SALAR DE UYUNI...almost there...
   So Aesha and I prematurely believed for a millisecond that we may have possibly struck gold because we were finally leaving La Paz...No such luck. We purchased our bus tickets out of that hell hole and were set to leave at 9:00 pm. We checked out of our hotel and were elated to finally be on our way to the Salt Flats in Uyuni.
Dun dun dun... At 6:00 pm our hotel received a call for me... Samantha...it's for you...
 "Samantha, it seems as though we have overbooked your bus ride to Uyuni. Also, I'm so sorry but the tourist bus (with heat and a meal) that you payed for is overbooked for several days as well. We can get you on a local bus tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm. It's a 12 hour bus ride but it is a comparable bus." What on Earth.... seriously??? 

Butterflies :)

OK...It's time for these chicas to have some fun. We have been stuck in our room after dark every night since we arrived in La Paz. We were over it!!!  So we researched the best party hostel, actually decided to put on make-up and attempted to dress up (our meager clothes and lack of shoes other than hikers and flip-flops severely hindered our attempts at looking good), and headed out for the evening. The best part....It was a costume party!!!!! And if you know Aesha and I....well, you know we love a good costume party!!! Finally, we thought, we caught a break.
      Don't worry, it didn't last long. The costumes were great, I became an insane pool shark (they have no clue how to play pool in this country), and the drinks were cheap. However, we still needed to leave on that local bus en la manana.
Mi en mi Amiga....arrived at the terminal. We were both worried that the bus would not have heat... This would pose a serious problem when you are cruising at 15,000 ft above sea level. Yup...you guessed it.. NO HEAT...and the toilet looked like something out of a M. Night Shyamalan movie...Not good my friends....not good.
    We made the best of it. It was an extremely disheveled day or five....but who's counting???
We made it to Uyuni. Booked a trip and headed out the next morning. We had no idea what was in store for us and at this point I didn't care. The closer I got to Chile the better, but.......What a treat!!!!
Day 1...Train Cemetery and Salt Flats

Train Cemetery,  Bolivia

Mind you, at this point I still did not possess a camera. I attempted to purchase one in La Paz but every last one of them was a knock-off and everyone there is an a-hole anyway (no, I'm not bitter..not at all). Aesha was brilliant in her photography and we had such a dynamite experience that I was secretly stoked I didn't have to deal with a camera of my own....Thanks Aesha I love you!!

Kick butt Train Cemetery!!

The Salt Flats were absolutely sensational. I was hesitant to go because at that point I certainly had enough Bolivia for a lifetime. However, I am completely stoked that I decided to join the team.

For some reason The American Flag was missing...weird.

 As we coasted along the flats I experienced a peculiar sense of emptiness. The eerie vastness of this space just creeps up on you. With over 4,000 sq miles, these are the largest Salt Flats in the world and they contain over 10 billion tons of salt. Over 40,000 years ago it was a gigantic prehistoric lake that eventually dried up and created these incredible salt flats. It's a super fascinating place and we both genuinely enjoyed the majestic beauty here.

Tigresa and Pantera rule Del Mundo!!!

Our Team, "Team Salty Dog" was a perfect combination of folks. Two Americans, two Bolivians, and two Hollanders. We were all jam packed in a Land Cruiser for three days. We really got to know each other.

Hector No!!!! Don't eat me!!!!

The first day was my favorite. The Salt Flats were sublime and I even brought a friend. Shhhhh. His name is Hector. He tried to attack me but after he realized that I was his only source of companionship he let me go. We are now besties...Sorry Aesha...

Sexy Tigresa Rosa!!

Perfecto!!!!

   I don't feel that it is necessary to mention my gorgeous companion Aesha and her passion for the Hoop, however, although she was beautiful as always that day there was something special here in the flats. Maybe it was the lack of depth...I'm not sure, but she rocked the hell out of that Hoop!!!

Flat tires suck!!!!

