Galapagos (II) - Cruising Around
18.–21. syysk. 2024, Ecuador ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
For the next 3.5 days, I joined a cruise that would take me to some of the more remote parts of the Galapagos - namely Isla Española and Isla Floreana before dropping me off at the other main island, Santa Cruz.
Our first spot was snorkelling at Isla de Lobos Marinos. We spotted some sea lions playing in the water and quickly swam towards them. Upon spotting us, they swam over and we played together in the water - well, mainly them showing off their skills. It was really fun.
In the afternoon, we stepped foot on the island to spot some of the most interesting birds. For years, I wanted to see the blue-footed boobies and on that excursion we saw loads of them up close. Normally, I am not a bird person, but they look so pretty. We also spotted some Fregates and more sea lions and iguanas lazing around.
The next day, we made landfall on Isla Española in the morning to see the largest albatrosses in the world, as well as the Nazcar Boobies and some blowholes by the coast. In the afternoon, after an uneventful snorkelling gig, we went to what is dubbed the third most beautiful beach in the world, Gardner Bay. It was cloudy, unfortunately, so the colours of the water and white long beach didn't quite come out as nicely, but the place was nonetheless incredibly gorgeous. We walked to both ends of it, took some great snaps with sea lions and enjoyed our time in this amazing place.
On our last full day at sea, we drove to Isla Floreana overnight, and stopped at Post Office Bay in the morning. It's basically just an old barrel on a stick that pirates, whalers and other sailors used to stay in touch with home. You write a postcard, place it in the barrel and hope that someone else who lives close to where the postcard is to be delivered, picks it up and delivers it to the recipient. By the time of writing this, my parents actually received my postcard.
Afterwards, we went on one last snorkelling trip with the highlight of it being a seal lion kissing my GoPro. On our last landing, we saw the Galapagos Flamingos at Cormorant Point, which is one of the very few beaches in the world that has some green sand - not much, though, and it's more of a black than a green beach.
The following morning, we arrived at Santa Cruz, disembarked and went to the Charles Darwin Research Centre, where we spotted the famous Giant Galapagos Turtles. At the end of this cruise, I was very happy as I have so far seen pretty much all the animals I wanted (except the Hammerhead, Galapagos shark and yellow land Iguana).
I really enjoyed the cruise, as it took us to remote places, cool snorkelling spots and allowed me to see Galapagos from a different perspective. And with a small group of just 11 people, it was the perfect size and allowed us to spend lots of time with the animals and get really close to them. I can only highly recommend doing it this way!Lue lisää
Galapagos (III) - Last Stop: Santa Cruz
21.–24. syysk. 2024, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Having said goodbye to my fellow travellers on the cruise, I headed to Playa Tortuga Bay, which is a huge and long stretch of white sand.
I just sat down on the beach, read my book, thought about the cool cruise and simply enjoyed having an afternoon off.
The next day, I woke up early to go diving at Gordon Rocks, which is said to be one of the best spots in the Galapagos to see schools of Hammerhead Sharks. Spirits were high. At that point, I didn't even care that the water would be cold (like 18-20 degrees) and I had to wear not one, but two wetsuits, gloves, shoes and a hoodie. The first dive was not yet at Gordon Rocks and visibility was terrible, so we hardly saw anything.
Then came the second dive. All geared up, we jumped into the water in search of Hammerhead Sharks. The current here was a bit stronger, which made the dive a touch more tricky, but a bit more fun as well. But I wasn't here for fun, I was here for the Hammerheads. A total of 44 minutes we were on the lookout for them, but with a visibility of just up to 5 meters, we were not able to see anything meaningful. We saw some big tuna fish passing us and apparently an outline of a black-tip shark, but otherwise just green water.
So I was very sad, when we got back on land without having seen them. But it is nature, I'd rather not see them in the wild than seeing them in an aquarium or in captivity.
Anyway, on my last day on Santa Cruz, I took it slow, wandered around the small town, shared a bench with a sea lion, went shopping and thought about my time here. Apart from not seeing the Hammerhead Sharks (still gutted about it), it was exactly what I wanted out of the Galapagos Islands. A great mix of land- and sea-based activities, seeing tons of animals in the wild, and marvelling about the remoteness and rough beauty of the islands. A trip worth doing, even if the Galapagos are certainly on the expensive side.
That also concludes my time in Ecuador and all I can say is that it exceeded my expectations and was exactly what I needed after feeling a bit exhausted after Colombia: From being somehow surprised by Quito, to absolutely loving Cotopaxi and following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin to see the amazing Galapagos Islands (basically a giant open-air zoo). For that reason, Ecuador has positively surprised me and there are a few other places in the country that I want to explore next time. Ecuador, muchas gracias por todos - voy a regresar pronto!Lue lisää
Hola Peru - Exploring Lima
24.–27. syysk. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Peru, a new country. I wanted to come here in September 2020, but Covid scratched those plans. Anyway, here I am now.
I started my Peru adventure in Lima. I am not the biggest city person, but Peru and Lima are supposed to have the best food in Latin America (which does not count for too much, unfortunately).
So, on my first day, I joined up with Valerie, who I met in Cotopaxi, and her friend and we joined a walking tour through downtown Lima to get a better sense of the place, the country and its history. Afterwards, we had our first try at Peruvian food and, of course, it had to be Ceviche. With a few other dishes in the mix, it certainly hit the spot. Very delicious! The rest of the day, we explored downtown Lima, before heading back to the hostel to just play ping-pong, try Pisco Sours and just chatted the night away.
On the second day, Val and her friend left Lima and I joined a Food Tour through the city. Funnily enough, I had the same guide as the day before, Rubi. The tour was fantastic and we ate loads of different dishes (obv incl Ceviche), all sorts of fruits that are good for all parts of your body and basically made me invincible and finished with some delicious churros.
Rubi was such a great and funny tour guide and the entire group had a great laugh - especially when I made her eat Noni, which is a fruit that essentially tastes like blue cheese (but in a bad way) and is apparently good against cancer. Anyway, Rubi and I hit it off and she invited me to go for drinks with friends the next evening.
Since I cancelled my trip to Huaraz, a town in the Andean mountains in the north, due to bad weather, I stayed one more day in Lima and met up with Rubi and her friends for drinks and a good night out.
So, what do I think of Lima? Well, it's nothing to write home about and just another capital in Latin America. It has a big square as all cities and towns, areas that are safe and that are not and within a day or two you have seen the important parts. What sets Lima a bit apart is its food culture, which I happily indulged in.Lue lisää
Paracas - Where The Desert Meets The Sea
28.–30. syysk. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
The first stop after Lima brought me to Paracas, a small town 4h south of the capital. It is known for its natural reserve and for being the 'Galapagos for the Poor'.
On the way to Paracas, our bus stopped at a huge hacienda with a vast network of tunnels that were used to smuggle slaves and other 'goods' from the sea harbour a few kilometers away.
