I arrived in Uyuni, Bolivia, Friday morning after another night bus. After taking a day to recover, I set off to visit the salt flats. I decided to take alternative transportation. As avocados were currently all taken, I elected to ride a banana.

After reaching my destination, our guide informed us that the lines in the salt are created during the wet season. When the flats are covered by water, the salty solution creates miniature waves that run along the flats. Once it gets cold enough, the crests of the waves freeze and cause the lines to form.

I had a very successful meditation session. In fact, I felt like I reached a new level of consciousness. I began to see myself reflected in the abyss.

I decided that hanging out with myself all day might become rather monotonous, so I decided to find a friend.

Eventually, we got back on task and continued to Isla Incahuasi. I suppose it’s technically an oasis. The salt flats are actually one giant desert! Nitpicking aside, we climbed atop and gazed across the flats.

Sunset began to encroach, so we finished up on the “island” and headed back to the cars. It was time to get to the underwater portion of the flats.

Initially the water was only about an inch deep, but soon the tires were spinning up bits of liquid salt all over our windows. Eventually, we jumped out of the car and into the soup to witness the glorious sunset.

As you may be able to tell from my silhouette, it was quite cold. I required no fewer than four layers to keep from becoming an icicle. Temperatures frequently drop below freezing on the flats, which sit at roughly 3,650 meters above sea level.

We eventually stopped at a hostel which had the luxury of electricity (but only during nighttime…not helpful during a cold, pre-sunrise wake-up the next morning). Stay tuned for the rest of the tour in southern Bolivia.