   We were on our way to a hotel made completely out of salt when we got a flat tire...In the middle of nowhere!!! Thank goodness these guys are trained for this kind of thing. Several other tourist trucks stopped to help. They had that tire fixed in record time! It was incredible!!
The Salt Hotel was pretty much just a tourist trap but I fell right into that trap and bought a ton of stuff...per usual!  

Next stop...Incahuasi or Pescado (Fish) Island, located on the Salar.

No Fumar Hector!!!

This island  completely blew our minds. Here we are in the middle of miles upon miles of nothing but salt, then this mysterious island pops up. Loaded with what seemed to be an infinite number of cactuses...literally thousands and thousands of them!! Many over 15 feet high. We hiked to the top of the island and had an astounding 360° view of the Salar. It was freaking amazing! The only problem was that Hector kept trying to smoke. Bad boy Hector!!!!!!! 

Pescado Island

Oowwwweeeeee!!!

   The weather at the Salar de Uyuni is completely unpredictable. It was exceedingly hot in the morning, it then later started raining and the wind was whipping and roaring at around 30 miles an hour...and at night we pretty much froze to death!!! We literally slept in every layer we own but it was sooooo worth it!! 

We stayed in the Hostel de Salar.  Everything was made of salt! It was an incredibly unique experience. Is was basic but the bright decor and intimacy well made up for the lack of anything we may have craved, like hot water perhaps (a luxury to us backpackers). Team Salty Dog had dinner together and we all got a bit more acquainted with one another. What an experience!!! Even our beds were made of salt!!!

Chilean Flamingos

DAY 2... Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarkota Lagoons the Volcano, The Stone Tree, and the famous Red Lagoon...

One of several inactive volcanoes in the area

There are three types of flamingos indigenous to the Salar: Chilean, James's and Andean. The Chilean are the most attractive (hahahaha...). This was one of the highlights of the trip.These birds are remarkably beautiful and the lagoons themselves are completely different than anything I have ever seen before. Too bad the lagoons stunk so bad we almost puked. Apparently flamingo poop is ridiculously stinky. Ewwwwww!! 

Poopy birdies

Most of the second day was spent driving along the flats. Other than some great photo opportunities it was quite uneventful.... 
Oh except when our car exploded. That was great!!! Once again...many other tourist vehicles were around to help. This time it seemed like something very serious. Now, I'm no mechanic, but when parts are taken off, saws come out, tubes are being cut and glued and tied together, water is being poured in a million different places and the car is smoking, Houston....we may have a problem.

Holy shitballs!!!

 

I really tried to get some writing done!!

The scoop: The car was completely fixed in under ten minutes. Are you kidding me???? Haha!! It was riconkulous!!! Yeah buddies!! Muchas Gracias!!! We were now on our way to The Stone Tree to stop for some lunch and relaxation time. I attempted to write but my paparazzi (thanks Aesha) kept taking photos of me, thus distracting my train of thought. It's hard being so damn famous.

Stone Rock

It was a day of sensory overload in every sense of the meaning. We were mentally exhausted and the altitude was starting to get to us but when we arrived at Stone Rock the contrast of the different shades of red and bronze tones rejuvenated our spirits. So many beautiful things to take in here at the Salar!!!!!

     It started hailing golf balls on us on the way to the Red Lagoon...and what??????? It started to snow. Awesome.

Red Lagoon

The second night was mellow and we were in bed quite early...We had a 5am start the next day. We woke up to a full blown blizzard. It was completely ludicrous!!! 

I ran away from Chicago to get away from the snow!!!!!

DAY 3...GEYSERS AND FINALLY...CHILE!!!!!!

Team Salty Dog

 

Up up up!!! Get up Team Salty Dog!! We are heading to the geysers!! WooHoo! In a blizzard...Fun.

Stinky Sulfur!!

The Solar de Manaña geyser basin is a collection of bubbling, boiling, and muddy sulfur pools and a geyser or two... It boasts a fantastic collection of colors and this creates a very dramatic effect against the mountains in the background. And yummmmy, there is just something about that sulfur smell...Hahahahaa

There are no railings, no safety restraints, nada. It's severely slippery, the water is boiling over and we felt that at any moment the ground was about to cave in. No Gracias!!!