Once we arrived in Paracas, I went to have some of the best Ceviche I have had so far in Peru and I would actually eat Ceviche on all of my first five days in Peru. In the afternoon, I chilled by the beach and then prepared for a night of partying with locals, other travellers and the waiter who had taught us how to prepare Pisco Sour earlier.
On the second day, it was time to check out the nature reserve. So I booked myself on a sunset tour, accidentally ran into Paul and Ella who I met in San Gil (Colombia) and we all went into the reserve together. I had not expected much, but was positively surprised about the rough beauty of the reserve. It felt a bit like walking on the moon, while being on high cliffs right next to the water. When the sun then finally set, it was a gorgeous moment and the tour definitely exceeded my expectations.
The following day, we would leave Paracas, but not before Paul and I hired some buggies and drove back into the reserve. We stopped in different places than yesterday and driving those buggies through the national reserve was just good and clean fun. Plus, I had never driven a buggy before, so it was a perfect end to my time in Paracas.
My next stop would get me to Huacachina, a place that I have been looking forward to for a long time.Lue lisää
Huacachina - A Beautiful Oasis
30. syysk.–7. lokak. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
A place that feels unreal. An oasis in the desert, surrounded by high sand dunes and a small lake in the middle. Since I saw this place the very first time, I had wanted to go there.
The very first thing a few people I met on the bus and I did after check-in, was to go on a buggy and sandboarding tour in the desert. This time, we did not drive the buggies ourselves, but maybe that was a good thing. Our driver went up the highest dunes and drove down what looked like an almost vertical drop, had good speed driving up and down the dunes and adrenaline was definitely pumping through our veins during his driving.
We also stopped at a few dunes to go sandboarding. You basically lay flat on a snowboard, hold on to dear life and then speed down the dunes. The speed you accumulate really makes this an exhilarating experience.
After the tour and still pumped with excitement, we signed up for an open bar and pub quiz in Huacachina's party hostel. It was the most fun pub quiz I have had in my life. It was not just answering trivia questions, but people changed their clothes with each other, had to do all sorts of challenges (drink a shot out of your shoe, etc), and the atmosphere was just amazing. Of course, we also went out to a small and local nightclub afterwards to continue the 'party' - keep in mind it was Monday. Gosh, I love travelling.
The following few days were mostly about relaxing by the pool, appreciating the scenery and surroundings and going up the sand dunes for sunset and the odd photoshoot here and there. Since Huacachina is a relatively small place, there is not that much else to do during the day, apart from lazing by the pool, catching up on life and exploring the small oasis.
After a few days, we had a fun group together (Rubi, my tour guide from Lima even came down for a couple of days) and we joined a cooking class, a cocktail class and had an afternoon of fun games. On Saturday night, our hostel threw a party, which we happily indulged in, as we partied with lots of locals, with each other and of course ended in the nightclub that we were not leaving until 4.30am in the morning.
Most people stay here only one night, do the buggy tour and then leave the next day. But staying here for a bit longer, enjoying the place, the parties, the people, the surroundings was the right thing to do for me. In particular, as I dreamed about this place for a long time. I had such a great time here that I promised myself, I would return to this place one day.
It also made me realise once again that if you are travelling with the right people, fun can be had around every corner and this is what makes travelling such a unique and amazing life experience. Huacachina - you were fucking awesome!Lue lisää
Arequipa - The White City
7.–10. lokak. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
After the desert adventure in Huacachina, I took an overnight bus to Arequipa. On the way, we did a quick pit stop to see the famous Naza Lines from an observation tower, which are essentially huge formations drawn into the ground. To this day its purpose is still not entirely clear but either a map for water or some spiritual purpose are the most likely explanations for its existence.
Anyway, Arequipa. It is dubbed the White City because most of the buildings in its historical centre were built with white stones from a nearby quarry. To get a better sense of the city and its history, a few of us from the bus signed up for a free walking tour.
Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch and visited the Santa Catalina Monastery, which, in contrast to the white buildings around it, is a colourful and quite large complex right in the middle of the city. We strolled around the monastery, took countless pictures and were a bit in awe about how big it was - it certainly did not look as large from the outside.
By the time we left the monastery, it was shortly before sunset and we went up to a rooftop at the main square to take in the incredible views over the plaza and its buildings. The sunset was beautiful and rounded up a great day of exploring Arequipa. However, we were not done yet. As all of us were hungry, we decided to go and eat something - and we opted to try some of Peru's delicacies: Cuy (or Guinea Pig) and Alpaca. Cuy was very delicious, especially the super crispy skin. Alpaca essentially tasted a bit like beef. With some shots of Pisco, it was finally time to call it a night - happy and slightly exhausted/tipsy.
The next day, some of us opted to jump on a day tour to the Rute del Sillar to explore the quarry and the white stones with which Arequipa was constructed. Our first stop brought us to a small canyon before heading to the main attraction. Walking through the quarry felt a bit touristy as all sorts of figures and objects were carved out of the stones, but nonetheless interesting. Yes, it was an Instagram paradise, but some of the carvings were just super cool.
We ended the day on our hostel's rooftop, but went to bed early, since the following day, it was a very early wake up for an overnight tour into the Colca Canyon.
My impression of Arequipa was that despite being a rather big city, it has a nice small city vibe that I really enjoyed. One does not need too long here, but it is certainly worth a stop.Lue lisää
Colca Canyon - Down & Up
10.–11. lokak. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
I woke up at 3.30am for a 4am pick-up as I was heading to one of the deepest canyons in the world (I think the second deepest) for an overnight trek into the canyon.
Before we started the trek, we did a few stops on the way to appreciate the beauty of the canyon, its depth and its wildlife - in particular the Condor, which is the largest vulture in the world. Since visiting Colca Canyon is the third most popular attraction in Peru, the Condor stop was quite crowded and I was glad to trek into the canyon to get away from the crowd.
The plan was to basically hike all the way down to an oasis, sleep there and then walk the entire way up the next morning. It meant on the first day to literally just hike down with hardly any flat or up sections. Definitely strenuous on the knees, but the views were incredible. It was my first time hiking into a canyon and I was amazed by what nature can create over thousands or millions of years.
It took us a solid 6h to reach the oasis where we would sleep and after arriving, we quickly changed into our swim shorts and took a dip in the pool, before the sun went down.
Again, we went to bed shortly after dinner, as it was an early start again tomorrow.
We headed off at 4.30am and this time it was literally just zigzagging our way up and out of the canyon. It took us around 2.5-3h. Whilst we were obviously starting in the dark, daylight broke pretty quickly and morning colours in the canyon were beautiful and made the incline a little bit more bearable. It wasn't all too bad, to be fair, but whilst the end looked near after just one hour as we could see the trees at the top of the canyon, the hike up dragged on for a lot longer than it looked.
Once all in our group made it up, we headed for breakfast and then a drive back to Arequipa with another stop to spot alpacas, llamas and vincunas. Back at the hostel, I chilled out on the rooftop bar to soak in the last sunset in Arequipa, had a few drinks and chatted with the bar staff about everything and nothing.
