Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Saturday 6th of July
08.36 After an ice cold night in our room, the morning is here with us. We are in room 105 at Hotel Mitru (http://www.hotelmitru.com) in Tupiza, Bolivia. There's been another earthquake in California during the night. One shower knob gives no water at all. The second gives cold water. Christer's going to try the shower. He woke up during the night and when he looked at his cell phone to see what time it was, realised that the battery had lost all power. The icy air would have done its bit.
09.01 Christer eventually found the hot shower water or was it the other way around? I've showered again, much nicer with hot water. Now let's find out about breakfast. Where and how is it?
09.47 We found the breakfast room. It was in the ground level near the pool which for natural reasons is not so popular this time of the year. Lack of hot water made the coffee cold. The idea is that, pour some strong cold coffee into the cup and fill with hot water. We have experienced this in the past. Personally, I think it's best if the strong coffee is hot before.
09.58 After breakfast, we took the stairs up to the roof. From there we looked out over Tupiza and the surrounding mountains. We had time to take some photos and Christer even made a video clip. Tupiza is not a large town but an important center in southern Bolivia. About 25,000 people live here. The town is also known for the death of two American criminals, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid was shot by the Bolivian army not far from here. This happened in 1908.
10.15 While waiting for the sun and air temperature to rise a little more, we sit outside the room at a round table. The key was left to the cleaning staff.
11.10 We got the key back and returned to our room. Christer has just found out that Östersund FK played 1-1 in the away game against Sirius in the Swedish football league. After this we left the key and went on a town walk. The bronze match in the women's football World Cup between Sweden and England has just begun. We've seen old familiar vehicles here, tuk-tuks.
13.00 There were seats by the table. We've used them for a while and read in our books. It's really nice to let the sun warm up the bodies that were anything but warm after the night. The planned lunch café is only available in the guide book and at Google. Unfortunately, it seems to be closed and has finished its business. New plans are made.
16.21 We continue to watch the Copa America football. Chile just scored 2-1 on penalty. Arturo Vidal is the scorer.
Sunday 7th of July
The morning sun is slowly warming up our hotel.
The swimming pool at Hotel Mitru is very cold in July.
Tupiza is surrounded by mountains.
Someone but their motorcycle on the roof.
Jesus is watching over this town.
A strange building in Tupiza.
Bikers from Brazil prepare for their continued journey.
If you travel with taxi in Tupiza it is most likely a tuk-tuk.
The small roundabout near the bus terminal.
Calle Suipacha, Tupiza.
Peter is walking along Avenida Pedro Arraya.
A peacful and nice town, perfect for a Saturday walk.
The folk musician (guitarist) Alfredo Domínguez Romero is sitting on Plaza de la Independencia.
Plaza de la Independencia, Tupiza.
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.
Peter is having today´s lunch at La Torre Italiana.
Tupiza.
Hotel Mitru, Tupiza.
Peter is focusing on the meat.
This is the only dish you can order at Churrasqueria Moises.
08.07 The showering was a bit more successful this morning, warm water from the very beginning. However, the cold in the room wears the mobile batteries. They must be charged all the time. Today it is the new elections to the Parliament in Greece and we are going to travel on here in our Bolivia.
08.52 The sun shines in through the window of the breakfast dining room. We placed ourselves strategically where it shines most brightly. The bodies are like ice after the cold night. Despite the heat under the blanket, we get cold quickly as we get out of bed. 09.09 A minimum effort is exhausting when we are at this height. Just tying our shoes makes us breathless. I thought we'd adjusted by now. How will this go in the next locality? Today we are moving almost 1000 meters up in height. 09.56 The reception got the key to room 105 and thereafter our payment for two persons stay for two nights. It became a total of 567 bolivianos (US$83). We then went to the bus terminal and exchanged our printed confirmation papers for tickets for two. 10.15 After paying a terminal fee of 2 bolivianos to a woman, we are now on board the bus from the company Autotransportes Tupiza. Today we travel to the northwest. The final destination will be Uyuni. There we will then stay for three nights.
The breakfast room, Hotel Mitru.
Christer is having breakfast and getting warm in the sun.
Peter at the bus terminal in Tupiza.
Today´s bus trip will be 208 kilometers.
The road is not of the best quality to start with.
Our bus is meeting some locals.
10.43 Slowly, our journey has begun. Let's see more of Bolivia. The bus door needs help closing. At the front of the bus, a few seats in front of us, a girl sits and speaks Spanish with a local family. She is 21 years old, has lived in Chile, comes from Scotland but has a French father. All this, Christer has intercepted through his knowledge of the language.
