Getting Salty in Uyuni, Bolivia

Day 1 – The Flats

Our three day road trip around southern Bolivia started in the tiny town of Uyuni. We met our guide, packed up the truck and we were off! Very quickly we came to the first stop on our journey – a railroad cemetery. We scrambled over the rusted hulk of steam engines like an adult playground.

Next stop was a salt factory in the small village of Colchani. We saw how they processed the salt from the salt flats into cooking salt in building made of…salt!

Now we were finally headed into the real salt flats, the road ended and became two tracks in a sea of white. There was nothing around for miles and miles except perfectly flat salt. It was confusing since there was no frame of reference my depth perception was all out of wack. We tried to take advantage and make some silly pictures, but the camera focus wasn’t set properly and they didn’t turn out well. After driving what seemed like forever in a straight line we came to an island covered with cacti.

After even more traversing the white expanse we arrived at our hostel for the night. Of course everything was made of salt! The floor, the tables, the chairs, even the bed was salt! It was surprisingly bright and refreshing. The food was basic Bolivian fare, broth soup with fries and Platos Macho for dinner. For breakfast we had eggs and bread.

Becoming one with Nature at Manu, Peru

We said bye to Erin who had to go back to the states, we were back on our own. Before heading into Bolivia we decided to hop over to the Peruvian jungle and cloud forests near Manu Nation Park. We booked a four day expedition to Chontachaka Ecological Reserve.

After driving through the mountains and clouds for hours we finally stopped at a small hut. Several of us were instructed that this was our destination and then the mini-bus promptly drove off. We had no indication of where we were or where to go except for a trail leading into the jungle. The trail ended at a zip line trolley across a river – so that was the next logical step. Once we crossed the river we saw a few huts and eventually found the keepers who welcomed us to the Jungle!

Over a pasta dinner the hosts told us what to expect in the jungle. To my surprise this was home to the famous “Bullet” ant who’s bite is a bad as a bullet. I didn’t expect to see it at all, but they were surprisingly numerous. Luckily they weren’t aggressive and would only attack if really provoked. To work off dinner, the hosts took us on a night hike. We saw bio-luminescent mushrooms while we thought about if we wanted to partake in a San Pedro Ceremony.

The next day was a beautiful day in the Jungle. We took a morning hike to see some big trees and several waterfalls. There was plenty of time to cool off in the fresh water filled with a surprising about of fish. Lunch consisted of soup, veggies and banana chips. After lunch the hosts took us to their ‘secret’ waterfall and we had a great time swimming in the splash zone.

As the sun went down our hosts setup the San Pedro Ceremony, which everyone had decided to attend. They tea it made tasted horrible and not to long after I felt incredibly nauseous. Luckily that soon passed and Sara and I had a wonderful time thinking about life while watching the lightning light up the trees into different beings. We wandered back to the main hut where we saw everyone else chatting and having a good time. Just as everybody started talking about food the host brought out a large pot of rice they had preemptively made, which was fantastic!

Our last day there we relaxed in the river before more rain moved in and forced us to relax at the lodge. We played games, petted the animals, and caught up on the blog. I even made the pasta dinner that night!

We really enjoyed our time in the cloud forests and were sad when it was time to take the mini-bus back to Cusco. To make it even tougher Sara’s ring slipped and fell through a crack in the floor – we looked for it until the bus came but couldn’t find it again.

Kiteboarding in Paracas, Peru

FullSizeRender My reason for visiting Paracas was simple – to spend time on the water kiteboarding. A friend we met in Vietnam gave us some tips on the best kiting places in Peru but unfortunately we were not close to any of those recommendations. After doing a little research in Lima, I found that Paracas had good steady winds. The PeruHop bus ticket we booked also stopped in Paracas which made it very convenient.

We left Lima early for the relatively short journey south. Driving straight would only take about 4 hours but we made several stops at interesting tourist destinations which were included in the ticket. The first stop was Cristo del Pacifico where we had an amazing view over the city of Lima before heading out into the desert. Next, we stopped on the road overlooking Pachacamac, Lima’s version of Machu Picchu. The bus was was high enough to see over the wall barrier so we could see the ruins without paying the $25 entrance fee. The next major stop was at an old Spanish colonial house (Hacienda San Jose in Chincha), but the real excitement was underneath. Descending a narrow staircase led to a maze of Continue reading

Food Tasting in Lima, Peru

FullSizeRenderAn early morning flight from Quito brought us to Lima mid-day. After settling into our hostel, Kokopelli, we attended to our laundry, visited a supermarket, and had an early night watching a movie from our portable library. We had a slow start the following morning while planning our stay in Lima and our upcoming month in Peru.

Hostel Emergency

Just as we were gathering our things for an afternoon walk, Will said that we had to go in a rushed tone. I looked towards him at the window and saw smoke billowing past. As we quickly gathered our valuables (passports and electronics), I opened the door to find hostel employees rushing through the halls with fire extinguishers. Continue reading