04.09.08 - Salar Day 3

Breakdown, Bath, and Bed

Objective number one, get to the thermal geysers for sunrise, was the initial plan.  Our driver had other ideas.  Unfortunately, we have experienced much more of a grumpy, non-english speaking, taxi service than a guided tour of the Salar.  In the pre-dawn hours, our driver stopped to help another tour's truck, which was experiencing engine issues.  No problem, but when two other trucks, from that other company showed up he should have returned attention to his clients.  Instead, the local "let's stare at the engine contest" continued as time pushed towards sunrise.  Then in a desperate attempt to make up squandered time he dashed across a rock strewn valley for an immediate punctured a tire.  Sunrise was resigned to the idiot antics of our "no tip getting" driver.

Then, if I hadn't of insisted, he was going to simply plow right on past the largest geyser and keep on going.  A good guide with a micro-grain of customer service is generally a good idea.

The other truck's guide, and owner of the company, tried to help out as best he could but the methodology that all companies on the Salar are forced to operate with is to hire a truck and driver from a collective co-operative pool.  In essence, the only controllable differences in companies are the quality of food and lodging.  Everything else is left to the luck of the driver pool drawl.

Despite the false start debacle, sunrise in the Salar can be a beautiful, light bending experience.

The good news was, that while breakfast was being prepared, a natural hot spring soaked away the bummer start to the day.

Collectively, we were resolved to make the best of our remaining time by joking and posing for a myriad of Steve photo-ops.

Or, actually I think Emily took this one... note the volcano reflection in the glasses... not the nose hair... haaa.

Despite the lack of guide, i.e. the grumpy driver should have been our guide as well, everyone was happy to have made the trip to the largest salt lake in the world and the driest desert, but we were whipped.  Three days of eight hour plus off-roading can wear you out.  So instead of heading back to the hostel, for another no shower night, we all wandered to a local hotel and soaked in the hot showers.  Clean sheets on clean skin equated to instant sleep, unless you were of the "wild catter" persuasion.