It was so cold that morning we were actually thankful for the number of bodies in the truck. We were up again before dawn, the best time to see the steam bubbling up from the natural geysers where we stopped next. In North America, these geysers would be surrounded by ropes and warning signs. Not in Bolivia. Here you can walk right up to the edge, peer into the abyss and listen to the grumbling furnace of the earth churning out its smoky byproducts.

Our next stop, for breakfast, was at the steamy hot springs. It felt bizarre to put on a swimsuit when only moments before we’d been shivering, but the hot springs were the perfect remedy. We soaked in the steam and soothed our tired bodies.

I had just entered a zen-like state when I turned around to see Scott (see previous posts for the story here) drying his shrunken man parts directly in my line of vision. I yelped in horror and turned to Dan, “Do NOT turn your head.” We waited with our backs turned until the coast was clear. This image is now forever branded in my mind; luckily, we saw many other things that day that provided my eyes with some temporary relief.

The Rock Tree – Hard to believe that this volcanic rock is naturally occurring, we must congratulate Mother Nature for her sculpting abilities.

Salvador Dali Desert – Aptly named, the smooth, glossy sand makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a Dali painting.

Laguna Verde – This lake is usually green in colour (but wasn’t while we were there), and has an entrance to a vast network of submerged caves at its centre. The mountain in the background is popular amongst trekkers.

Laguna Colorado – We passed by another side of this amazing lake, and the reddening effect of the organisms in the water was more pronounced. The little specks all throughout the lake are flamingos.

The rest of the day was spent driving eight hours back to Uyuni. We arrived, no worse for wear, other than the few inter-personal mishaps with our Irish friend. The lack of seat belts and an unpleasant travel companion could not taint our experience. The scenery was too other-worldly to allow any of these to matter.