A boy and his backpack. A tale of journey and adventure.
September 17, 2008
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East to Bolivia
Ok, Ok. At long last I am finally getting around to telling the rest of my stories from South America. Things are getting mighty hectic around here, and I figure that if I do not send these out today, I may not get the opportunity to send them again. I have included a few new people on this e-mail who have shown interest in what has been going on. I can send you guys some of the older e-mails if you are interested, just let me know.
After spending several days in the Atacama Desert, it was time to head east into Bolivia. We took a small bus from our hostel and headed out of town to the Bolivian border. It was only about an hour drive. I have included a picture of the Bolivian Immigration office. It was a sign of things to come as we crossed the border from South America’s most profitable country (Chile) to its poorest (Bolivia). Bolivia is going through hard times right now. Economic and political crisis are finally coming to the forefront, only a month since Sharla and I have left the country. The USA released a statement today advising all US citizens to leave the country as it has been deemed “not safe” for Americans in light of recent news.
However, it was not quite that bad while we were there. Bolivia is poor. It is evident almost everywhere you look. But, it is poor only in the modern sense of the word. Bolivia is rich with natural beauty and resources. After clearing the immigration post (after about an hour), we were greeted by our driver for the next three days. Six of us were placed in the back of a 4-Runner for our trek across the Bolivian countryside. There were no roads. In fact, to call the ride “bumpy” might be a bit of an understatement. It was well worth it though. The next two days, we would see many amazing sights, animals, and natural landmarks. I have included pictures of some of the things we saw. Laguna Verde, a lake that appears bright green due to the algae that lies below the water surface. The next picture is of our accomodations the first night and the lady who cooked our dinner. It was freezing. Easily in the teens, if not lower. Our beds were mattresses set on top of a slab of concrete. We bundled up under eight layers of wool blankets… and shivered anyway.
The next morning we drove all day again, stopping to share friendly gestures with a local fox. I have included a couple of other pictures as well. Including a picture of me with the rest of the cars inhabitants for those three days. A couple from Spain and a couple from Switzerland. The last picture is a rock formation that you may have seen before. It is from a famous painting by Salvador Dali. This is where the inspiration comes from.
The last day would be spent discovering the Salar De Uyuni. It was such an amazing experience, that I have decided to send another e-mail with pictures exclusively from that day. Until then……
