Bolivia: Uyuni Salt Flats

 Took an overnight bus ride in order to venture into the Uyuni Salt Flats. 

Literally bribing the Salt Flat ranger with coca leaves because our company didn’t obtain proper paper work to enter the Flats.

  An obligatory picture at the Salt Flats is a fun perspective photo.

 

Team 2! Girls from Norway, Ireland and the US.

 National Park island within the Salt Flats.

 Filling our SUVs with gas as we took an “Incan Bathroom” stop.

Rocky terrain. Over the course of the three days, we drove 30 minutes on pavement and the rest was on salt, rock, boulders, gravel, sand and snow. These vehicles last less than two years due to the conditions they have to drive in. But man, going 100mph on the wide open “roads” was a blast.

 

 
Woke up at 4am with temperatures well below freezing in a hostel with no electricity. Sunrise this morning at Sol de Manana hot springs. I was too cold from the 5am geyser hike that I couldn’t bring myself to endure much more wind.

 

Stunning scenery here. Years ago and meteor hit this area. NASA and other organizations came in to do research on it and found the area’s conditions were remarkably similar to Mars. They then conducted Mars trainings. Before our guide told us this story and when we were on the other side of the mountain, it reminded me of images of Mars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bolivia: Walking Around La Paz

Survived the overnight bus into Bolivia, made it through the complicated and expensive border crossing and took a few boat rides.

Sunrise in Puno, Peru before heading out on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. It’s at an elevation of 12,500 ft and has a surface area of over 3,200 square miles.

Uros Floating Islands. Man-made, pretty incredible. Incans developed them for defense.

Hiking out on Isla del Sol.

Part of our day was spent wandering the lively and bustling streets around us. We then made our way to the renowned cable-car system and rode that for a few hours, which led us to respectively walk through a cemetery with intriguing murals.  Riding the teleferico (cable-car) system. These are 13,000 ft above sea level, the world’s highest cable system. It allows locals to travel quickly up and down the mountain and to bypass traffic jams. There are over 20 stations. The cost for one ride is $0.43. While riding the teleferico, we noticed a HUGE cemetery/mausoleum that spread over blocks and blocks. It was built in 1826. Families can rent a spot for 10 years and after that, they must cremate. It was interesting to see all of the artwork on the ends of each section and how personalized the individual plots were. Many had favorite drinks, snacks, toys, etc of the deceased.

After making our way around the majority of the teleferico system, it’s clear that La Paz is a clash of the classes. Parts of the city were modern and ritzy, whereas other areas could barely scrape 2 coins together. Spent some time in a park today and watched people enjoy the pigeons... if that’s even possible. 

 

This picture seems to sum up La Paz. Turn your head one way and you admire skyscrapers and stunning architecture. Turn it the other direction and you find slums and filth.

El Alto. This is the city above La Paz and everywhere you looked, there were markets like seen here.

 

Peru Travel Video

 

Peru: Peru, I Love You!

“It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn – which is what life is all about.” – Oprah Winfrey

While planning this trip, like all trips, it went through many modifications and revisions. Certain things had to fit in at certain times. For example, we couldn’t legally enter Bolivia without our Yellow Fever shot that we were planning to obtain at the Lima, Peru airport upon arrival and that had to be in our system for 10 days.

Peru: What They Don’t Tell You

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” – Babs Hoffman

Often when recounting stories of travel, most stories highlight the great things; the things that make others say “Wow” and “I can’t believe you did that” and such. The stories don’t typically mention the things that make travel difficult.

Peru: Machu Picchu

“I learned my strengths and my weaknesses. I experienced the exhilaration of the ups and the despairs of the lows and most of the feelings in between… I learned courage and I learned it myself” – Ann Stirk

The last 48 hours has been a whirlwind of sights, sounds and feelings. Leaving Lima was quite eventful Monday afternoon because we arrived only to find out the flight was overbooked and we were the lucky two to be bumped.

Peru: Alive, Happy & At Home

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” – Jennifer Lee

My reentry into South America has been well received. I feel alive, I feel happy, and I feel like I could live here. I know some of you won’t like reading the latter, but the barrio that our hostel is located in is perfect. Barranco is one of Lima’s districts and is a bohemian area.

South America: 12 Kilos

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci

 Packing for my trip to South America has been fun and challenging. While I’m a minimalist at heart, there are just certain things you have to have on a stranded island. Granted, I’m not going to a stranded island, but if I were, those things would be in my “personal item" Travelon bag.

South America: Jumpstarting My Life

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.” - C. JoyBell C.

One week of time stands between me and seeing where my dreams take me. Lauren, one of my best friends, and I will be traveling through Peru and Bolivia; the main sites being the Winter Solstice Festival and Machu Picchu in Peru and the Salt Flats in Bolivia.