Colca Canyon was definitely a cool thing to do and the landscape was fantastic. Of course, we did not hike down the deepest part of the canyon, but still, I enjoyed the hike down and the scenery. Now I can only imagine what the Grand Canyon must look like from below!
With Arequipa in the bag, it was now time to head to Peru's probably most interesting and culturally fascinating city - Cusco.Lue lisää
The Inka Trail - Day 1
12.–18. lokak. 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Taking a flight from Arequipa to Cusco, my plan was to acclimatise for a few days ahead of the 4D/3N Inka Trail that would get me to Machu Picchu - one of the seven Wonders of the World.
However, upon arriving in Cusco in the evening, I found myself at a hostel party that would take me deep into the night so that the next day, I spent more recovering than acclimatising (or sort of both if you want).
Anyway, the night before the start of the trek, we had a welcome briefing where I met the group, our two female (!) guides and after which we rented some equipment for the following day.
The next morning, we were up bright and early and headed to the start of the Inka Trail at km 82. After a short briefing, some pictures and encouraging words, we were off to walk what used to be the old pilgrimage of the Inkas, 43km towards Machu Picchu.
The first day wasn't really difficult to be honest, apart from one steep section that was not very long, though. Elevation was also okay, as we were still way below 4000m above sea level and the path was mostly flat.
On the way, we passed a couple of beautiful Inka ruins about which our guide gave us some interesting information. It was the first taste of what is about to come. The last hour before reaching the first campsite was a bit of a drag though, as we were so close but still had a last incline to master.
Upon arriving at camp, we were welcomed with claps from our Gadventures porters, a nice drink and with tents that were already set up for us.
Before dinner, our group, guides and all porters sat together and we introduced ourselves to each other to put names to faces. It was a wholesome experience and an acknowledgment to the achievement of the porters - after all, they carry up to 20-25kg on the trek while we just do around 5kg.
For dinner, our group sat together in the dining tent and we got to know each other and our travel plans, dreams, etc. In essence, it was a very nice and easy first day and the group seemed to be quite joyful and interesting.Lue lisää
The Inka Trail - Day 2
18. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
For the second day, we woke up around 5am to get an early start. It was said to be the toughest day and after breakfast, we set off starting with a straight incline. The goal was to reach the Dead Woman's Pass - the Inka Trail's highest point at 4215m - at around 12pm. In other words, we had to ascend quite a few hundred meters right after breakfast with almost no flat section in between.
With the sun shining, us ascending and the high altitude in the mix, we were soon all out of breath. That said, me and a few others actually managed to arrive at the top of the pass around 1h earlier than planned and it did feel like a bit of an achievement - even if it was a pointless one.
Once we arrived at the top, the views were absolutely gorgeous and well worth the ordeal. We could see the point from which we started in the morning (yay!), but also the point to which we still had to go today, which seemed miles away - even if all downhill (uff!).
After resting a little bit at the top and taking pictures, it was now time to leave the pass and descend for around 1h and a bit to our campsite. That down section dragged on for what felt like a lifetime and was really annoying on the body, as the steps were pretty much all uneven.
That said, once we arrived at our camp, the porters welcomed us again with claps and a nice drink before we all sat down for lunch. We had the afternoon mostly free, so we just chilled out, had a few chats, the coldest shower I think I have had in my life (it was actually warm stepping out of the shower), read a little and then listened to our guide telling us interesting info about the life of the porters but also about the history of the Inkas, the Inka Trail and other historical facts and tales.
By the time the sun went down and we finished dinner, there was nothing else to do really. Plus, since we were still quite high up, it was starting to get cold, so pretty much all of us went into the tents and by 8pm almost everyone had their lights out and was ready to fall asleep.
It was an exhausting day, even if it wasn't the longest. But the early start, the long incline and the annoying descent were tiring. But we managed to complete the toughest day with wonderful views of the Inka Trail and with a high spirit. And that felt like a solid achievement. Bring on Day 3.Lue lisää
The Inka Trail - Day 3
19. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The last full day before Machu Picchu. Since it is the longest day, we woke up early (4.30am) and started the day with a 45 minute incline to a gorgeous viewpoint and an old Inka site. This really was the last big incline of the trail and when we were told this, we all were relieved.
But it also meant we had to descend these uneven steps, stones and what not. To be honest, at this point, I would have rather walked up slowly than going down as the unevenness of the path became really annoying.
After the end of the descent, we visited what was probably the most beautiful Inka site of the day. It was sitting at a high point on a cliff with views over the Andean Mountain range. We spent some time exploring the site and taking in the views before heading towards lunch, which was about 1.5-2h away.
Once we arrived at the lunch spot, we could see a first glimpse of Wayna Picchu, the famous mountain that serves as a backdrop to Machu Picchu. We couldn't see the city yet, as it was on the other side of the mountain, but knowing it was within 'reach' gave all of us a little motivational boost. That was further enhanced by an incredible lunch. There was so much delicious food, we dug right in and the chef even surprised us with a cake - A CAKE(!) - for desert. No idea how they made that one in a tent.
There was only one slight problem ahead of us. To get to our next camp site, we had to survive what the locals call 'The Gringo Killer'. Basically, we had to descend 1250m within 6km and afterwards our legs would probably gonna be dead - hence the name. Luckily, on the way there were a few Inka sites where we stopped to give our legs some rest. In all fairness, it was strenuous but not as bad as expected.
The last Inka site before camp served as the agricultural hub to feed the people in Machu Picchu and looked stunning the way it was carved into the mountain side with its many terraces. We stayed there for a while to soak in the views and spotted our lunch spot in the far distance. We could not believe that we walked all of this in just 2h - it looked miles and at least a day's hike away.
We reached camp at 4.30pm, had a snack and said goodbye to the porters as they would not come with us to Machu Picchu. We also got told our wake-up time is 3.30am the next day and thus went to bed right after dinner.
The excitement in me was definitely building up for Machu Picchu after three days of walking almost 40km. After all, visiting Machu Picchu has been on my mind for a long time and tomorrow, I would finally stand there and see the city with my own eyes. Machu Picchu, bring it on!Lue lisää
Machu Picchu - A Wonder Of The World
20. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We woke up very early and were all buzzing and ready to finally see Machu Picchu. To get there from our last camp site, we had to walk for 1h or so to the Sungate from which we hoped to have a first glance - and bird's eye view - of Machu Picchu.
After one last steep 'stairwell', we passed the Sungate with the sun rising behind us. The view was clear and there it was: Machu Picchu. Still a bit in the distance, but nonetheless spectacular. Set on a mountain side, it truly was a fantastic view. The moment I saw it, I just stood there for a bit and soaked it in - I have finally made it what thousands of Inkas have done before me. I have reached Machu Picchu.
Our group lingered at the Sungate for a bit before we started to go down and into the city.
On the way, we made a few stops at some small Inka sites, before finally reaching one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The whole scenery looked amazing and absurd at the same time - an entire city basically built on a cliff surrounded by mountains and deep valleys. One of my thoughts was that it truly deserves to be named a Wonder of the World. I was in awe. We took some nice snaps and just to enjoyed the view of the city. I quickly changed into my ‚Inka Sweater' to make the photos look even nicer.