We didn't stick around long...We need to get to Chile!!
Please....all I want is Chile!!

Bubbling brew!!! Hahahahaha

 

We had an insanely long and bumpy ride to the border during a white washed blizzard, but we made it!!! Chile...I love you already! 

 It was freezing in the Salar that day and we couldn't wait to get to San Pedro in the Atacama Desert. Well, we got exactly what we asked for!!! We woke up to a blizzard and were in 100° dry desert heart in 10 hours. Holy hell I almost did a freaking back-flip!! We have been so busy enjoying Chile that I have been severely slacking on the blog...sorry for that!! I promise there will be a new one in a day or two...Chile is perfect...

Love from Vina Del Mar, Chile- The Savvy Nomad

"THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS ROAD" El Camino de la Muerte!! 
La Paz to Corioco, Bolivia
SHEER MADNESS!!!!!

  I can´t sleep. I toss and turn as intrusive images lure me into an ambush of lucid dreams. Avalanches, landslides, plunging off cliffs to my eminent death, being mauled by pumas as well as a variety of other horrid scenarios occupy my brain.. I need to sleep. Tomorrow is a huge day. Tomorrow I will race (ok..ride) a mountain bike 40 miles down the Andes Mountains in Bolivia reaching speeds of up to 45 miles an hour. This road is deemed the most dangerous road in the world and I´m going to bike down it? What the hell is wrong with me??? I turn over to see Aesha in her bed wide awake staring at me. It´s 2.30 am. We just look at each other with a knowing glance...are we freaking crazy???

I'm not scurrrrred.

BESTIES :)

We are still awake when the alarm sounds. Something about the idiocy of this ride actually petrified me. Maybe it´s the the 1900 ft staight cliff drop offs, or the fact that it is a single lane road and at most places no wider than 10 ft across. Maybe it´s the fact that I will be on a mountain bike in the Amazon jungle. Maybe I just want that damn t-shirt they give you if you finish..you know the one that says " I survived The Death Road" Who knows...all I know is it certainly got my blood pumping, and for that...I thank you Death Road!!!!!

Uno, dos, tres...SALTAR!!!!

             We arrived at Madness Bike Adventure in the wee hours of  the morning. The adrenaline rush that starts to take over you body before you are about to voluntarily experience something that may considerably alter your life is an intense feeling. We watched the videos…we knew what to expect yet somehow we were incapable of saying no. I will admit, perhaps I  influenced Aesha quite a bit, but she conquered those 40 miles like a champ!! I know she would have regretted it if she decided to stay home and visit more lame ass ruins…hahahah

Lil ol' bridge

  Our guide Octavio was fluent in both Spanish and English, so we completely understood him when he made us sign the waivers (no fault), just in case something happened. He promised us it was very safe and that we had nothing to worry about!! I have gotten so used to the rain that when the sun was out that day and the crisp breeze tickled my nose, I had a moment with myself…this is going to be an amazing experience, and amazing it was!!! Absolutely one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had in my entire life. Scary…hell yes….fun as shit…you bet!!!!
     After a brief safety demonstration and the fitting of our gloves, helmets and the ever-so-sexy rain pants we were on our way up the mountain. Our minivan inched its way up to 15,000 ft and as we twisted and turned every corner all I could think of is the fact that we needed to get down this mountain…on a bike.
We arrived at the top where the actual Yungus “Death Road” begins and Octavio requested we check out our brakes…Really? Wow, thanks…I certainly hope that they work at this point!

Yes..that's the road

     I sized up my competition. I felt as if I  had an advantage over the girls but the guys were just so much bigger than I and they would undoubtedly be able to gain more momentum and speed than me. This doesn’t mean I didn’t try my damnest to kick their butts down that mountain, but alas, the sheer magnitude of their body mass, compared with their choice to almost never use their brakes, made them take the lead over me. It’s ok…as Octavio repeatedly said “this is NOT a competition” hahaha yeah right…do you know who you are talking to???
 The first 20 miles of the road is on asphalt and it’s not closed to through traffic. This part scared the bejesus out of us, but the need for speed won me over and I was Ralampago on that bike!!! The lower you crouch, the faster you go….it was stupid fun.

