After a restful sleep, we drove to an incredible volcanic area with formations that have been carved by wind, rain, and snow. With some imagination, you could visualize animals and other shapes. We walked about a half an hour on flat land to see the rocks, the black lagoon, and especially many llamas. They are interesting beings, almost ready to be sheared, followed by many baby llamas. They are adorable. We saw one that was probably born yesterday and was walking unsteadily, then running after mama.
But, we also saw other animals that are usually illusive here, like a coot, a black swimming bird with a yellow beak that we have at our lake in Mexico. We saw a viscacha, which is a rabbit-like animal with shorter ears and a long tail. I tried to take a picture but it may not be easy to see. The ibis (a bird with a very long beak to dig into the ground for insects), egret, and avoceta (a longer legged bird with a beak that curves upward) were also interesting birds to see. We also saw a flock of suri, an ostrich-like large bird.
The Laguna Hedionda (Black Lagoon) was not huge but very interesting due to the volcanic rocks all around. We then drove to another area nearby with even more interesting volcanic rocks. These were thrown from an active volcano over 40,000 years ago and have changed over the years due to water, snow, and wind.
Now it was time to drive to our next destination, Uyuni, a town that is filled with travel agencies that cater to backpacker, hikers, and campers. We had to drive through the Dali Desert, with its amazing rock formations. However, this was a very long drive, at least four hours, on washboard sandy roads that was exhausting for us. We could sleep off and on but by the time we got to our hotel, which was very nice. we decided to go to the swimming pool and spa.
The plan was to get picked up by our guide and driver, Jhenny and Abrahem, to see a magnificent sunset in the nearby salt flats. Instead, we opted to see the sunset from the pool, which was a good decision. While there, we met a young, fun couple from Sao Paulo, Brazil. We learned a lot about their lives and country. The pool was warm and very relaxing, especially since we were still reeling from the bone rattling drive. Feeling better, we went to the bar and shared some tapas for a nice end to this long day.
Tomorrow, we go to the salt flats, the largest in the world and on to Tarija.