After enjoying the view from the top and getting that 'famous' shot, it was time to explore the inside of Machu Picchu. With our knowledgeable guides, we learned about the history, culture, hierarchy, architecture and emperors of Machu Picchu. I really enjoyed that part, wandering around this ancient place, exploring abandoned houses, wondering what life here was like while still being mesmerised by the stunning views. I also couldn't believe that it took them less than 30 years to build it, but was disappointed to learn that people were living here for less than 200 years.
Machu Picchu is very popular and when we arrived in the city around mid-morning, it was already very busy. But that did not lessen the experience. Being here was truly incredible and definitely a small dream come true.
Having hiked for 3 days, passing multiple Inka sites, walking on the original Inka Trail that was a pilgrimage in times gone by and learning about the Inkas has given me a much deeper appreciation of the place. I was truly happy seeing it with my own eyes and I think the setting in which it was built was more spectacular than I imagined. Machu Picchu, you truly have some kind of magic in you!Lue lisää
Rainbow Mountain - Instagram Heaven
23. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
Following a couple of days rest after the Inka Trail and Machu Picchu, I met up with Val and Chloe who I met in Cotopaxi/Lima and together we decided to visit the famous Rainbow Mountain. Famous, because over the last few years it has shot to fame on Instagram due to its various colours that makes the mountain look like a rainbow - with some fantasy.
Anyway, the bad news was that it meant an early start. We got picked up at 4.30am for a 2.5-3h drive to the mountain. Luckily, we had some breakfast in between to get some energy, as the mountain was located at around 5000m above sea level. While the walk from the bus to the viewpoint was not long (maybe 1h), the last section was steep. And at 5000m steep means you breathe like a horse that ran 24h straight.
Our guide had an extra oxygen tank with him, but luckily none in our group needed one.
However, we saw the odd person on the way breathing heavily into one.
Anyway, once we arrived at the viewpoint, we marvelled at the different-coloured sentiments that formed over thousands or millions of years and which gave the mountain its now famous name - its real name is Vinicunca, by the way.
We took our time to soak in the views and then proceeded to get some nice shots, as the weather was on our side, luckily. Before we left, I bought some Alpaca Chicharrones (fried Alpaca meat basically) and it might have been the best meat I had eaten in a while. It was incredibly delicious and such a perfect purchase. Happy Martin.
One thing I need to mention, though, is that the Rainbow Mountain has become incredibly touristy. There were for sure 200+ people there when we visited, locals offered to carry some tourists on horses close to the viewpoint and queues were forming for the 'perfect' photo. It does take away some of the 'beauty' of the place, but there are still loads of spots around with amazing views without many tourists.
Those spots were where we spent most of our time after reaching the viewpoint. Thus, we found some peace to admire the beauty of the mountain. And the colours really do come out - we were worried that a lot of what we saw on Instagram was heavily edited (they are to some extent), but the colours do indeed make the mountain look beautiful. Maybe not quite like a rainbow, though.
So yes, I think it is worth the 3h drive to admire nature's 'painting', but after a good lunch and 3h drive back, we were nonetheless tired. For dinner, we decided to go for old-school Raclette at a French restaurant, as it was also our last evening in Cusco together. But not to worry, I would see Val and Chloe again later on this trip.Lue lisää
Palcoyo - Nature Is Painting
29. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Having seen the Instagram-famous and very popular Rainbow Mountain, I decided to opt to see more rainbow mountains, but without the crowds and in a different setting. More specifically, I was about to see three Rainbow Mountains in an area called Palcoyo.
The slightly annoying problem was that to get there requires a 4h one-way trip. So, once again, I was picked up at 4.30am for the drive to get there. Sleeping on the bus mostly, that part of the journey passed by relatively quick and we made the usual stop for breakfast.
Once we arrived, I could immediately tell the difference to the other Rainbow Mountain. Hardly any people and the setting, i.e. the mountain range, looked spectacular. So we quickly geared up and started our 2-2.5h walk. Walking past a huge herd of llamas and alpacas, the views that unfolded in front of us were incredible. Colourful mountains on the horizon and we could almost immediately spot two of the three rainbow mountains completing the gorgeous landscape.
Our goal was to reach the summit of the stone forest at 4975m. The first few minutes of the incline was as if someone had closed the air valve to my lungs and I was breathing heavily - but that normalised quickly, luckily.
The stone forest around the top of the summit added to the dreamy scenery and once we reached it, we had a 360 degrees view over the wide and colourful valley including all of the three rainbow mountains. Dare I say that I thought this was more beautiful and definitely more peaceful than the other rainbow mountain. The views from the top were simply incredible, as if stepping into another world - an artist's world who has used a paintbrush to bring more colour into this world.
After lingering a little bit on the top, we started to make our way back, as a wall of rain was brewing in the distance and we did not want to be caught in it. So after around 2h of walking in a painting we started to make the long 4h journey back to Cusco with another pit stop for lunch.
So, is the day trip worth it? l am a bit on the fence, as the colourful scenery is absolutely spectacular and something almost otherworldly and we were there with maybe only one or two other small groups. The big question is an 8h return drive, as the 4h back really was an annoying slog. I was happy that I did it, though, and I think because I had plenty of time in Cusco, it was a good alternative compared to just chilling out. After all, it is like walking in a painting and that alone was worth it!Lue lisää
7 Lagoons of Ausangate - A Rainy Affair
30. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
My next day trip brought me to a lesser-visited place - the 7 Lagoons of Ausangate. Ausangate is Peru's highest mountain. Since it involves a 4-5h trek in high altitude (4000m-5000m), there were not many people on the trail.
But first things first. I was, again, picked up at 4.30am and the weather was mixed, but we were hopeful for stable weather so that the colours of the lagoons would come out beautifully.
After a quick breakfast, we set off to hike 2-2.5h towards the lagoons. And as always, the first little uphill section of the trail felt like climbing Ausangate itself. I was breathing like I just ran a 1km sprint. I guess even though I am well-acclimatised by now, the body still needs to quickly prepare for the upcoming activity. It was a beautiful hike towards the lagoons with majestic mountains and wide green fields on which llamas and alpacas were feeding. There wasn't a really steep incline so the hike was actually quite pleasant (altitude aside).
Once we arrived at the first lagoon, we were quite stunned about the colour of the sand (red) and the scenery in general. We took a break to take it all in, of course took a few photos and marvelled, once again, at nature. Luckily, we thought, the other six lagoons are very close nearby so it wouldn't take long to see all of them.
As we continued to the next few lagoons, the weather turned, however. The mixed spells we experienced earlier, have turned into thick grey clouds and soon after it started to rain. By the sixth lagoon, our hope of just a brief shower vanished as the rainy clouds did not show any signs of clearing. So we brought out our ponchos to keep ourselves reasonably dry and warm. The appearance of the grey clouds unfortunately meant that the colours of the lagoons would not come out nicely, but remain a triste greyish.