Love you Mom and Dad!!!

The landscape was a scene out of a Lord of the Rings movie. Sweeping snow capped mountains and gorgeous lush valleys and meandering rivers below. Karst formations meeting beautiful red and pink sandstone. Perrinkle skies dazzling with dreamy white clouds that seemed to be smiling down at us. I was expecting a rainbow and a leprechaun at some point but they never showed.
     It was quite chilly at 15,000 ft but as we speedily descended, we were able to shed layers. The Death Road is unique in the sense that it joins the Andes mountains with the Amazon Rain forest. The vegetation was lush and tropical and boasts many different types of flowers including my favorite…orchids.

The second half of the journey is where the road gets it’s  famous “most dangerous road” status. Sharp, hairpin turns, 2000 ft drops, only a few feet to wrangle your bike, cascading waterfalls (on your head), streams flowing directly over the road, which is made from rocks and gravel,, not to mention the seemingly never-ending mass rock wall. To my left all I see is the mountains behind and the valley soooo far below. On my right I am met with a rock wall ascending 1000’s of feet, covered with jungle vines and wild orchids…and in front of me….well it's difficult to say because there are so many 90 degree turns I was never sure what was going to meet me around each corner. It was completely breathtaking (not sure if it was the elevation or the fact I was holding my breath half of the time) and there were times when I just stopped (my brakes did work!!) and just took it all in. 

      I cried at one point because it  just felt so good to be alive and able to experience the world in this capacity. I felt one with nature. The adrenaline was replaced with appreciation. A deep appreciation for nature and the sheer elegance and natural beauty of my surroundings. I still really loved the speed though…  

Light as a feather...

   Our guide was actually so impressed with me he seriously offered me a job as a guide. Hmmmmmm a tour guide in Bolivia….ummm I’m going to have to pass as most of you know how I feel about my experiences here in Bolivia. Now if we were in Thailand or Hawaii perhaps…who knows!!!!
     The trip down  the mountain took 4 hours to complete because we stopped at a spectacular waterfall to have lunch, take photos, and breathe...
     This is a MUST do if you ever come to Bolivia and has been one of the best experiences I have ever had whilst traveling. It’s not for the faint at heart but if you know how to ride a bike and are not afraid of heights , altitude sickness, getting hit by cars or boulders ,falling off of cliffs, or just plain fainting…this is for you…Sheer Madness!!!!

Aesha the "Fierce" Badass!!!

A nice little surprise...After the ride we were taken to a posh hotel in Corioco for a fabulous buffet lunch and were allowed plenty time to swim in the pool. Pool??? It’s been so rainy and gross the past month we were shocked (and nervous to have to be in a bathing suit) yet overjoyed. The backdrop was gorgeous and we stuffed our faces and swam and sipped on crisp cold brews. It was a perfect ending to a perfectly insane day. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pool and beers!! Great times!!!!

Me at el Camino de la Muerte

To my Mother:
 I want to let you know Mom, that I wont be doing this again, so don’t worry!!!This whole blog was a trick Mom, you see...this is all I really did that day!!!!I love you! (see right)
Next blog....later today.. a 3 day jeep trip across the Largest Salt Flats in the world, the Salar de Uyuni. It shall be another epic part of this amazing journey on this road called life. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!
-The Savvy Nomad

