We began our move to La Paz, Bolivia with a drive along Lake Titicaca. We encountered a short delay getting our Bolivian visa, as we needed more proof of financial well-being (a copy of our itinerary along with the pricing AND proof of payment sufficed but required walking back to Peru to gain access to the internet and a printer).
From there we headed into Bolivia with a stop at Tiwanaku. The archeological site, is thought to have been inhabited from as early as 600 BC to 1200 AD, with it’s heyday between AD 500 and 950. The Akapana pyramid dominates the ruins and nearby is an “underground” temple (make that partially underground temple with a series of images of human heads carved on each wall. Nearby Kalasasaya is an open temple with stone monoliths and the huge Gateway of the Sun.
Tiwanaku influence likely resulted from its remarkable agricultural system, known as the raised-field system which consisted of raised planting surfaces separated by small irrigation ditches, or canals. The canals retain the heat of the intense sunlight during frosty nights, thus keeping the crops from freezing. As a side benefit, algae and aquatic plants that accumulated in the canals were used as organic fertilizer on the raised fields.
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| A sample of the raised bed agricultural system. taken at Sillustani (home to the chullpa/funerary towers) described in our previous posting. |
During the height of its power, Tiwanaku dominated or influenced large portions of what are now eastern and southern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, northern Chile, and southern Peru. Their agricultural system has been recently revived in Bolivia & Peru and has resulted in increased agricultural production.
We arrived in La Paz (3650m, 12,000 ft above sea level) and found that Sunday is a big market day. El Alto Market sprawls for 2 square miles, one of the biggest open markets in the world. We didn’t have time to shop but got to experience the resulting traffic jam and observe how the market takes over a large section of the city with market stalls set up on any available space, be they streets, sidewalks or open squares. After navigating the market traffic and stopping at an overlook to checkout the lower city of La Paz, we made our way down about 400m (1300ft) into the center and to our hotel.
The best surprise, our hotel has an excellent restaurant. When we commented on the red chili pepper in our salad (basically the rocoto of Peru), we learned they are called locoto in Bolivia and come in red, yellow-the hottest and green when the waiter brought a sample of each color.
Monday morning we were up early for our flight to Uyuni (about the same altitude as La Paz) and our salt desert experience, much of which is above 4000m or 13,000ft. We began with a walk around the Uyuni market. Quite a nice market for a town of 18,000.
Just out of town is the train cemetery, a resting place for the retired trains that hauled minerals from the mines of Potosi.
We then headed to Colchani for a peek a a small salt refining business and the market.
From there it was out onto the salt flats for a look at an old hotel made of salt bricks, now a museum and restaurant. Along the way we stopped at the Ojos del Salar (Eyes of Salt) where water bubbles up through the salt layer of the surface. Note: The flats consist of layers of salt, clay and water. It looks like a huge lake covered in ice, until you look closely at the surface and see the grains of salt. Originally normal looking lakes that covered the area dried up leaving the salt surface, which, in the dry season can be readily harvested and/or explored by travelers in 4WD vehicles. In the rainy summer season, water accumulates on the surface and later dries to a refreshed surface “white as the driven snow”.
After lunch and some photos on the salt flats we headed to an “Island” (Isla Incuahuasi) for a walk among the giant cacti (which resemble the saguaros of the Sonoran desert). We enjoyed the views of the cacti with the salt flats and surrounding volcanos. The combination of giant desert plants amidst what appears to be a huge frozen lake is particularly striking.
Then we were off to Tahua where we visited a local family and their collection of artifacts collected from their fields over the years.
Nearby is a Chullpa Cemetery, a small cave with the skeletal remains of several people. We think this is from the same people with the burial towers, but we forgot to clarify this with our guide.
It was nearly sunset and we head back toward Colchani for a view over a water covered section of the salt flats. We stopped for a few photos of flamingos along the way.
Finally we were back to the salt flats ready for photos, wine and snacks as we watch the sun go down.
We arrived at our hotel, Palacio del Sal (a “palace” made of salt bricks) and were pleasantly surprised by the suite we have booked. We chatted with Bill's Mom and her friend Cheryl over the internet and Pat gave them a tour of the room. One nice touch, electric blankets. The down side: the restaurant does not live up to the rooms. Sigh.
Another day of exploring began with quick stops to admire some salt sculptures, some local wildlife (more llamas), and the Rio Grande (no, not that Rio Grande).
In San Cristobal, home to an open-pit silver, lead and zinc mine, we toured the local church. The pueblo, and the church, were moved when minerals were discovered under its original location. The mining company moved the village and church and continues to help the local people. The church is decorated with wonderful paintings depicting the life of Saint Cristobal…but no photos allowed.
