Unlocking Bolivia's Potential

After a few pleasant days in Sucre, we left for the salt flats of Uyuni and the Eduardo Avaroa National Park in the southern part of Bolivia. We booked a three days tour on a Toyota Landcruiser as we did not want to venture on our own; distances are huge and dirt roads not in a very good shape; also it is nice from time to time to just go with the flow without having to organise everything ourselves.

The tour was fantastic. We drove on the salt flats, dazzlingly white and eery; because of the bright sun reflecting on the salt, we had the impression that the islands far back were floating in the air. So floating islands do definitely exist, on water, and on air!!! We saw altitude lakes of all colours, red, green, black and white; caves; volcanoes; geysers; hot springs; flamingos, llamas, alpagas, vicunas. A pure delight for the eyes. We slept the first night on a hotel made of salt; very cozy, the salt kept us warm. Second night was a bit tougher, at an elevation of 4’300 meters in a very basic place with no heating and only cold water. I did not sleep very well, because of the cold and thin air.

Yesterday, we left Bolivia for Calama in Chile. A 420 kilometres journey, elevated, half on it on dirt roads and again, fantastic landscapes. The camper survived, us as well. We had made a forward projection beforehand: no flat tire and no mechanical breakdown in the middle of nowhere, please. It worked. We are taking it easy today, relaxing at the campsite.

We liked Bolivia very much. Sceneries are absolutely stunning. However, outside of big cities such as La Paz and Sucre, amenities are at best shabby: internet exists only in our most fanciful dreams, despite the many signposts advertising it; toilets are most of the times appalling; sparkling water is unknown of; and last but not least, finding gas for the car a constant challenge.  

Bolivia is another land of limitless opportunities, but its potential needs to be unlocked. Who will push this country into the 21st century???