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Touring the Salar de Uyuni is the main reason for a trip to Bolivia and perhaps the whole of Latin America. Sleeping in a salt hotel before leaving was one of those activities that inspired me the most.
Accommodations in Bolivia
Spending cheaply, in Bolivia I stayed in what they consider to be gentlemen’s hotels. But if they did those reality shows there where they evaluate hotels by checking the dust in the corners, it would be laughable
More than once, in hotel receptions, when asked if they spoke English, they replied, smiling, as if I had asked them for a bed on Mars. The constants were: small beds, minimal lighting, air conditioning or heating as worrisome as the electrical system, and creative showers. A hearty breakfast of fruit was provided in almost every place.
Sunset in the island of cacti (tour in the Salar de Uyuni)
The most spectacular photos found on the web taken while touring the Salar de Uyuni. are real, but taken when there is a trickle of water and everything is reflected. The seemingly endless expanse of salt is nonetheless spectacular at every turn and gives a powerful thrill, even if you feel like you’ve seen it before and despite the compulsion of participating in the usual discounted photos. The one where the optical illusion creates a fake dinosaur chase, I admit, is very funny.
The high point was onCactus Island, which is actually a knoll that rises above the whiteness and is filled with large cacti. After the slow walk (lack of air), I experienced one of the most spectacular sunset aperitifs you can have in the world, with in the background, even the very Italian Raf singing a worldwide hit song
The ‘salt hotel
In this remote part of the world, the only material they had in abundance and quite solid, was salt; therefore, they had always built houses by making salt bricks. The hotel was not right on the salt lake, but on the border, and of the 3-day tour in the Salar de Uyuni, we actually spent less than one day in the salar. However, I must say that the colorful lagoons and landscapes we saw afterwards were not inferior to those in the Salar.
About the salt hotel I was ready for the frost that was announced. I’ve never slept so bundled up. In addition to being dressed in several layers, with 4 blankets, I also had the self-heating patches that are used in the high mountains. I slept very well, despite the absolute cold outside. We were at 3,600 meters, in the desert and without heat. Dinner was served very early and the generator for electricity was turned off soon after. So much darkness allowed us to enjoy a very thick and bright starry sky.
Previous stop Public transportation in Bolivia
Next stop Meetings during the Andean plateau tour.
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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