I am quickly learning that Bolivia is a very diverse country. From the cities with colonial roots and winding masses of alleys, to the snow capped mountains, to the rain forest like jungle, to the flat flat desert, to the completely untouched wide open landscape – it has just about everything.
I made a venture to the southern part of Bolivia to see what I thought was just going to be the infamous salt flats, but I got so much more. I guess that’s the beauty of just signing up for a trip with your newfound friends and roommates and showing up with a backpack and some money.
I’ll be honest and say I had some anxiety going into this weekend. Limited communication, long car rides, traveling with new people, cold temps, many unknowns.. but I also have to say it was probably one of the coolest weekends of my life. I’ve never seen anything like the landscape we saw, and although I know I am just scratching the surface for the beauty that this world holds – this part of the world is truly something amazing.
Trip highlights:
- The FOOD. I’m a little food obsessed but it was so beautiful to be served amazing veg meals in the middle of nowhere. Food tastes better when a) you don’t have to cook it and b) when you’ve been traveling all day. One of my favorite meals was lunch on the salt flats. I don’t even remember what I ate – maybe quinoa with some egg and avocado – but it was just the pure experience and memory of sitting down to this meal on top of the biggest chunk of salt in the world.
- The insanity of how far we traveled to reach these middle of nowhere places! I have to appreciate both the 10 hour bus ride from La Paz to Uyuni and the many many hours we spent in the car to see so much in so little time. Also our driver was great, the snacks were great, and I will not forget listening to Miley Cyrus’s, “The Climb”, as we entered the salt flats.
- Laguna Colorada. Aka the red lake. There was something about this lake that blew me away. I remember seeing it in travel guides before I came here and thinking to myself, “Oh, that’s so far from La Paz I definitely won’t get there.” And then had no idea we were going there until we were there. I don’t have the words to describe the feeling that this place gave me, but it was something like freedom and strength and pure awe at the things that exist in this world. So often I try to be a sponge to soak up what I am experiencing, but I don’t have to try that hard to bring this experience back to mind. This one will stay with me forever.
- The rest of the highlights are too many to name so I will just ramble them on in a big long list:
– Biking on the biggest salt flat in the world.
– Bright pink flamingos in a lake with the most perfect reflection of the mountain
and clouds behind it
– Llamas just doing their thing.
– An Island in the salt flats filled with cacti – Isla Incahuas
– Seeing snow capped mountains that were across the border in Chile.
– Soaking in a hot spring under the clearest starry night sky.
– Listening to John Mayer driving through the desert.
– Watching and feeling the snow fly in front of a 7 colored mountain and desert.
I could probably go on forever, but hopefully this gives a glimpse of the uniqueness, wildness, and beauty that this part of the country is home to.
Bolivia. Put it on your bucket list.
