To get to the Salar de Uyuni in Southern Bolivia, you have to get to the small town of Uyuni. Although on paper it was a very small distance, and we were told only 9 hours away (and when you’re buying the ticket you’re thinking “9 hours—is that all? That’s not so bad”), our last Bolivian bus would prove to be the worst one taken to date. When we arrived at the bus terminal in Sucre and saw the bus waiting to take us, our first reaction was to laugh. The bus was nothing like the one pictured in the office where we bought the tickets, it was rickety, and looked like it had been serving the public for a good 40 years, if not longer. It was a small bus, with no storage under the bus, all bags were strapped onto the roof and covered with a very dusty tarp for a bit of protection from the coming road. Cargo was loaded onto the top from the office window upstairs, and we all waited apprehensively to board. Once we got on, we were relieved to see that the seats did recline (it would be horrible to be sitting on a bench seat all day). However, our relief quickly evaporated when we realized that the seats were actually stuck permanently in the reclining position; and it was more of a half bed position actually. So now we would have to nearly lay down for the entire day’s ride to Uyuni.
Our Last Bolivia Bus
The only enjoyable part of the day was our lunch stop in Potosi actually. We had been wondering what we would find to eat during the day, and we had a wonderful lunch of potato empanadas, juicy watermelon, sweet biscuits, puffed maize, fresh squeezed orange juice, bananas and ice cream. We paid just 1 Bolivano (less than 15 cents) for each item, and it was absolutely delicious!
Lunch in the Street
The ride quickly deteriorated after leaving Potosi and the pavement. The dust was unbearable at times, and we had to choose if we’d rather suffocate from heat (and leave the windows closed to keep the dust out) or if we’d rather breathe in thick dust (for the sake of a small breeze). At first we chose the heat, but we quickly realized the dust was coming in any way through the floorboards and the seals of the windows. Visible columns of dust could be seen as the sunbeams came through the windows. And so we finally just surrendered ourselves to the mess and stopped caring. The young couple in front of us with dark hair had so much dust in their hair they looked like they had undergone major stage make-up for a play in which they were to play an elderly retired couple with very grey hair. My clothes were soaked in dust and all surfaces of skin were gritty to the touch from dirt.
View of Road
The driver stopped once about an hour after lunch for a rest stop. This consisted of his girlfriend knocking on the door of the conductor’s area and asking for a stop, then he came back and said we could all get off and use the “bano natural”, meaning the ground. Everyone piled off and went to one side or another of the bus, and there weren’t any rocks or bushes to hide behind. I guess it is quicker to just have everyone go at once rather than to have to wait for those annoying lines in the women’s bathrooms! He didn’t stop again until [desperate] I had Garret ask him to stop, about six bumpy hours later. Several other grateful people piled off with me to use the “facilities”.
Llamas Along the Way
The area reminded me very much of Utah, and this one stretch of I-70 that states that there are no services for the next 135 miles. Only our road wasn’t paved, and so it went on for six hours with absolutely nothing. I’ve no idea how many miles this way, probably about the same; because even though our driver was driving “like he stole it”, we didn’t make fast progress on the gravel road.
The Main "Highway"
After three wonderful days in the Salar (separate post about this amazing trip) we found ourselves on another long bus ride, but this time in Chile from San Pedro de Atacama to Quilpue (near Vina del Mar and Valparaiso). What a different country, what another world! Our 22 hour bus ride was MUCH easier than the 9-hour-ride-which-was-really-11-hours in Bolivia. We had a two story bus, with a working bathroom on each floor. Moreover, the bathrooms had paper, soap, and water! There were also three flat panel monitors that came down from the ceiling when it was time for movies (they showed 4 or 5), and each seat was like the ones on airplanes with a place to plug in headphones, a reading light, and an air vent. And yes, there was even air conditioning! The seats reclined for sleeping quite comfortably, but they also sat upright which is sometimes comfortable too. We stopped in real bus stations, didn’t stop for people whenever they put out their hand, and left and arrived on time. There was a digital sign in the front of the bus that said the name of the conductor, how long he had been driving, and what our current speed was. Apparently they are not allowed to drive more than 4 hours without a break, nor are they allowed to exceed 100 kph (62 mph). We also drove on paved roads that were actually freeways (autopistas) with signage, exits, merge lanes, street markings, and other signs of civilization. Oh, and we had a bus attendant who served us complimentary sandwiches, pineapple juice, chips, cookies, and let us know when it was our stop to get off. This all has come as somewhat of a culture shock to us.
Leaving San Pedro de Atacama
The biggest shock of all is the price tag that comes with civilization. We got used to paying $6-8 dollars for our hotel rooms in Bolivia, and that price even got us a private bathroom with hot shower half the time. In Chile in San Pedro de Atacama, we were quoted $32 for the most basic of rooms with shared bathrooms [we opted to camp for $16 per site]. And while this is still cheap by US standards, we suffered price shock for the first few days upon arrival, wondering how we could continue to stretch our savings for a few more months in the face of “normal” prices! The solution—we will be leaving Chile after only a week, to travel the more moderate Argentina southward to Patagonia. We’ll come back once or twice to visit the Torres del Paines area in the South, but for the most part we’ll keep to Argentina.
Starting to Feel Like California
It feels a bit like home though, and I guess that’s why prices are more. We can drink tap water here. The roads are every bit as nice as the USA. People have more expendable income, and are not consumed with working all the time. They have time for hobbies, like rock-climbing; and the food quality is amazing. They serve meals with bread and olive oil, and locals dine out along with foreigners. The scenery changed from the arid northern desert to temperate California-looking coastal scrubland. I saw artichokes, almonds, avocados, strawberries, and oranges growing alongside fields of blooming California poppies. It is spring here, and it feels like home.
California Poppies in Chile
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