Lake Titicaca!! Puno, Copacbana, and La Paz, Bolivia
Goodbye Peru! We will miss you, and I will most certainly miss my preciosa camera I left in your care.
And away we go... We decided to take a guided tour bus called the Inka Express ($55 US, and that´s mucho dinero for us measly backpackers!!) from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Yay for us, another 10 hour bus ride, only this time there was an amusing little twist.We pre-booked this tour bus several days ahead and willingly agreed be up at 5:00am on December 26. At the time this seemed like a a very plausible situation. However, we didn't foresee the shenanigans we were about to delve into on Christmas night.  Let's just say there was a copious amount of celebrating going on with Team Locas Bananas on that lovely Christmas night. Want to hear a joke???? Two girls, I'll call them Aesha and Samantha, wake up at 5:00am. They are hungover, disoriented and reeking of red wine and Lomo Saltado (meat dish in Peru). They take turns abusing the bathroom then somehow manage to get on a 100% family packed tour bus. There are two French children already shrieking and kicking the backs of their seats at full force, the tour guide sounds as if she is in a world's loudest guide competition...and they haven't even pulled out of the terminal yet!!!...The punchline....the children bellowed and kicked for 10 hours straight. When Aesha finally got up enough nerve to politely ask the impudent child to stop kicking her chair we were accosted by her father. He came up to Aesha, hysterical brat in tow, and howled with his repugnant French accent "You are a grumpy, mean, lady!!!! Look, you made my little daughter cry!! You are mean and you should be ashamed of yourself!" It took everything I had not to punch that man in the mouth. 

Traditional Bowler Hats that Bolivian women wear

         The day was long and laborious, but the tour was fascinating and we made several stops along the way to Puno. It was the day after Christmas but the celebrations were still in full force. 

Gorillas!!! Run!!!

 We were lucky enough to get to see a proper Bolivian festival in Sucani. It was a barrage of colors, costumes, unique dances and foods. It was quite the site to see. The people moved in unison to beating drums and rhythmic percussion.

Bolivian Christmas Celebration

 It was dazzling and put huge smiles on our faces...even though we are mean, grumpy ladies! 
    Our next stop was Raqchi "Temple of Wiracocha". This temple was built by the Inca to honor a superior God that was invisible to the Inca people. It's quite impressive!

Raqchi "Temple of Wiracocha"

Best damn fried chicken in the universe!!

    We arrived in Puno late that evening and had an impossible time finding a cab. It was pouring rain (of course), we were starving, and the relentless car horns were only adding to our already pulsating heads. Somehow we managed to arrive at our "Hotel". Puno is a port town and offers nothing really to tourists except for a Disneylandish experience of so-called "Floating Reed Islands and Reed People" on Lake Titicaca. We opted out of that tourist trap and instead walked the lackluster city. I even stopped at a street food stand and ate fried chicken. Dangerous on my stomach, perhaps..delicious in my mouth...absolutely!! We even experienced a carnival of sorts. We actually laughed out loud at the site of this. I'm not sure I even have the words to describe the hilarity of what we experienced at this carnival, maybe the picture can explain it better.

Anyone want to go for a ride??

Oh how I wish he would let me drive this thing!!!

                 We wanted to experience Lake Titicaca from the Bolivian side because quite frankly the lake looks disgusting in Puno. It's full of trash and smells like the elephant exhibit at the zoo. No worries for us though, we heard many amazing things about Copacabana, Bolivia...and we all know the song right??? At the Copa...Copacabana...It just sounds fun!!!
     Crossing the Puruvian/Bolivian border was a disaster but as always...we pulled through. We are Savvy Nomads, verdad??? As Americans, we were given an extremely difficult time obtaining visas, while travelers of other nationalities breezed on through immigration. Americans are the only ones who have to pay $135 US dollars for a Visa, obtain a Yellow Fever vaccine (we lied about that one...oops), and give copies of our credit cards, places we were to stay in Bolivia and blah blah blah... For those of you that know some Bolivian history, you understand why we encountered these obstacles. For those of you who don't, no need to worry, I'll provide a brief explanation later about the history and the anti-American sentiment we were slapped across the face with daily while in Bolivia, but for now....Vamos a la playa!!!!

Frutas delicioso!!

    Copacabana was a perfect reprieve for us. It's a cozy little beach town with a hippy vibe. Laid back, sunny, great food and cheap wine. What more can a girl ask for?? (Actually, my boyfriend would be nice, but that's way too much to ask for. Love and miss you Kenny!!)

Copacabana!!!! It´s sunny! Yay!

