The Salar de Uyuni
(The Salar is the world's largest salt flat spanning 4,085 square miles. That's 25 times larger than the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah)
I'd been in Bolivia for 10 days. This was the midpoint of the trip. I'd been through the Jungles visiting remote churches, through the zinc mines handing out booze and dynamite to the miner's, and dodged water balloons thrown by locals in anticipation of Carnival. Bolivia is filled with amazing experiences, however the Salar was like nothing I'd ever seen before.
I'd gone to Bolivia in the rainy season. What that means for the Salar is a pretty constant 2-6 inches of water on its surface. With so much still water and a white surface underneath it makes the Salar into a giant mirror, reflecting all the surrounding mountains, clouds, even me when I was standing on it. The reflection is so powerful that during the day you have to cover your skin head to toe, or risk serious sun burn.
Driving across the salt was like flying. While the driver was in the cab, I elected to sit on the roof of the 4x4, and to have an unobstructed 360 degree view. I was surrounded by clouds. You can't tell the difference between the sky and the ground, I felt so small. A speck in life's circle. Every couple minutes I'd start to tear up, a combination of the joy I was feeling and the fresh air blowing across my face... at 55 mph.
Our route took us to Isla del Pescado for lunch, a tiny cactus filled island in the middle of the Salar. A popular stop for bus loads traveling from city to city. For some people, traveling the Salar was their morning and evening commute. Imagine if your daily commute took you through the Grand Canyon, or over Pike's Peak.
On my way back to civilization for the evening we stopped by these salt mounds. Some locals pile the salt up to dry out, and then harvest it for table salt. I believe at the time salt was going for 25 cents a pound. So despite its enormous quantity, it's not likely to make anyone a millionaire.
The Salar humbled me. Reminded me where I stood in the universe. If I look at this picture and close my eyes I can remember the silence, the lonliness. I've vowed to return someday.
Greg Inda
World Class Traveler
-The picture was taken with a Canon Powershot Digital Elph S400. I can't retrieve all the metadata, but I can tell you it was shot at 1/250 f/7.1
-For more photographs taken by Greg Inda please go to www.flickr.com/photos/trefrog66
-For tour information to see the Salar yourself, please visit www.rutahsa.com and tell them you heard about it from me :)
