Woke up early and we were supposed to set off at 0430am. However, there was a delay as 2 tourists lost their camera batteries and chargers in the guesthouse. And there were rumors in the guesthouse that the drivers/guides were drinking heavily yesterday and highly intoxicated.
We had a short discussion to see if we should confront our driver and talk about his ability to drive under the influence of alcohol. Some members of our group ascertained that our driver was sober and fit to drive. Since I was seated at the front seat besides the driver, I could smell that he was intoxicated with alcohol. It was 5am in the pitch dark morning, he was fighting hard to keep awake. I was worried, but I knew that he should be experienced enough. Fortunately, he was okay and wide awake when the sun rise.
Solar de Manaña geyser basin - (4850m)
"A collection of bubbling sulfur pools and a geyser, normally visited just as the sun is rising. There are no railings here, the ground can be slippery and cave in, and that water looks hot."
The highest point of my life - 5200m elevatoin!
(My previous record was around 5000m near Everest Base Camp in Nepal and 5008m in Tibet)
The best deal of the day - soaking in natural hot spring in the cold weather.
Landscape
Laguna Verde - 4400m with Vulcán Lincacabur (5960m).
Border between Bolivia and Chile.
We were singing to "Forever Young" when we bid farewell to new friends.
Llama feeding.
Llama
On the way back to Uyuni, we managed to talk to our driver/guide (Pablo) and got to know him at a more personal basis. He was concerned about the preservation of his indigenous heritage which include speaking Quechua (A native south american language with no writings), but his children were more fond of speaking Spanish. We discussed about religion as well - Catholic, Pachamama (the goddess revered by the people of the Andes).
We were playing rock classic and singing to it.
Like "Knockin' on heaven's door", "Summer of 69", "Flor D'Luna" by Santana etc...
Pablo used to be part of a band when he was younger, but he chose to become a tourist driver to make a living.
One of our tyres was punctured, and I could see the co-operative spirit between the drivers when others would slow down and lend a helping hand if necessary.
We had fun trying local tidbits and buying local kids toys.
=)
One observation: I found a quite a number of products were made-in-China. (Another proof that China is the factory of the world producing goods at the lowest cost).
We decided to go to Potosi together with C&Y. We spent quite some time discussing and comparing the different systems and way of life in Argentina, France and Singapore. In the evening, we took a 5 hour local bus (50B, S$10, US$8) to Potosi. Despite having a bad stomachache, loud horrible local music as well as an uncomfortable non-reclinable seat, I managed to doze off as I was too tired.
We arrived at Potosi (4100m) at 1am. It was cold and dark. We failed to find hostels recommended by C's friend and most of the hostels were fully occupied. The taxi driver was so impatient with us that he left us on the street. We were stranded on the street and was flipping through the Lonely Planet guide book to find a hostel. Finally, at around 2.30am, we found a hostel with a LAST room which could accommodate exactly 4 people. We were lucky!
Feeling excited about getting a place to sleep.
We were really tired!
=)
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