Las Lagunas in the Altiplano

4.12.

Today we take a detour to the real Bolivian Altiplano Outback! Will we have enough fuel? After a small breakfast, we start our journey and soon after Google Maps leads us to an early turn-off and we end up on a pretty terrible road that we promptly leave after about 5 km to switch to a better road that we can see 500m away. This is a characteristic of the Altiplano: there are usually several roads next to each other, each one as bad as the other. Anyone who feels like they are driving on the best one can consider themselves lucky. Sometimes the roads split, and it is confusing which one to follow, sometimes they come back together - sometimes not. Playing road roulette in the middle of nowhere is nerve-wracking!

Now we are on this pretty decent road and we are happy that the sights, namely the different lagoons, are reachable. But we are mistaken! The good road was built for a nearby extraction of volcanic rock. We deviated from our original path because we thought that the best road would also be the "right" one. After about 10 km, it turns towards a volcano and we end up on a really terrible road, but luckily it has a sign with the right direction. From now on, it is so noisy in the car that we can't understand each other well, let alone listen to music. It keeps shaking strongly and the best solution is to speed up at about 60 km/h without caring about anything else (yes, we had to secure the gas canister again), so that we can make some progress. Our car also struggles at 4500 meters above sea level... When going slightly uphill, it only moves in second gear, no matter how fast we drive. Therefore, our range decreases considerably and we are unsure whether we will really manage to complete the planned route. We drive lazily and annoyed through the desert, constantly choosing one of the sometimes ten sets of tire tracks that wind towards the horizon, hoping that our destination, Laguna Colorada, will soon appear. At the entrance of the national park, we pay five times the entrance fee (yes, there is a national park in the middle of nowhere without roads). Foreigners are treated differently. Is Laguna Colorada worth the trip?

We forgot along the way... Yes, it is beautiful, but after three hours of road horror, maybe not so wonderful. The flamingos, alpacas, and vicuñas don't seem to mind the difficult access. We continue to visit the next lagoon, moving further away from civilization. The 40 km seem endless, but we make it. And what a miracle, after 4 hours of driving, we see the first car! The second lagoon is not as beautiful as the first one, but it has hot springs for bathing. We stop at the comedor, a kind of restaurant right by the springs, where we meet the 5 jeeps of the photography group that we saw on the Salar.

There seem to be two hotels, and the one that looks like a hotel seems to be fully booked?!? (No tourists in the entire Altiplano and the hotel in the middle of nowhere is fully booked?) Until now, we have been the only guests in every hotel, but here it should be full? We don't understand the world anymore... Funny enough, after our visit, the unfriendly owners lock up the hotel and drive away... The second hotel is closed, so we ask at the comedor if there are still accommodation options here.

Fortunately, there is a third hotel that is still under construction. The rooms are already finished (according to Bolivian standards) and we have found our accommodation for the night. Exhausted, we buy tickets for the hot springs at the comedor and spend about an hour in the warm water, where we can restore our nerves a bit. We observe the seagulls and the one flamingo from the pool and reflect on Europe and the easy travel on short distances with good food, beautiful and highly varied places, and fast transportation connections. Oh, how wonderful we have it in the heart of the European Union!

For dinner, we go down to the comedor where we have a great time with the father and his two children. They play us some tunes on traditional instruments and we also try to produce sounds from the flute-like and guitar-like string instruments. Afterwards, there is a lively exchange of cell phone pictures that give each side an insight into the living conditions and places of residence. Dinner is simple and good, and the wine is smooth and sweet.

5.12.

After breakfast (we have wonderful pancakes), we embark on the long journey back to civilization. Today, we have a good 7 hours of off-road driving through the desert ahead of us. Past other lagoons with even more flamingos to the north, until we reach a village where they forgot to hire someone for the entrance barrier. Luckily, we have a 4x4, so we can still move forward through the narrow passage. Refueling the 30-liter tank on the roof with a hose is quick and easy. Amelia sucks on it and the fuel starts flowing. The fuel gauge jumps to 2/3 full, which reassures us a lot because we need about half a tank to reach the gas station 4 hours away. The way back is more scenic and road-wise, and the nice people in the small villages help us with the junctions. In the evening, we arrive in Uyuni and go to eat something first. The pizza sauce is oversalted, but the burger and the beer are good! Our hotel has internet and hot water, what more could you want! We take our time and book all the remaining hotels until our departure in a week. There is no need for dinner anymore and we snuggle up in a really comfortable bed once again.