welcome 
Bolivia is one of countries in South America that has a small village called Uyuni. Have you heard about this village? It ain't easy to get to Uyuni from other big cities. It took me 10 hours by night bus to get there from La Paz which is the capital city in Bolivia. Despite its poor look and small size, you can find a lot of Inn or hostels there because Uyuni is the nearest village to one of MUST VISIT places in South America, which is well known as Uyuni Salt Flats.
After getting a room and unpacking, I book Uyuni Salt Flat Tour at one of tour office. You can easily find any tour office since they are all close in a certain street. Most of Korean and Japanese travelers prefer Brisa tour, Hodaka tour or Oasis tour because the tour guides are professional and enthusiastic photographers :-)
Uyuni Train Cemetery
Steam trains that transported mineral back in 1820's are abandoned and become rusty at the access of Uuyuni Salt Flats like gate keepers. The ground seems just like other dessert to me so far. But, it changes...
White flats under the white clouds. You see that white stuff everywhere? Yes, it is Salt. Slat everywhere! I think myself it looks like snow but when I get off the jeep and step on the ground, I feel something crunch under the feet and hear rustling sound.
Once upon a time Uyuni Salt Flats was the ocean by a massive geological event and experienced Ice age. When the glaciers melted during the thawing about 20,000 years ago, a huge lake appeared here but all the water evaporated for the dry weather. As a result, only tons of salt have remained. They say that the amount of the salt can used by Bolivian for next thousands years.
When you have tour, you will ride Jeep with 5,6 other people with a tour guide. Salt flats are pretty far away from the village and has no signs, no road way. If you don't want to get lost in the middle of this white wilderness, you better tour with tour guide who is experts of this dessert.
Aaaahh! I'm not that delicious!!
Let us out!! We are stuck!!
Look at the salt in the bottom! Since there is nothing, nothing at all on this flats but white salt, you loose all sense of perspective and it causes an** optical illusion**! Now we follow direction of our tour guide and pose. He is not only an expert of the flats but also a professional photographer! He takes pictures with everyone's camera.
Now we finally arrived! The Salt dessert with the rain puddle, the real Salt Lake :D
During its rainy season (December~March), rain makes this shallow lake here and there. Don't worry if you can't make it on its rainy season, you also can meet this rain puddle even during dry season because the tour guides know there to go.
Pictures at sunset.
If you do day tour with the sunset tour all together, you can enjoy the salt flats from about 11 AM to 9 PM with the price around $20 (less than 3.00 SBD!). My tour guide Johnny takes plenty of my photos even without my asking. Yes, that's what Johnny does everyday :D Now I see my steemit profile picture here!
There were two Japanese guys in my tour team, and it was impressive that they said to each other after taking few photos, Let's stop taking pictures. We came here to see this view through our eyes not only through the lens. Although, everyone including me was still obsessed to take pictures and so busy with their cameras.
But, you know
Where else can I take this photo shoot!
Do you notice what we try to say posing this?
The Biggest Mirror in The World
You can see the reflection on the ground, UYUNI
After sunset, the night comes all of sudden. It is impossible to see anything without flashlight. And it is possible to see The Milky way. Countless stars cover the black sky. Since I am from a city, I couldn't see this amount of stars at night. I can't take my eyes on the sky. It is a shame that I can't show you how it really was through my picture since I am not good at taking photos and I didn't even have a tripod.
Now it's Sunrising. (So soon? we all went back to the village and I came with another tour; Sunrise tour) Again, sorry for my humble picture. The white things on the sky are not dust! they are stars.
Even though it is Summer(Dec~Feb), it is freezing since the temperature drops so fast without the Sun and I've been here from 4 AM. If you will have this Sunrise tour, you MUST bring long sleeves jacket, long pants and wear sweat socks. Most of people wait for the sunrise in the Jeep, but I try to take pictures outside shaking my cold hands. That makes my photos even worse! lol
If it is windy, the puddle make waves and don't reflect the sky. You can compare the picture above and the one below. It was windy for an hour and now it stopped.
I've been taking photos of the view alone for few hours and a Korean guy next to me who covered himself with a blanket and has stared the salt flat without doing anything else offers me some photo shoots of mine with my camera. You are not bringing your camera?. I asked. I already took plenty. I've been staying in Uyuni village for three weeks and come to see this view almost every day when the weather is fine. I love it here.
Finally, the sun appeared. I really feel that I am standing on a huge Mirror.
Since I have no company with me, the tour guides (even from another tour teams) volunteer to take my pictures. They order me to climb a Jeep and pose and after I had to jump more than 10 times in the puddle to get a good result and satisfy them! lol
Anyone can be a model,
Anyone can be a photographer here in Uyuni Salt Flats.
This unbelievable landscape makes everything beautiful.
This is a real image that I've hidden so far with the sunlight. Covered with whatever to protect myself from the cold and look at the stupid boots! I've been wearing them a whole day. Actually the rain boots are essential and the tour guides lend you.
How was Uyuni Salt Flat? If you plan to travel South America, you should check out this place :-) In fact, some people come to South America only to visit Uyuni. As you noticed, I am not a native speaker of English, but I tried my best to introduce this place to you guys. I hope you enjoyed :D
And Happy New Year!
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