Before buying tickets to South America, Uyuni was one of the destinations we wanted to see so much. We looked at the pictures and couldn't imagine there, on the other side of the world, on the largest salt lake on the planet. Months later, our fate was smiling and here we are.
Where we wanted to be, where the sky merged with salt. Everything around us is white, as if we were in a "white fairy tale without end." The eyes ache because they are not used to this sparkling whiteness, and the skin burns from the hot sun above us. We roll our eyes, look forward, backwards, put on our glasses, sunscreen and continue to tread on the crunchy salt under our feet with heavy backpacks that we didn't think about with the back pain for at least a day or two because of the beauty that lies before us. We clicked on and then, enjoying the desert of salt, we secretly knew we had to find a place to sleep. We had a simple option - the tent! There was only one problem! There was a strong wind and in the evening temperatures were expected to fall to minus 25, and in the worst cases even to minus 40. We prayed that we would not be among the "winners" this time!
In the distance, we could see something we thought was an island. We had heard about him and hoped we could pitch the tent there. The fatigue of many walking took its toll and we decided to stop the jeep that was coming in the distance. The vehicle stopped and looked at us in astonishment: after all, normal people went there with an organized tour, not on foot and with heavy backpacks. We explained that we wanted to "camp" and the person confirmed everything we had heard - that it was extremely cold. We asked if the spot on the white seen in the distance was an island. The man flatly denied saying he was on 2 an hour and a half by car. This was a hotel in front of us. We asked if he would take us there and here we were already in the car. We were impressed that the jeep was served with lots of salt, as if we were riding on ice.
The hotel turned out to be much prettier than what we used to imagine for a hotel. All made of salt. Crazy job! We thought to ourselves, but we also admired the creativity of the people who did it. We immediately realized that if we could pitch our tent behind or in front of the hotel, we would not be exposed to the freezing cold wind. We unanimously decided to ask the people who kept it. We went in, introduced ourselves, and explained that we were traveling at a stop and with little money. Then we shot the question directly: - Can we pitch our tent behind the hotel? - we said deliberately behind the hotel because we thought that if it was in front they would not agree. The man reacts as if he is being asked this question every day. We were surprised and happy with this response. We asked again and heard the same: - Yes! No problems! We asked if it was free and the person said it was completely free. Great fun! We also found a perfect place to sleep. Many successful and unsuccessful pictures followed. As the sun went down, we understood why people were telling us it was very cold.
Temperatures plummeted, we looked around and our eyes said, "We have to ask for a blanket!" Words, expressions, facial expressions followed that made all three of us laugh. After all, the "blanket" in Spanish was the "fresade." A very valuable word we did not know. The man entered the hotel and after about 2-3 minutes came up with two thick blankets reminiscent of our Rhodopes. We dressed up with all the possible clothes we had and looked like the man with the Michelin tire ad. It was very cozy and nice to us, as well as the warm rice with broth. We wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags, wrapped ourselves in thick blankets that kept us from the unruly evening. We woke up happy under the hot sun, thirsty and ready for new "white" walks. We were proud to do things our way again and as we know it!
It follows: Machu Picchu - the lost city of the Incas