So we were left with only one option: to head back to our bus as fast as we could. Problem was that it would still take 2-2.5h as we had to walk the same way back that we came from. Needless to say, those 2-2.5h felt a lot longer and were not really pleasant at all. At least once we got back, a hot soup, hot tea and a hot meal were waiting for us. And of course, 15 minutes after we arrived back at our lunch spot and bus, it started to clear and the sun even made an appearance. At least it helped us dry quicker.
So what do I make of this day trip? It is difficult to say. While it was dry the scenery was beautiful and I imagine that if the sun was out, it would've been a spectacular view. In particular as Ausangate and its glacier were towering over some of the lagoons. But hey, I am still happy that I did the trek and see some of the beauty of Ausangate and its lagoons. I might even consider doing it again, if I have a better chance of sunshine for the entire duration of the day.Lue lisää
Salineras de Maras - Last Day Trip
31. lokakuuta 2024, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
For my very last day trip in Cusco, I decided to mix action with beauty. More specifically, I was first going to drive some ATVs through the countryside, before visiting some interesting salt 'flats' carved into a mountain side.
This time, it wasn't a 4.30am wake-up call, luckily, but our group met at 7am at Cusco's Plaza de Armas, its main square and just a mere 15 minute walk away from my AirBnB.
After a short 1h drive, we arrived at the starting point of the ATV tour, geared up, got a little introduction on how to drive the ATVs, went for a little test drive around a track and then we were off.
Driving an ATV through the countryside was pure bliss and we visited two beautiful and large lagoons, drove through local villages and even raced each other a little bit. It was good fun and lasted a good amount of time, around 1.5h-2h. I could've and wanted to go faster, but, ah well, maybe it is a good thing that we were told to slow down when we were about to go a bit more crazy.
Anyway, once we arrived back at the starting point all safely, we drove to the Salineras with a quick pit stop in a local shop for the guide to explain to us what we were about to see. In essence, the Salineras are hundreds of salt pools in which salty water coming from a little mountain stream is collected on the mountain side before it evaporates in the following two weeks. This process is repeated ten times to leave various layers of salt in the pools before it is collected. The upper layers are then used for cooking purposes whereas the lower layers for medical ones.
When we saw the Salineras the first time from the top, it looked incredible. Basically the entire lower part of the mountain is pure white with hundreds of pools collecting the salt water: I have seen pictures of it before, but in reality it definitely looked more spectacular. We parked up and then went down for a closer look. All I could think was: wow! The expanse of the Salineras was unbelievable. I was glad I had chosen to come here.
There was not much else to do, so after 30 minutes we returned to our bus and Cusco. And with that, my day trips around Cusco came to an end. What can I say? The nature here is otherworldly and there are still a few trips around this incredible city that I have not done. I will explore the city tomorrow, but I already know that I have to return, as there is so much more to see and experience. I already cannot wait to be back!Lue lisää
Hello Bolivia - Exploring La Paz
2.–9. marrask. 2024 ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Leaving Cusco behind, I hopped on a plane to Bolivia where I got amazing views over Lake Titikaka. More specifically, I flew to La Paz, one of the highest cities in the world at 3650m above sea level. The first few days, I just chilled out, partied in my hostel, explored the valley of the moon with a few friends, watched the US presidential election and made a plan for the upcoming weeks.
That is because I would not be travelling alone through Bolivia. Joining me was Maria from Antigua, Guatemala. Remember the little heartbreak a few months ago when we had to say goodbye to each other in my favorite place in the world? So I was very happy when Maria decided to join me and explore Bolivia together. It would be her first proper trip aboard, so I was determined to make it an unforgettable one - for her, for me and for us together.
So, I picked her up from the airport at 3am in the morning and after a relatively short nights sleep, we joined a morning walking tour through the city to learn about the history of the country, the city, its culture and to just see the sights La Paz had to offer.
All I can say is that Bolivia and La Paz seem to be very interesting places. From learning about their crazy presidents (which country used to have a foreigner as a president?) and one of the world's most dangerous prisons (you used to be able to spend a night there as a visitor), to riding a high-tech cable car build by the Swiss to connect various areas of the mountains city (under the condition that the repair/inspections is done by the Swiss) to eating local fruits/snacks, visiting the witches market in El Alto at an altitude of 4150m and getting educated about its rather strange traditions for western standards (under each house is a dead llama or llama fetus depending on the size of the house). It was super interesting, even if a bit bizarre at times. Maria must have thought: "what the hell did I sign up for here?“
To smooth things out, after the interesting tour, we went to have lunch at a very nice restaurant, Cocina Popular, that was recommended to me and we had a delicious three-course meal for just $12 each. Absolute gem!
For the rest of the day, we didn't do much more than planning the next few days in La Paz and resting given the relatively short night we had. We were also starting to mentally prepare ourselves for the following day, as we booked ourselves on a mountain bike tour along the infamous Death Road.
In essence, we had a great first day in La Paz, getting a feel for the city, catching up and yeah, just being happy to see each other and spending time together.Lue lisää
Death Road - What A Crazy Adventure
9. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Time to mountain bike down Death Road. We started at an altitude of 4600m and biked down to 1200m for 4-5 hours. It is called 'Death Road’ because of the numerous deaths that occurred over the last few decades, mainly from trucks falling down high cliffs due to the very narrow path. No trucks are driving on the road anymore, however, which provides the opportunity for our adventure. Crazy, right? But hey, should be great fun.
Maria and I were definitely both a bit nervous. Maria has never been on a mountain bike before, but when I asked her if she wanted to do the Death Road she said 'hell yeah'.
The first part was easy. It was still paved with cars and trucks driving on it, i.e. relatively safe and a good practice for the actual Death Road. We made frequent stops to admire the breath-taking views and Maria was telling me "this is actually great fun, I am enjoying this a lot".
Then it was time for the real Death Road. No cars, no concrete, no guardrails, just gravel and the looming abyss right next to you. Cycling on gravel is very different than cycling on a paved road. A few times I could feel my wheels slip away underneath me and I had to recover at the last second to avoid a fall/crash.
Cycling down Death Road, we continued to make frequent stops to admire the stunning scenery. Every time we stopped, Maria and I looked at each other and laughed, probably about how crazy this whole thing was. At some point, I felt Maria had lost all sense of nervousness and restraint, as she was speeding down some areas, where I thought slowing down would be a VERY good idea.
It was an absolutely amazing experience biking through small waterfalls, along deadly drops and landslides. Just as we were finishing with the last downhill section of the entire Death Road, it happened. I was cycling behind Maria, when I saw her lose control of the bike and fly over the handlebar with the bike flying even further. My heart stopped for a second, but luckily it was on a 'safe' section. Luckily she was alright. A bit of blood on her lips, but nothing broken (bones) or broken off (teeth). I was relieved and quickly started to joke and laugh. Definitely a story to tell, especially for her. At the end point, a very nice pool with a delicious lunch was waiting for us.