11.15 The nature shifts in different shades of brown. It's only a little green sometimes. We have met a flock of llamas and sheep and now drive in an almost dry river bed. Here the Tupiza River usually flows during the parts of the year when there is more rainfall. 11.26 The river bed is a temporary option while the usual road is being rebuilt. The rocks here make me think of the Bayon Temple area in Cambodia. The rock sides are steep and sculpted by nature. In the river bed, some people have taken the opportunity to stop to wash their cars. 12.30 It feels in our ears that we are moving towards higher altitude. Nature remains dry and gray-brown. We chose to travel without having something drink. We regret that now. The throats are getting dry. You should always have beverages with you, regardless of the length or nature of the trip. 13.31 For a while, the uniformity was broken of what I think were some vicuñas that crossed our route. They are a type of smaller llama. 14.01 As we are leaving the small town of Atocha, 3675 meters above sea level, there are 88 kilometres left of today's journey. I hope for a better and faster road.
We are driving in the dry riverbed of the Tupiza river.
A small girl is curious about where the bus is going.
Our bus is reaching a high altitude.
A vicuña close to the road.
We have stopped in Atocha.
Our room at KW Hotel.
16.05 The road became better and faster. In the end, we reached Uyuni, a city located 3700 meters above sea level. Thirsty we stumbled towards KW Hotel. Sodas were purchased from an elderly couple in a corner shop before we reached the hotel and could check in. We stay in room 203. The room is locked with a padlock. This is new, leaving aside the Blue Ocean Matara in Sri Lanka. There we were locked in with a padlock. Why didn't we bring something to drink with us? We got unnecessarily thirsty today. United States ladies took the World Cup gold in football. On the way here, we also saw a dog in a jacket. Upon check-in we received special information how to get hot water in the shower here.
16.45 Peru scores 1-1 in the Copa America final against Brazil. The commentator shouted gooool... gol Coca Cola. Everything is sponsored nowadays, even the goals of football matches. 16.53 In the last seconds of the first half, Brazil gets back into the lead. Gabriel Jesus has scored 2-1 to the great joy of the home audience. 17.52 Brazil has probably secured the title now. 3-1 was made on penalty. Richarlison's is the name of the man behind the goal. 17.58 Brazil won and people went out on the pitch to celebrate. We will just go out into town to have dinner. 18.50 It's really cold here in Uyuni after the sun has set. When we went to the hotel it was packed with people around the hotel, probably some kind of festival or a market day. There is a Ferris wheel and other amusement plus lots of market stalls selling food and other goods. We've got past all this and reached Pizzeria Donna Isabella. They specialize in pizzas made of quinoa flour. We rejected that offer.
Market day in Uyuni.
You can entertain yourself in the cold evening air.
This evening´s pizzas at Donna Isabella.
Christer in the mirror and aliens ordering pizza.
Christer and a truth at The Hot Spot Uyuni.
These arrived for free when we visited The Hot Spot.
19.26 There were no giant or cheap pizzas but they were good and prices in Uyuni are probably higher because of all the tourism here.
19.57 No, we don't want to go home to our cold room yet. Instead, we visit The Hot Spot Uyuni to get some coffee. 20.48 We just wanted some coffee after the pizza dinner but this was above all expectations. We were received as kings here by the two of the staff, a man and a woman. We got a free tasting menu for the coffee we ordered, incidentally the tastiest coffee I've had so far in Bolivia. Upon returning to KW Hotel we asked about a heat source to the room. The guy in the reception followed us upstairs and arranged with an electric radiator. Perfect! 23.28 When you are in a room with decent heat and listening to Swedish radio via the internet it is easy to forget where you are. Tonight there was a little "Call and we'll play" from the Swedish radio station P4. We enjoyed counting how many times a listener Ångermanland, my home area said the same word during the short conversation in the program. At least it was two-digit.
Monday 8th of July
08.15 We have woken up to a new week and thank our electric radiator for the comfortable temperature in the room. It's probably brutally cold outside. After acting according to the instruction we received yesterday at check-in and which is also available in the bathroom, flushed water in the washbasin for a few minutes before it was possible to shower with hot water.
09.28 At the top of the building, on the fourth floor, breakfast was served. It was a minor effort to take us up the stairs there. It may not be a full buffet but quite enough. Last little football news, in the Gold Cup, simply put the North American Championships, Mexico won over the United States with 1-0 in the final. 10.15 We cannot stay here much longer. It's time to get things done. If we don't do so, we have less to do tomorrow. 10.46 We have walked a along the wide main street through Uyuni, Avenida Ferroviaria. We passed the pizzeria we visited yesterday and are now at Andes Salt Expeditions (https://www.andes-salt-uyuni.com.bo) and are about to book a day outing for tomorrow. The tourists who come here to Uyuni all want to see the huge salt desert Salar de Uyuni that spreads out west of the city. 10.59 After a successful excursion booking where we chose a tour with English guide, we now hope for a successful eleven coffee order at Breakfast Nonis on the other side of the street.
