the ice before they can move. So forget any thoughts you may have had about flamingos being only a tropical bird.

Vicunas are a wild relative of the llama. Being in the camelid family must help them eke out an existance in this harsh landscape.

Geology steals the show out here. Vast lanscapes of painted hills, steaming volcanoes, and weird wind-sculped rock forms like this made the jeep tour fascinating in spite of the long days bouncing on roads and tracks that would have been impossible to naviagate on our own.

Our last night we stayed in a “salt hotel”, where the walls and even the furnishings were made of, you guessed it… salt! We were perched at the edge of the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat.

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