El Camino de Salar de Uyuni, dia dos

The morning was cold and clear, the tea and coffee were piping hot. A perfect combination in the mountains of Bolivia.

We left the pueblo around 8 am, bursting with coffee, wearing several layers, and swimsuits out for the Aguas Termales. We first drove by Volcán Uturuncu, a giant beautiful mountain spitting distance away.

The edge of the swampy lands

Volcán en the distance

We stopped by Laguna Hedionda briefly, but dubbed it an ugly lake and kept going for Kollpa Laguna, which included our first spotting of wild flamenos flamingos. At this point, we had climbed to a desert, where there was little water of air. There were few animals and not much vegetation, just miles and miles of rocky, sandy earth.

We zoomed past an old mine, which was the business for many years until the area was protected. It just employs a few people now, which is why there are many abandoned houses.

Desierto de Dali truly did look like a Salvador Dali painting. The first explorers though it looked like the deserts Dali depicted, and named it after him. This point of the day was warm, pleasant, and included yummy chocolate milk and saltine crackers covered in chocolate as our mid-morning snack (a huge hit with our chocolate obsessed group).

We went further south, until we nearly reached the border of Chile. Luke and I wanted to go into Chile was farther than it seemed on a map, and we would have had to climb a mountain (not a good idea over 12,000 feet). We finally came upon Laguna Verde, named after the green water the water has from the microorganisms.

This was one of my favorite spots. It was sunny, warm, and literally picture perfect. I took about 20 photos at this place alone in total awe of the beauty.

I just can't get over that sky

After Laguna Verde, it was Aguas Termales and lunch time. The hot springs are a tiny part of a giant lake. The hot water warmed us to the bone and soothed the altitude pains. We sat awkwardly in the corner of the tub while the other foreigners, who were much older, smoked, laughed, and changed their clothing with no regard.

Warm bodies and full bellies let our ascent to Los Geisers en La Zona de la Sol de Manana. The wind was whipping, the sky cloudy, the air freezing, and the oxygen nonexistent at 5000 meters. We squealed with delight at the bubbly earth, and climbed around the holes leading into the earth. Ir was no Yellowstone, everything was free roaming.

I skipped back to the car for about 10 seconds when I started gasping for air. We got back into the car just at the right time; it started hailing again. The visibility was low, but we were on flat, safe ground. What a relief.

We drove through the stormy u weather until we arrived at our hospedaje place to sleep...which I will describe as a glorified shack. We snuggled inside as the roof leaked, hoping the rain could stop so we could go we Laguna Colorada, which we could see from the shack.

Snuggle bugs with

After tea and cookies (not joking) that warmed our numb bodies, we drove to see Laguna Colorada. It's Colorada because it has a red color from microorganisms in the water, which in turn make the flamingos rosado pink. Unfortunately, it was hard to see the color because of the dark clouds.

Soy un flamenco I am a flamingo

After a nice walk, we had dinner and fell asleep with jackets, hats, pairs of pants, and gloves on before 9:30 for a 6:00 am alarm. Our sleep was fitful in the shack, that Katie, Ashley, and Luke thought was teetering on third world. I maintained the running water and actual walls kept it in second world.

Highlights
-Getting some sun at the Aguas Termales
-Having broccoli and cauliflower for lunch
-Meeting fun Israelis at Los Geisers