Note: Minerals and mining are a major source of income for Bolivia. The main minerals mined are (by volume of extraction) are zinc, silver, tin, lead, antimony, wolfram, and gold. Although lithium has not been exploited yet, Bolivia has the largest lithium deposit in the world. Salt is available in abundance but these other minerals are more valuable.
With all the volcanos surrounding the area, interesting, wind-sculpted rock formations are common. We stopped for photos at several through the remainder of the visit.
Lagoons are also a part of the geography and where there are lagoons there a flamingos and other wild life. You will see a few more of these as we conclude our tour of the area.
Along the way we encountered what looked like long-tailed rabbits. Locally they are called vizcachas, but you may know them as chinchillas. Their color so matches the stone that at first glance you may miss the little guy.
We also stopped to explore some strange formations in the melting snow. Yes, the snow melts in winter, the dry season, in this area.
Hotel Tayka is a bit remote, near the Chilean border and little else. It is high (around 4500m 15,000 ft). Heating is minimal and the blankets heavy, too heavy for sleeping comfort but required by the near freezing temperatures.
Next morning we headed to Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna in the south western tip of Bolivia. Just across the border with Chile is San Pedro de Atacama.
We stopped first at Laguna Colorada, a red lake enjoyed by flocks of James & Andean flamingos.
We entered into the Salvador Dali Desert (so called because the landscape is so reminiscent of Dali’s work). Our first stop was to see El Árbol de Piedra, a red volcanic rock sculpted by the wind to appear to be a tree.
Next up, Laguna Verde & Laguna Blanca (the green and white lagoons.)
Then we were off to Sol de Mañana an area filled with geysers which weren’t very active), but we saw MANY bubbling pits of colored clay (in shades of grey, red, white, and green)
After a picnic lunch we visit one more area of sculpted rock formations on our way back to Uyuni and our flight back to La Paz. The flight was delayed about an hour and a half and we arrived at our hotel around midnight. Fortunately we slept well on the flight.
The next morning we got up around 9am and barely made it to breakfast before they closed. After breakfast we packed up our laundry to drop off at a nearby service. We explored the neighborhood and discovered a French Bistrot, Chez Moustache, which we made note of. When we were finally ready to eat lunch (at 2:30pm), we discovered it was one of the few places open between 2pm and 5:30pm. Fortunately it was really good. Pat had Duck Confit (deep fried thighs & drumsticks) and Bill had Paiche (fish) and mushroom risotto. And we enjoyed the display of moustaches on the wall. Bill tried his best to look like Dali...
Later we worked on photos and blog notes.
On Saturday our guide returned to introduce us to the amazing city of La Paz. We started by heading to Valle de Luna (Moon Valley) by taking the yellow teleferico (cable car) line to the green line to the Zona Sur (the southern zone of La Paz, one of the places to be and be seen in La Paz.) The views from the cable cars is amazing. And what a smart idea to use cable cars as public transportation in this city with so many ups and downs between the various districts.
From there we drove up to Valle de la Luna. We were stunned! We felt like we were visiting a National Park in the SW of the US. Yet here we were in the largest city in Bolivia.
Then we returned to the central part of the city. We first stopped at a mirador (viewpoint) called Mirador Killi Killi for a view of the city & surrounding mountains.
Then off to Calle Jean and the Museo de Metales Preciosos in the historic center. The museum houses four salons of pre-Colombian silver, gold and copper works (crowns, bracelets, anklets, necklaces and more) from Tiwanaku. (No photos allowed.)
We visited the Cathedral (quite simple inside but has lots of nice stained glass windows) and admired the stately government buildings.
Then off to the market, the Witches Market with it's stalls selling love potions, dried llama fetuses, ceremonial wines, offerings for Pachamama (Mother Earth) and more (souvenirs, Alpaca wear, musical instruments, ...
We had a ride back to our hotel, but honestly walking would have been far quicker. Traffic was jammed...probably due to a combination of it being Friday evening AND there was a protest going on. It is common to protest in the most touristic areas here. This was a group of farmers seeking a bridge in their community.
Saturday morning we focused on packing our now almost totally clean wardrobe. Then we wandered around, ending up at Cafe del Monde for lunch. Bill had a llama burger and Pat had a falafel burger. We loved the sign in their reception area.
Walking back to the hotel we admired the art in the center strip of the street.
We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing our packing, reviewing photos and filling in the blog. And we kept trying to get a photo of the snow covered mountain visible from our 9th floor window...but those clouds kept hiding the best parts. If you look closely at the photo you can also see the two level bridge in the lower part of the photo. Actually is is still only a one level bridge, there is one section of the lower level to be completed.
Tomorrow we are off to Cusco, Peru and our Machu Picchu adventure.
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