How do I rate the experience? Fucking amazing, a must-do in Bolivia. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It is so much fun speeding down, feeling the adrenaline rush, and enjoying the ride and the scenery. Death Road accomplished, even with a few scratches (Maria: "Death Road 1, Maria 0"). In all fairness, afterwards we - and our families - were a little relieved that we survived the death road.Lue lisää
La Paz - Valleys and Wrestling
10. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
After an adrenaline-filled day, Maria and I decided to explore more of La Paz starting with Valle de las Animas - the Valley of the Souls.
There were hardly any tourists in the valley, even though it is a gorgeous place and no official entrance. Instead there are multiple paths and starting points that are all rather confusing. Anyway, after getting lost at first, we walked into the valley, admiring the towering rock formations above us. The thin and tall rocks are basically shaped like a cone at the top, which gives the valley its name as it is believed that souls of the people leave the valley from the peak of those rocks.
Walking slightly uphill was not physically demanding, but we were definitely out of breath as we were above 4000m at this point. We followed a path along for a good hour and a bit, before resting, taking countless photos and simply admiring the tranquility of this place.
After getting back to the hostel, we did not have much time, as we were preparing for our last activity in La Paz: watching Cholitas wrestle. Cholitas are women dressed in traditional clothing and can be seen all over La Paz/Bolivia - esp at markets where they sell their wares. The Cholitas wrestling is not only an interesting show that both tourists and locals enjoy watching, but is an empowerment to the women and symbolises its strength. It is a lot of fun as well.
So we bought snacks and beers, sat down and let the 'fighting' begin. It started with men wrestling, before the Cholitas came out. All I can say is that the show was well worth the money. Plus, we really got into it, supporting a Cholita aptly called Maria in her fight, rooting for her, screaming our lungs out to encourage her to absolutely destroy her opponent - unfortunately she lost, but that was clearly due to an unfair referee decision.
After the last fight and when we were just about to leave, absolute mayhem broke out. All of a sudden a Cholita and the men from the first fight came on stage, all fighting each other. Then it was only the men and they did not care about the stage, but beat each other up all over the room. It was complete chaos for a solid 6-7 minutes. Things were flying everywhere and even the locals spectators were throwing things at the fighters. We absolutely loved it!
But yeah, that was it for La Paz. Death Road was an absolute highlight. Also none of us suffered from high altitude sickness. La Paz is not a 'beautiful' city in itself, as houses are all brown and never painted (in Bolivia you save taxes if you don't finish your house). What enhanced our experience as well was the host of our hostel, Oscar, who was the nicest guy in Bolivia and organised literally everything for us. Such a great character.Lue lisää
Copacabana - Happy 34th Birthday
11.–14. marrask. 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Leaving La Paz behind us, we hopped on a 4h bus to Copacabana, a small sleepy village on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at just under 4000m.
Before doing so, however, Maria a little cake for my birthday. It was an amazing start to the day. Still no idea where she got the cake from as it was a Sunday, but I enjoyed eating and sharing it. Also crazy to think that last year, I was celebrating my birthday in the Serengeti! Anyway, back to Copacabana. We didn't really know what to expect, but one of our main reasons to stay a total of 3 nights there was the incredible Las Olas hotel.
I have seen it on Instagram a while back and thought I would have to take Maria there. Every room is basically a little free-standing house with its own features. We booked the 'Tortuga' accommodation, which was a two-floor house with interesting features like a round bed (never slept in a round bed in my life), views of Lake Titicaca, hammocks on the second floor, etc. Since we arrived only in the afternoon, we enjoyed our little castle a bit before hopping into a private hot pool in the evening to watch the sun set behind Lake Titicaca.
We ended my birthday with dinner in a nearby restaurant. It was a perfect start to my 34th year of life on this planet and I was happy that Maria decided to join me in Bolivia and on my birthday. I will forever be grateful to her for that.
The next couple of days, we spent between our accommodation and exploring the town, eating trout, the local dish, pretty much every day in various forms. The town really is nothing to write home about as apart from eating and having a drink on some of the rooftop terraces there is nothing much to do in the town. Day trips to the Isla del Sol (next blog post) and the tiny Isla de la Luna are the main attractions that draw people to Copacabana.
Two more things we did during our time here, though. The first one was to feed the llamas in Las Olas, which was great fun. The super nice owner gave us lots of grass to feed the llamas with and we happily took the opportunity to give it to them. They were munching them like there was no tomorrow!
We also hiked up to a nearby viewpoint, which was exhausting, but well worth the effort. The views over the town and its countless long peers stretching into the water as well as the lake itself provided a beautifully scenic backdrop. We lingered up there for a while, soaking in the views, taking pictures and chatting about life and everything. When the sun set, we took another dip in the hot pool to round up our time here in Copacabana.
It would turn out to be the last time in Bolivia, during which we could properly rest for a few days as the following weeks were packed with lots of cool activities - starting with an overnight trip to the Isla del Sol here in Lake Titicaca.Lue lisää
Isla del Sol - Hiking The Island
14.–15. marrask. 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
The #1 thing to do in Copacabana is to visit Isla del Sol. We hopped on a 2h boat ride to the north part of the island, where we met a tour guide to show us around the historical sights in the north and to explain to us the significance of those sights and the island in general.
We could've done all of this without a guide and just walked to the Inka site and explored it ourselves, but we were glad to have a guide with us to provide us with interesting context about the tourism industry on the island, its history, culture and the significance of the sites (Lake Titicaca actually means Lake of the Puma Rock). It was all in Spanish, but he spoke clearly so that I understood the majority of what he was saying.
Then it was time for the long walk to the south of the island. It took us a total of around 4h, but offered us stunning views of the island, the lake and the snow-capped mountains in the background.
While the hike was straightforward, the elevation of >4000m made it a tougher hike than it should have been. Poor Maria who is not necessarily a hiking person, but passed the hike with flying colours. I guess travelling with me is not really relaxing. We pretty much chatted for about 4h, laughed a lot, made silly jokes and complained together about every uphill section.
When we arrived at our accommodation, we were greeted by a cute donkey who was gracing just outside of our room. It provided a perfect picture: imagine looking out a window frame, seeing a cute donkey looking into the room, the lake in the distance, snow-capped mountain behind that and a bright moon rising. Picture-perfect.
That night, I took Maria to a restaurant, which was pretty much the whole reason why I wanted to stay overnight on Isla del Sol. The restaurant was called Las Velas and the unique feature of it was that apart from its kitchen, there is no electricity, but the entire dining room is lit with candle light (Las Velas means The Candles in Spanish). The food was also incredibly delicious and the atmosphere was of course quite romantic. It definitely lived up to its promise.
Maria and I had a great time on Isla del Sol. It was such a peaceful place - in particular the north where less people go - and the hike to the south we pretty much had completely to ourselves. There is a little bit of magic on this island, I thought, and we were happy to have experienced it.Lue lisää
Potosí‘s Silver Mine - Buying Dynamite
16. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We had a long travel day ahead of us. First, a 4h bus to La Paz, followed by an 8h night bus to Potosi, where we would visit the (in)famous silver mine and then hop on another 4h bus to Uyuni. But first things first.
