Here it is!!!
Before I get into this, lets recap the day.It all started with an AM viewing of Laguna Colorada, followed by the Salvador Dali rock tree.
I think it's Dali, who painted something that looks like this. Please correct me if I'm wrong.(We were getting closer to Uyuni now - prime tourist area. As a result, I had to wait a while to get this tourist-free shot!)
More toxic lagunas and flamingoes. I was getting laguna-ed out by now… But still pretty!!! Green, red, and now white:
Great contrast with the background, but I personally prefer the more colorful ones.
We passed by several smaller lagunas, and a set of railroad tracks. Really in the middle of nowhere, but definitely leading to civilization. It links Villazon with La Paz. I had initially thought about taking this train when I crossed the border from Argentina. But if I did, I would have to skip Tupiza and do some backtracking to see the Uyuni sites, which I concluded would've been a waste of time. Hence, no Bolivian train experience for me this time.I befriended a couple of Bolivian military men at the checkpoint (don't know what they were checking). Hehehe : )
Then, we arrived at the salt hotel.
The salt hotel is not included in the normal package. We would have to pay an additional fee (25BOB) if we wanted to stay there. And all of us would have to agree to it. I was totally game, and so was Nicole. Michael didn't have a problem at all either.
Matthew, however, was trouble. He didn't want to pay the extra fee unless we were getting a LOT more for it. Fernando (driver) mentioned that it was nicer than the past 2 nights, everything was made of salt (cool!), and there would be a shower. Matthew agreed.
I seriously don't know what he expected, but he was pissed off with the salt hotel as soon as we walked in. Saying things like "this is not nice!", "they could do so much more with this place!", "why don't they use nicer salt?" etc. Complaint after complaint after complaint. I know, that's usually my forte.
Honesty though, this is Bolivia. In the middle of nowhere in Bolivia. For an additional 25BOB, that's US$3.50ish. What can you get?!?!?!?!?!
Matthew ended up sulking alone in our room for most of the afternoon/evening until a bunch of other tourists showed up. Especially the young girls on GAP adventures.
Michael was very happy with the accommodation and that he found a Chinese-speaking Brazilian in another tour group.
Nicole and I were happy with the novelty of an all-salt hotel. But more with the shower : )
There is a 24 hour shower room with cold water. At this altitude, cold showers are VERY cold. I would rather stay dirty for another day (hey, only the 3rd!) than having to freeze in the shower. At 7pm though, the HOT water turns on in one shower for 3 hours. I was suspicious about the 3 hours, so I was ready to shower 5 minutes before 7pm, and was the first to claim it. You don't know how happy I was when I turned on the shower and the hot water (not lukewarm, but HOT!) ran over my body. Delightful. Heavenly. Orgasmic. I am clean.
Matthew, however, was trouble. He didn't want to pay the extra fee unless we were getting a LOT more for it. Fernando (driver) mentioned that it was nicer than the past 2 nights, everything was made of salt (cool!), and there would be a shower. Matthew agreed.
I seriously don't know what he expected, but he was pissed off with the salt hotel as soon as we walked in. Saying things like "this is not nice!", "they could do so much more with this place!", "why don't they use nicer salt?" etc. Complaint after complaint after complaint. I know, that's usually my forte.
Honesty though, this is Bolivia. In the middle of nowhere in Bolivia. For an additional 25BOB, that's US$3.50ish. What can you get?!?!?!?!?!
Matthew ended up sulking alone in our room for most of the afternoon/evening until a bunch of other tourists showed up. Especially the young girls on GAP adventures.
Michael was very happy with the accommodation and that he found a Chinese-speaking Brazilian in another tour group.
Nicole and I were happy with the novelty of an all-salt hotel. But more with the shower : )
There is a 24 hour shower room with cold water. At this altitude, cold showers are VERY cold. I would rather stay dirty for another day (hey, only the 3rd!) than having to freeze in the shower. At 7pm though, the HOT water turns on in one shower for 3 hours. I was suspicious about the 3 hours, so I was ready to shower 5 minutes before 7pm, and was the first to claim it. You don't know how happy I was when I turned on the shower and the hot water (not lukewarm, but HOT!) ran over my body. Delightful. Heavenly. Orgasmic. I am clean.
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