We relaxed, shopped, walked the town and planned our much anticipated trip to La Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun), on Lake Titicaca. We decided on a boat trip that would drop us off on north of the island and pick us up on the south side 6 hours later, leaving it up to us to hike the 6.5 miles across the island. Wow, what a wondrously spectacular hike. Our jaws dropped around every corner. The photos never seem to do the scenery justice. This hike was superb in every way.

Isle del Sol

Tripod and self timer...genius!

It was a radiant, brilliant day...perfect hiking conditions. The hike across the island offered sweeping panoramic views of Lake Titicaca and the surrounding islands. We encountered several types of animals along the way: llamas, alpacas, pigs and their cute little piglets, wild dogs, cats, donkeys, dragons, monkeys, mermaids...hahaha still paying attention???


                            An awesome element about traveling with your best friend is the memories you make together. Sure, I can blog my face off... but the memories we make; those times when we just look at each other, our ability to speak taken away by the sheer beauty of our surroundings and the feeling that someone else on earth has just shared that moment with you is priceless. Thank you Aesha for being such an amazing travel partner!!!

So serene!!!

Lions and tigers... Oh my!!

OK, it's obvious, we freaking loved Copacabana and
Isle del Sol. We even got to ride lions and tigers...so what if they were stuffed...they were real to us and that's all that matters!!!
We each cried a single tear upon leaving our beloved beach town behind. I could have stayed there for months. But the trip must go on and we headed to La Paz, Bolivia, the biggest (and one of the poorest) cities in Bolivia. We weren't sure what to expect, but I'll be honest, nothing prepared me for what we got...
    I consider myself to be well traveled and have experienced a bounty of reactions to my US Citizenship in the 39 countries I have visited, however, I have never been met with such genuine disgust and hateful sentiment as I have received in La Paz, Bolivia.
     We arrived on New Years Eve and the city was a bustling mess of people. The traffic made rush hour in Chicago seem like the Autobahn. We are staying in a hotel...ish in the ghetto, and when we asked the cab driver to take us to the " Hotel Milton" he actually laughed and said "Hotel Milton...not the Hilton!!!" He claimed that due to the festivities he could only drop us near our hotel...near????...Oh shizer...what have we gotten ourselves into????
Our entire street was one gargantuan market chalked full of a superabundance of fruits and vegetables, flowers, alcohol, dead llama fetuses (yup, you heard me right), raw beef and chicken carcasses, spices, tools, clothing, knock off this and thats, and it smelled atrocious!!! We meandered our way through the snakelike markets until we arrived at The Milton.
 I smiled at each and every person along the way and did not receive a single smile back. What is going on here? It's an extremely uncomfortable feeling to be met back with frowns and blank stares and my uneasiness grew as the the last few I smiled at actually snarled at me. Dorthy, we are not in Kansas anymore...
     It just feels dangerous here. I've done my research on Bolivia and I'm well aware of the dangers of traveling in Third world countries. Bolivia is a socialist country and the people here are not afraid to show their fair share of anti-American sentiment. I was prepared, it just hit me harder than I expected. It's tugs on the strings of my soul that 75% of people in Bolivia live off of less than 2 US dollars a day. I completely understand their disdain and distrust of Americans due to the anti-capitalist movement in this country. They are desperately trying to move from Western style capitalism to a system of communitarianism and I completely understand why.

New Years Eve 2012

We decided that it was just too dangerous for us to go out after dark so we opted for an early dinner and were in our room well before midnight. We watched in awe as the city literally seemed to explode before our eyes....Everyone and their brother, and their brothers kids seemed to be shooting off fireworks! It was an all night affair and when we removed our earplugs in the morning and pulled open the curtains we witnessed several intoxicated people scattered about and garbage everywhere. Happy New Year!! Although we are experiencing somewhat of a difficult time here we stay for the adventure sports that Bolivia has to offer. We just completed a 40 mile downhill bike ride down the "World's Deadliest Road"....It was one of the most insane things I have ever done! You'll have to stay tuned for that one....It's a blog of its' own!!
   We are off tonight for yet another 10 hour bus ride to Uyuni, where we will take a 4 day jeep trip across the largest Salt Flats in the world, Salar de Uyuni!!!! Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!!
Love and health to all- The Savvy Nomad