Now, here are a few things to know about the silver mines:
1) First of all, it is an active mine with thousands of miners still working in the mines. The conditions are horrendous with hardly any advanced technology. Just imagine working in a dark and dusty mine and now also add the altitude of at 4780m above sea level. Your breathing is gone!
2) Second, the silver mine fuelled the Spaniards riches in times gone by and Potosi is said to had been one of the richest towns in the world - now it is very poor due to the exploitations of the conquistadores.
3) Thirdly, the mines started to operate in the mid-16th century and since then more than 8m people are said to have died in the mine. To this day, our guide told us that around 100 people still die in the mine every year.
4) Fourthly, life expectancy of the miners is just around 40 years due to a proliferation of lung cancer.
So why on earth would we want to visit this place? Well, it provides you with a unique perspective and will shine a completely new light to the value of life and human capabilities. During the tour, we will have a chance to talk to the miners (hopefully make them maybe forget their ultra-hard life for a brief moment) and witness their second-to-none resilience. And lastly, any tourism dollar that pays for the tour is good for the local economy and a part also goes to the miners directly.
Anyway, Maria, I and the rest of the group got a proper miner's outfit and headed to the 'miners' market' to buy supplies to give to the miners in the mine. Here, we also learned about dynamite and, of course, bought some. In Potosi, anyone from the age of 7 or 8 can legally buy dynamite (also foreigners without proof of ID).
A stick of dynamite incl Nitroglycerin, the detonator, fuse, etc. costs a total of 35 Bolivianos (around $5). At the market our guide told us how the miners use the dynamite and some of the accidents that can happen. In addition, popular items that the markets sell are cocoa leaves, cigarettes, fruit juice and 96% alcohol (!) - we took a little sip and it tasted strong, but not horrible. But yeah, we drank some high-percentage alcohol before going into one of the deadliest mines in history armed with explosive dynamite... what could possibly go wrong?
Watching the Cerro Rico mountain and its mine tower above us gave us a weird feeling, but at the same time we were excited and intrigued to experience what life is like in the mine - even though we know it wouldn't be a comfortable 2-3h.Lue lisää
Potosí‘s Silver Mine - Deep In The Mine
16. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Having equipped each other with the proper attire (helmet, headlamp, pants, jacket) and equipment (dynamite, water, juice, cocoa leaves), we drove to one of the entrances of the mine. Towering above us was the Cerro Rico mountain in which the mine is located. It was an impressive, but also slightly scary sight, knowing that the mountain is filled with tunnels, explosions, etc.
Before heading into the mine, we had the chance to talk to two miners that were about to go inside for work. They were quite open in their conversations and told us a little bit about their lives and what it is like in the mine. Then, after sending a quick prayer to El Tio - the protector of the mine (more on that later) - we started our tour and entered the mine.
Hundred meters or so inside the mine, breathing became difficult as the mixture of the high altitude, the mask and the dust made it tough to get air into the lungs. In addition, the mine was clearly not build for tall people and while we could still walk, we had to bend our backs in order to continue. It was silent in the mine and apart from our footsteps the only thing we could hear was silence. It was an eerie atmosphere. Our eyes had slowly adjusted to the limited light that was only emitted from our headlamps.
After reaching an intersection, it was time to descend 70m. I had expected some ladders, but no. We had to literally crawl down on our hands and keens with the ceiling not higher than one meter at times. Being close to the ground as we crawled meant that more and more dust was hitting our faces and lungs.
Breathing really turned into an exercise. It was a tough going and Maria and I looked at each other out of breath and shaking our heads asking ourselves two things: Firstly, what the hell are we doing, and secondly, how on earth can people work here every day - it's inhuman. I think at that point Maria cursed me as well and maybe slightly hated me for bringing her here - I jokingly promised her a 5-star luxury holiday resort the next time.
Once we reached the lower tunnel, we walked only a short few meters before grouping together - it was time to assemble, arm and detonate the dynamite. With the TNT and nitroglycerin in hand, we followed the steps our guide instructed us with and after 5 minutes we basically were holding a bomb in our hands.
Revealing a lighter, our guide lit up our fuses and told us to follow him deeper into the mine to place the dynamite. It was quite a thing when he said: "Don't run". I mean, in my hand I had a fuse on fire connected to dynamite and about 2 minutes until everything would explode. Not knowing any better, we followed our guide as instructed, placed the dynamite deeper inside the mine, walked back and then waited for the boom. It was a muffled explosion but quite a spectacle nonetheless. I mean, after all, where on earth would I be able to legally buy dynamite, arm it myself and then watch it detonate. And, above all, in one of the deadliest silver mines in the world. It's actually completely ridiculous, when I think about it.
Anyway, after surviving the explosions, we continued our tour through the mines stopping at another El Tio again. Our guide blessed him with cocoa leaves and prayed for protection and good fortune. In the 'underworld' El Tio is the protector of the miners, but in the outside world he is referred to as the devil. Not too reassuring to be honest. We also listened to the stories that our guide, an ex-miner, told us about life inside and outside the mines. It was extremely interesting, but, once again, I could not contemplate how people can work under such conditions. It is simply unimaginable.
Afterwards, we made our way to exit the mines, but with one last encounter that made us all really appreciate what life in the mines is like. We met three miners that were working that day. They were pulling and pushing a lorry with their bare hands and body, without any mechanical or technical equipment. The lorry was full of stones and when the lorry derailed a bit, we helped them put it back on. I can tell, that thing was heavy as hell. They stopped and paused and we took the opportunity to ask them about life in the mines and gave them the juices, cocoa leaves and other things that we had bought before. They were very grateful.
They even let Maria and I give it a go and push the lorry. I mean, we managed to move it a few meters and gained some momentum, but the tracks are so poorly maintained, the ceiling so low, the air so thick with dust and the lorry so heavy, that it was difficult to maintain the momentum.
This random and - at least for us - lucky encounter was truly eye-opening. Such working conditions stretch beyond any imagination and thinking that people work here 5-6 days a week is almost impossible to contemplate. The physical and mental toughness of these miners must be outside of anything I have seen before. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought miners working under such conditions is just a tale to scare children to study hard.
I will never complain about my working environment ever again - this tour was one of the best, yet most horrifying experiences I have ever done.
Once we said goodbye to the miners and exited the mine, all of us were immensely relieved to be outside, breathing fresh air and to have survived the tour. We were still slightly in shock about the 3h we spent in the mine. But yeah, rarely has a tour been filled with such an opposite mix of emotions and so worthwhile at the same time!Lue lisää
Uyuni I - The World‘s Largest Salt Flats
17. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
After a somewhat life-changing experience in the scary silver mines of Potosi and cycling down the Death Road in La Paz, Maria and I were now done with the extreme/dangerous activities for this holiday. Our next stop brought us to Uyuni, the starting point of our 3D/2N road trip through the largest salt desert in the world.
