The Last Tour in Bolivia 😢😢

Up in the Cordillera de los Frailes

We had no idea what to expect today, apart from being told to bring our swimming togs!

As we set off through the local town of Uyuni, we noted the by now familiar sight of the queue for petrol. 

 

I had the opportunity to get a photo while our guide went to collect a tank of oxygen!!! "Just in case!" So, we were going up higher than we had ever been before.

We set out along very rough roads in the direction of Tomave, a sleepy village with a 17th century, adobe built church. It took 89 years to complete it. The round window over the door is 'glazed' with quartz! Unfortunately the church was closed.

 

 

 

Street in Tomave

 

Tomave street. Don't judge the book by the cover, or so we're told.

 

Tomave central square.

 

It's like something from a film set!

 

The best B&B in town.

Moving on from Tomave we drove over very rough terrain, through countryside broken up by stone walls, like those in the west of Ireland. As we drove along a narrow lane,  a young lad appeared and flagged us down. Our driver and guide were expecting him. A local "duine le Dia". He loves Coca-Cola, so the lads had a bottle for him. They assured him that two more cars would soon be passing. The poor lad spends his days waiting for his Coca-Cola.  (Needless to mention, he has almost no teeth😢)

On we drove up and up into the Cordillera de los Frailes. The scenery was stunning and the roads precipitous but our driver was as sure as a mountain goat! 

Everything is brown though, so it lacks the lush greens and blues of the European alps, but it's striking in its sheer enormity. And the animals blend in, so they are well camouflaged from attackers. An ostrich crossed our path and scurried off into the bush!

 

I've edited this so that you can see the vicuña more clearly.

Our next stop was the green lagoon, rich in minerals, including arsenic! No wildlife around here.

 

A short drive away was the blue lagoon. We stopped above it for a photo. We could see flamingoes on the white sand below in the distance.

 

 

Climb down, but you'd better think about the climb back up!

No oxygen needed yet!

We drove on down closer to the lake, and while I tried to get a good video of the flamingoes (they flew off), lunch was being prepared....

 

 

A better section of the road!

Our next stop was higher again. A desert! I can't remember the name of it, but it's not the Atacama! Still, it was strange to find an area with nothing only rough sand.

 

 

After that it was time to head back along the way we had come, more or less, and stop at the baths of the Yellow Lagoon. We were a bit disappointed,  having expected to swim in a lagoon. The volcanic waters have been channelled into two big pools. Do we avoid the hassle of dealing with wet togs, or just take the plunge?

 

Water temperature 34°C

And after that, it's back the hotel for one final sunset over the salt flats 😎 And no oxygen needed!