Bolivia seems sometimes combine several countries. We had already made this finding by comparing cities like La Paz to the villages of Campo. In fact, far more than individual countries, we often feel like two different worlds: the richness of the capital has no relation to the poverty of the countryside of the altiplano, it is the same for vegetation, palm trees and jungle regions versus shrubs stunted Andean heights.
Our week's holiday would soon allow us to confirm the extent to which Bolivia is a country of contrasts.
The Salar de Uyuni
Imagine the largest salt reserves in the world: 12 106 km2 of salt out of sight. Season dry, white salt is such that it becomes difficult to look without wearing sunglasses, and during the rainy season, water that accumulates on the surface reflects the sky perfectly so it is difficult to distinguish up from down: the horizon disappears!
few islands, which appear out of nowhere, stand here and there in the desert of salt. This is the case of Isla del Pescado, covered with thousands of cacti, some of which are centuries old!
It is in this mysterious place that we spent the first days of our vacation. But I hear you say "where did all that salt?".
According to legend, Atahualpa (not know who it is!) Slashed the chest of a woman named Tunupa on the slopes of a volcano. The volcano, whose feet we have stayed ailluers, now bears the name of the woman bruised the breasts! The milk that flowed from her breasts then spread and formed the salt desert.
In my case, I was skeptical! First milk feeding is not salty (!) and then I would have liked to see the size of the breasts for her lactation Madame arrives to cover 12 106 km2. But hey, go for the folklore!
The more rational among our readers will be pleased to know that there is another explanation ... well ... less picturesque but more plausible.
There are 40 000-25 000 years, Lake Minchin (to 3760 m) covered most of the region. When evaporated, it left two large concentrations of salt greater, the Salar de Uyuni. "This part of the Altiplano is endoreic (its rivers are lost in the land), the So salt deposits from minerals leached from the mountains and accumulated the lowest point "(thank you Lonely Planet!)
The more rational among our readers will say" there must have money to do with any the salt! "(you can almost hear my father!)
Well yes, some parts of the desert are exploited and annual production is estimated to nearly 20 000 tonnes of which 18 000 tons for human consumption, the rest is livestock ... (thank you Lonely Planet) And no, salt is not used for deicing roads here!
Finally, amidst this beautiful scenery and foolish, scientific explanations are only very few things and we come to believe that the place is magical. Our human condition becomes very relative: it feels dwarfed in this pristine wilderness, in fact, you feel like a grain of salt in the world (where in a salt shaker!)
Finally, amidst this beautiful scenery and foolish, scientific explanations are only very few things and we come to believe that the place is magical. Our human condition becomes very relative: it feels dwarfed in this pristine wilderness, in fact, you feel like a grain of salt in the world (where in a salt shaker!)
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