After the longest bus drive in our life ( 26hrs!) we finally arrived on Sunday morning at Villazon, Argentine/ Bolivian border.
We felt tired and the altitude ( we are now up to 3300m), we had to find a bus to go to Uyuni , our final destionation.
We understood quickly that we were back in a cheap (some say poor) and chaotic country, 20 people hasseling us: "ticket, ticket donde vas?" all ticket prices are negotiable even when buying from the official ticket office.
We spend £1,20 each for a bus ticket to Tupiza a town about an hour and a half away. The scenery along the route is spectacular (this completly compensates for the bumpy dirt road).
In Tupiza we discover there is only one bus to Uyuni and its not for another 6 hours again some negotiating is required before we finally pay £3.70 each, but the ticket office has no change (we are trying to pay with equivilant of £10 note) so Digby spends 20 min going from shop to shop trying to get change to buy the bus tickets. After nearly 30 hours of travel we spend 6 hours sitting in a bus terminal in a small town.
The bus arrives 40 min late it looks like it is still running by the grace of god and defies physics, we get on. Every one else seems to have allot of clothes on and people even have blankets, how over the top we think. 2 hours later into our 8 hour journey and we are freezing. The temperature has plumeted to -15C, the windows don't close properly and bumping over the dirt road they open all the time so you have to keep closing them.
One window is actualy I see a bit of card board and celotape that is coming loose. We put on every piece of clothing we have. As the bus is doing 80km the wind chill is killing us through the windows that don't close. We huddle together in the dark (there are not lights so its pitch black) its 1am maybee 2 hours to go maybee more. Shaking and ratteling along a dirt road my body starts to shake uncontrolably because of the cold. (most of our clothes are in our big packs in the bottom of the bus, the shaking is making Sofie sick, a cold sweat and she want to vomit. (FUCK we think to ourselves this is the worst ride of our trip so far)
3am we arive everything is closed there isn't a soul in the streets except a few other people getting of the bus. (its still fucking freezing) We ask directions and finaly find our hostel. We get in, the owner explains the rooms have heating (I could kiss him!) Sofi's feet have to be heated for 25min on the electric heater so she can feel them again. Then we jump into bed under 5 blankets wearing thermals, socks etc and sleep like babies. 38hours en route and the coldest bus in the world and we have arrived.
The next day, it seems funy and we laugh about it but Sophie was vomiting because of the alitude(3700m) or the cold bus ride, so she sleeps some more. Digby explores the town of Uyuni, the markets and find the best price for the salt flat tour in a 4x4 for the next day and bus tickets to La Paz. This time only a bus with blankets and heating will do! He also buys Sofi a traditional colourful Bolivia woen blanket to cheer/warm Sofie up.
He also bus a massive bag of coca leaves (also used to make cocaine) to chew on as all the locals seem to do it. He is very energised and active all day.
The salt flats turn out to be worth every penny and then some at 12000km2 they seem to go one for ever. We see some guys doing back braking work of shoveling salt into a truck, again at altitude this is seriously hard. They earn 10p for every 3Kg!
The" casa des inca island" in the middle has massive 1000 year old cactuses and lama'a in the middle of the totaly white pristine salt flats, quite an alien scene.
The train cemitery is strange, they just dumnped some trains in the middle of no were.
We really enjoyed it, before getting on the bus Digby buys a big hand made sweater made of alpaca wool just incase. Sofi is wearing enough layers to make her look like a Micheline man.
Heating is minimal but the blankets and all our clothes are nice and warm. It may still be a dirt road bumping through the night, but we are toasty and warm which is all we care about.
xx
D+S
We felt tired and the altitude ( we are now up to 3300m), we had to find a bus to go to Uyuni , our final destionation.
We understood quickly that we were back in a cheap (some say poor) and chaotic country, 20 people hasseling us: "ticket, ticket donde vas?" all ticket prices are negotiable even when buying from the official ticket office.
We spend £1,20 each for a bus ticket to Tupiza a town about an hour and a half away. The scenery along the route is spectacular (this completly compensates for the bumpy dirt road).
In Tupiza we discover there is only one bus to Uyuni and its not for another 6 hours again some negotiating is required before we finally pay £3.70 each, but the ticket office has no change (we are trying to pay with equivilant of £10 note) so Digby spends 20 min going from shop to shop trying to get change to buy the bus tickets. After nearly 30 hours of travel we spend 6 hours sitting in a bus terminal in a small town.
The bus arrives 40 min late it looks like it is still running by the grace of god and defies physics, we get on. Every one else seems to have allot of clothes on and people even have blankets, how over the top we think. 2 hours later into our 8 hour journey and we are freezing. The temperature has plumeted to -15C, the windows don't close properly and bumping over the dirt road they open all the time so you have to keep closing them.
One window is actualy I see a bit of card board and celotape that is coming loose. We put on every piece of clothing we have. As the bus is doing 80km the wind chill is killing us through the windows that don't close. We huddle together in the dark (there are not lights so its pitch black) its 1am maybee 2 hours to go maybee more. Shaking and ratteling along a dirt road my body starts to shake uncontrolably because of the cold. (most of our clothes are in our big packs in the bottom of the bus, the shaking is making Sofie sick, a cold sweat and she want to vomit. (FUCK we think to ourselves this is the worst ride of our trip so far)
3am we arive everything is closed there isn't a soul in the streets except a few other people getting of the bus. (its still fucking freezing) We ask directions and finaly find our hostel. We get in, the owner explains the rooms have heating (I could kiss him!) Sofi's feet have to be heated for 25min on the electric heater so she can feel them again. Then we jump into bed under 5 blankets wearing thermals, socks etc and sleep like babies. 38hours en route and the coldest bus in the world and we have arrived.
The next day, it seems funy and we laugh about it but Sophie was vomiting because of the alitude(3700m) or the cold bus ride, so she sleeps some more. Digby explores the town of Uyuni, the markets and find the best price for the salt flat tour in a 4x4 for the next day and bus tickets to La Paz. This time only a bus with blankets and heating will do! He also buys Sofi a traditional colourful Bolivia woen blanket to cheer/warm Sofie up.
He also bus a massive bag of coca leaves (also used to make cocaine) to chew on as all the locals seem to do it. He is very energised and active all day.
The salt flats turn out to be worth every penny and then some at 12000km2 they seem to go one for ever. We see some guys doing back braking work of shoveling salt into a truck, again at altitude this is seriously hard. They earn 10p for every 3Kg!
The" casa des inca island" in the middle has massive 1000 year old cactuses and lama'a in the middle of the totaly white pristine salt flats, quite an alien scene.
The train cemitery is strange, they just dumnped some trains in the middle of no were.
We really enjoyed it, before getting on the bus Digby buys a big hand made sweater made of alpaca wool just incase. Sofi is wearing enough layers to make her look like a Micheline man.
Heating is minimal but the blankets and all our clothes are nice and warm. It may still be a dirt road bumping through the night, but we are toasty and warm which is all we care about.
xx
D+S
