Arriving in Sucre was welcome after being stuck on a freezing bus at an all night road block. Made even worse by the fact that they would not open the toilet on board!
The thing to do here is go an see the famous dinosaur footprints - in the dinosaur truck complete with plastic dino head of course.
It was a little bit of a theme park.
With life size dino's!
Me & T-Rex.
So they found the footprints as they were quarrying into the rock, after leaving this side exposed for a while they noticed the prints all over it.
Pushed up vertically as the tectonic plates moved they believe that the tracks show the dino's on their way to a water hole. There were loads of them but I think this photo came out the clearest? (Halfway down running horizontally).
Onwards from Sucre we caught a bus to Potosi and a late bus on to Uyuni, piled in with the locals.
Kenny described Uyuni as a 'One horse town without a horse'.
He was not far off it is in the middle of nowhere only the railway defines it transporting minerals & silver etc. to Chile.
The old engine graveyard, all British built!
These engines have only been out of service 40 - 50 years max.
Onto the salt flats, first a salt museum where various animals were built out of salt.
The Salt Flats - incredible, so vast. Created as the Andes were formed. Great areas of the ocean were driven up with them, as they evaporated over time the salt was deposited some 3500 + meters above sea level.
There is little here to give any perspective, distance and size are so difficult to distinguish ......
....................... which is ideal for some crazy photos!
Unfortunately we were not as prepared with props.
Some pics we had to improvise with water bottles etc.
Such good fun.
Finally after driving across the flats for what seemed like ages we arrived at one of the many volcanoes.
Halfway up it is an old grave site with well preserved mummies.
Back across the flats to another island which is covered in old cacti.
Some massive, some over 1000 years old (I bet this photo has never been taken before!)
Cacti everywhere.
The wind was very strong that day and whistled as it blew through the cacti spikes.
Back at the van our driver/cook/guide/mechanic was tinkering inside the bonnet once again.
Time for a few more silly shots.
A little 'heavy' reading (pun - 'heavy' reading as the book is the same size as me).
One of the most amazing places we have been to, miles of salt.
Our first nights accommodation in a hostel made of salt! Even the floor was ground salt. It took Kenny 2 mins at dinner to think of the joke to ask, 'Can someone pass me the salt please?'
The rooms were basic.
Day 2, lots more off road driving through volcanic landscapes.
Amazing rock formations.
Lots to climb on.
The first laguna - full of flamingos.
Incredible how they live so happily up here.
The road was less-than comfortable during the trip and seemed to go on forever.
Crazy rock tree formation.
Kenny - climbing again.
The Red Lake.
Red from algae deposits.
And more flamingos.
Our hostel, night 2. Here with our great group of fellow Salt Flat travellers. The night was cold and the hostel basic, very basic! Ah well the wine and beer made up for it! (Don't forget dinosaur Uno!! - Kenny)
After an early start we drove on to the geysers.
The smell of sulphur was strong.
Amazing to look at in the early sun.
Next stop, a lake where llama casually grazed.
And a small hot springs had been created - too cold outside for us to dip in!
The beautiful llama.
Back on the bouncey road.
To the Green Laguna.
Just an incredible colour.
And yes more flamingoes!
Following this we had a 9 1/2 hour journey back to Uyuni across the off-road terrain. We were so tired.
With a train at 10.40pm that night to Tupiza we had time for a quick pizza at 'Minute Man' (The best pizza shop in town). The train finally arrived at 3.20am!!!! With only 2 trains a week for Tupiza how can they be so late??? In Bolivia they have their own time, if they say it will take 6 hours add on 2 and you will be somewhere close.
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