The next stop on my trod through South America was Bolivia. My time there was short but full. Rocky nature was my primary target (as usual), and I was beyond satisfied. I'll let photos do most of the talking for this one.
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| Salar de Uyuni, Boliva |
Coming up through the southwestern part of the country, I went straight to the heart: The Uyuni Salt Flats. Timing was kind to me as I visited during the rainy season, and the water turned the flats into one big mirror.
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Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia in the rainy season, resulting in a water mirror on top of the salt
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We got to see time passing in the reflected colors of the sky as it took us a full day to cross just a small section of the flats in a 4x4 vehicle.
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| Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia |
Nights were spent at small, basic hotels scattered around the southernmost part of the Altiplano (high plateau in the Andean mountains stretching through Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile).
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| Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
Exiting the salt flats, the landscape was dominated by volcanos, rock formations, sand dunes, lagoons, and mountains in every shade of brown.
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| Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
Life was scarce but not missing as different species of flamingos inhabit the big lagoons when they are filled with sufficient water, and vicuñas (relative of llamas, and potentially the ancestor of alpacas) roam the dry terrain.
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| Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
Moving through a volcanically active landscape offered us a luxurious spa experience as we bathed in hot springs below the clear desert night sky bleeding with stars.
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| Bathing in hot springs under the stars, Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
Most of our time was spent in the car as we covered large distances every day, and we took turns connecting our phones to the radio's AUX cable.
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| Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
The best part of multiday trips: All the pretty sunset (and sunrise) skies. They just don't hit the same when they're are partially hid by tall buildings and city obstruction.
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| Spotting vicuñas (relative of llamas, and potentially the ancestor of alpacas) Altiplano (High Plain), Bolivia |
Leaving the desert, my next stop was the city of La Paz. At an altitude of 3650 meters, it's the highest capital in the world, and located in a basin surrounded by mountains. It's a wild place to be. People flying in directly from Lima or other low-lying places often experience symptoms of altitude sickness when arriving. Luckily, I had increased my elevation slowly and steadily coming up from Argentina by land, and I felt great.
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| La Paz (3650 m), Bolivia |
As much as I loved wandering around the colorful and chaotic streets of La Paz, my eyes were set on the mountains surrounding the city. Specifically, the peak Huayna Potosí. Again, I was grateful for the slow travel that had allowed me to adapt to increased elevation since this peak sits above six thousand meters.
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| Ice climbing to practice using our ice axes and crampons on a glacier near base camp below Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
This "beginner-friendly" peak can be scaled by people who have no previous climbing experience (like me) as long as you're accompanied and supported by competent and professional guides.
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| Above the clouds at our second and final camp before summiting Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
Even though I have done my fair share of mountain hiking, scrambling across gnarly ridges and atop rocky peaks, my experience in snow was next to nothing, and I had never used any rope or gear apart from good hiking boots.
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Above the clouds at high camp before summiting Huayna Potosí, Bolivia
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Instead, my advantages include a well-used set of legs, good lungs, and a stubbornness and willingness to prove myself that a psychologist might attribute to having grown up with two brothers my own age.
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| Setting off in the dark at 1:00 AM to summit Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
To prepare for the climb, we acclimatized to the altitude by spending two nights at different elevations: Base camp at 4800 meters, and high camp at 5200 meters.
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| La Paz lighting up the sky in the distance |
On our first day, we practiced using our crampons and ice axes on a glacier close to base camp. I tried ice climbing for the first time, and one single, short climb completely wiped my arms out. Luckily apart from a few short sections, the actual ascent of the famous peak is mainly a slow but long walk in the snow.
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| Climbing Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
On the second day, we moved to high camp by a short hike. Rainy weather prolonged our pace but in the evening, the sky cleared. More specifically, the clouds sank, and we were treated to a sea of peaks peaking through the white sea.
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| Climbing Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
Our third and final day started at midnight as we had to start climbing by 1:00 AM. The ascent normally takes around six hours, and we had to reach the summit by sunrise before the warm sunlight melts the snow, making the path unstable and potentially unsafe.
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| The sun rising as we climb Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
I can't say I minded the early start. It was magical climbing beneath the stars whose light was far from bothered by the light pollution coming from our head torches.
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| Early in the morning close to the summit of Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
Our pace was turtle-like to prevent altitude sickness from kicking in, and to avoid sweating which could turn us cold and hypothermic real quick. We took many breaks to move slower, and to load up on chocolate and sugar.
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| Sunrise near the summit of Huayna Potosí, Bolivia |
We were just below the summit as the sunrise turned from pink to golden...
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| Almost there (around 07:00 AM)... |
... and at around 07:00 AM, we made it to the top.
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| And we made it to the summit of Huayna Potosí (6088 m), Bolivia |
I can't say I prefer high-altitude mountaineering, snow and ice to scrambling with a backpack through valleys of fierce green and dips in turquoise alpine water. But I would like to stand on a snow-covered peak or two again.
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| On the summit of Huayna Potosí (6088 m), Bolivia |
And Bolivia has my heart.