In Uyuni, we met up with Kim and Ruud, two fellow travellers I met in Peru and La Paz and who would join us on our tour. After sorting out the logistics, we jumped into a car and our driver and guide drove us to the first stop of the tour - a train cemetery just outside of Uyuni town. The train cemetery is a relic of good times gone by and the salty air and abandoned trains have formed this cemetery into quite a beautiful location.
After arriving there, we jumped on the trains with our cameras in hand, explored the old and rusty wagons and wondered what they must have looked like or drove through in old times. Unfortunately, we did not have much time there as Maria and I could have easily spent two hours or so there. But, at least, we got the idea and visited this interesting place that could tell tales about parts of Bolivia's history.
Shortly after, we made a quick lunch stop before heading inside the salt desert. The first stop brought us to an abandoned salt hotel, which was a bit of a disappointment. However, next to it was an impressive collection of flags from all over the world. The colours of those flags contrasted beautifully with the white and somewhat unreal background. I quickly found the German flag, but Maria did not manage to spot a Guatemalan one, unfortunately. There, we felt we had enough time to take it all in and did a few nice photoshoots before heading to the main event.
The main event was nothing but a long photoshoot. For that, we drove through the white, flat and dry desert until we found a spot where we were literally surrounded by nothing but whiteness and the blueness of the sky. There, we took our time for countless perspective-bending photographs with a variety of props ranging from dinosaur toys, shoes and wine bottles. We laughed a lot - especially when some of the photos turned out to be completely ridiculous.
Afterwards, we headed to another surreal place - a little hill covered in cacti in the middle of the salt flats. It was a little uphill climb and the views from up there felt otherworldly. As if a place like this shouldn't exist. After all, we were above 3600m and the salt flats used to be covered by the ocean, which is where all the salt came from - mind-blowing.
Anyway, our last stop might have been the most beautiful one, as we, again, stopped in the middle of the desert to watch a gorgeous sunset. It was a perfect ending to our day and we were all very happy with the first day. Plus, we were still in awe how such a place could exist. It was surreal. As if we were on another beautiful planet.Lue lisää
Uyuni II - Are We Still On Planet Earth?
18. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
On the second day we left the white salt flats and ventured deeper into the high-altitude desert that lies behind it.
Our very first stop of the day was at a quite bizarre place when you try to imagine it. We got out of the car and around us were weirdly-looking and quite sharp rocks. Our guide told us that those used to be corals ages ago. I mean, we were above 4000m and you are telling me that there were fish swimming around here? That was the last thing I would have thought of.
With that fact to contemplate, we continued our tour into another salt flat. This one, though, was much smaller, less white and not as impressive as the one yesterday. Nevertheless, we stopped pretty much in the middle of it where there happened to be train tracks to transport salt from here into town decades ago. Turned out train tracks in the middle of literally nowhere do provide an excellent opportunity to take pictures.
Next up was a viewpoint that gave us a glimpse of an active volcano in the background. We could see some smoke coming out, which very much reminded me of Volcan Fuego in Antigua, Guatemala. Maria, who grew up there, only slightly agreed and quickly pointed out that the one in Antigua is much more impressive. She has a point, but this volcano was cute, too. The other thing to see there were some rocks covered in sort of green coating - our guide explained it to us, but I don't quite remember what the green stuff was. Lastly, we had some very delicious llama sausage.
Continuing our tour, the following stop was to check out some lakes which were home to hundreds of beautifully pinkish flamingos. They looked quite elegant wading through the outskirts of the lake looking for food. This picture was perfectly complemented with some quite rare Vincuñas (sort of llama basically) and a rugged mountain landscape in the background. Truly a gorgeous site.
After a decent lunch with views over the lakes/flamingos, we saw chinchillas, which are huge squirrels or very cute rabbits. They were not shy at all as we approached them with some nuts. They still live in their natural habitat and it is quite remarkable given that nothing really grows in that part of the desert. True survivors.
With two stops left, the second-to-last location was a bunch of beautifully shaped rocks. It was very windy at that stop, so we took some nice pics before hurriedly going back into the warm car.
Our ultimate stop was maybe among the most beautiful scenery I have seen in a long time. Yes, it was another lake with flamingos and mountains in the background, but the lake and its surroundings were covered in all sorts of colours. It literally looked as if god used that part of the world as a paint box. As if he dipped his brush in that lake to bring colour to the world. To make things even more ridiculously beautiful, the sun was setting to our right, dipping the lake and its colours into a warm light.
The day was amazing. The landscape really was something from another planet and it is hard to believe that places like this exist on earth. Add the white salt flats from yesterday and this whole area becomes even more mind-blowing!Lue lisää
Uyuni III - Geysers, Hot Pools, Volcanos
19. marraskuuta 2024, Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 10 °C
The last day of our Uyuni tour started at 4.15am. However, as soon as the sun was rising behind the horizon, our animal spirits started to wake up and after an hour of driving, we arrived at our first stop - 'geysers'. The landscape looked straight out of a movie, as there were quite a few geysers out of which hot steam blew out. We wandered around and explored a few pathways that led us right in between some of these holes. With the warm sunlight shining upon us, it made for some mystic photos.
Then it was time to properly relax in some hot springs. En route, we were keeping taps of whether we would crack the 5000m in altitude, but unfortunately, the highest point of this tour 'only' got us to 4950m. Still, quite a cool thought thinking that we were casually driving higher than the highest point in Europe or Central America.
Once we arrived at the hot springs, we quickly went into the hot water. It felt as if the warm hands of angels were touching our skin and everyone let out a big sigh of relief. And the views were amazing as well, with flamingos parading in a lake in the distance and mountains surrounding the pool.
After a very relaxing 45 minutes in the hot pools, we were heading to the Salvador Dali desert. It was named after the famous painter because apparently the colours and motives of the desert and the mountains resemble some of his paintings. In all honesty, I didn't see any striking similarities. Plus, Dali never came here. It was still a gorgeous view, so no complaints here.
Then it was time for our last stop on the tour. Getting out of the car, a rough but beautiful landscape unfolded in front of us. Picture a perfectly-shaped volcano in the background, a large lake in front of it and blue skies. And then adding Maria in the photo was, of course, the last missing piece for a picture-perfect scene.
It was a fitting end to a tour that I will remember for the rest of my life. The landscape - from the Uyuni Salt Flats to the petrified corals, colourful lakes, geysers - truly made us feel as if we were on a different planet. It is hard to fathom that places like this exist on earth. Yes, it was long driving at times (esp the second day), but it was all very much worth it. And with Maria, Ruud and Kim, I had the best company as well, making this tour unforgettable.
So, after the last stop, we said goodbye and headed to the Chilean border, which was truly in the middle of nowhere. We got our passports stamped and were all heading to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, where new adventures would await us.Lue lisää
MatkaajaIst echt ein Paradies für Tiere und tolle Strände. Danke dir :)