Coca tea at breakfast can be good on high altitude.
A view of Uyuni.
We wanted to get a better view but only found laundry.
Interesting vehicle in Uyuni.
The cars are leaving for the different tours on offer.
Peter is having coffee at Nonis.
11.47 It was really good coffee, things are getting better. We also ate some plain sandwiches at Nonis. After successful purchases of various souvenirs in a small store, it is now time for a bench break here on the main square of Uyuni. It is called the main square and the Avenida Arce. The sun warms nicely here and the girl from the bus yesterday sits on a bench further away.
12.06 We are considering whether we really should travel as planned for the coming week. It will mean some early mornings and long rough bus trips. Perhaps it will be possible to make it smoother. It's worth checking out. 12.19 As we just returned to our room we realised that is has not been visited since we left it. In short, it's not cleaned yet. Now we will modify the route of our journey. 12.42 Plans have been changed. It is probably not so smart to start cancelling buses, extending and cancelling hotel stays as well as booking a flight when the cleaning staff might show up at any time. We'll arrange with this later today instead. 13.28 We're back in the centre. Today's lunch will be served at Laguna Colorada, one of many restaurants around the main square here in the city. I wonder if our room will be cleaned at all. 14.37 Before we go home to do something, there will be coffee in a cafe we just found, The Guardian.
A war memorial for the soldiers in the Chaco war in the 1930´s.
The yellow clock tower in Uyuni.
Advertising the neighbouring city´s golden brew.
The cathedral in Uyuni.
We said hello to a well-dressed dog.
KW Hotel. This is where we are staying.
15.34 Just like The Hot Spot yesterday, The Guardian was a positive surprise, a café that doesn't feel like it would be in this city, it feels much more international. The menu we got was really nice with a llama on the front. When we left the cafe, we saw long-distance cars, one from British Colombia in Canada and one from Germany. After the coffee, we bought a lunch bag for the excursion tomorrow. Here at home it is now finally cleaned in the room.
17.03 We seek and work to redesign the route we have. Most likely, we skip the stay in Oruro. We hope that the town forgives us. 18.18 The regrouping of the route is going badly. There are no acceptable flights on the 14th of July, the day we had planned to take a cheap flight from Sucre to Cochabamba to save time. Other options mutilate the stays at different resorts. A night bus Sucre to Cochabamba is certainly a challenge for wit and sense. 19.04 We have considered further and still come up with a solution. We get a lot of time in Sucre and yet a full day in Cochabamba. We have booked us a flight and it has a booking id 1439704026 and a PNR code JOGDF4. 19.26 The hotel in Oruro is cancelled, the hotel in Sucre could not extend the stay on and a new hotel is searched for right now. 19.40 There will be two different hotels in Sucre. We keep the one we already booked and add up with another. Maybe it's just good, getting some variety in a city where we'll be around for a while. Now back to the present. We have two more nights here in Uyuni before any more trip starts.
Christer is having lunch at Laguna Colorada.
Avenida Potosí, Uyuni.
We found The Guardian, a perfect small café.
Beautiful menu at The Guardian.
Tonight´s dinner at Tika Restaurante.
Peter is enjoying a delicious meal at Tika.
20.18 To celebrate the successful re-booking, we are now at Tika Restaurante (https://www.tikarestaurante.com.bo), one of the better restaurants here in Uyuni. It is part of the hotel Jardines de Uyuni which offers a much higher class than our hotel. Here we have ordered a dish none of us have eaten before, grilled llama. It'll be interesting.
21.37 Llama wasn't that bad. The taste and texture were a little vigorous. Now the previously generating buses will be cancelled and another bus tour it should be read on about. 23.31 Now most of it is ready. The buses from Sucre to Potosí, Potosí to Oruro and Oruro to Cochabamba are cancelled. This is quite possible to do through the site Ticketsbolivia where we did not buy the tickets yet, only reserved seats. We'll get money back in a week. They also did not want anything paid to make these changes. Very good! 23.47 Now we prepare for the night's sleep and tomorrow's interesting excursion.
You can see 50 photos from July 6 in this photoalbum.
You can see 34 photos from July 7 in this photoalbum.
You can see 43 photos from July 8 in this photoalbum.