Hi All,
I was pretty shattered following my 14 hour ride the daut before so I decided to take it easy and ride to the edge of the Salar de Uyuni and spend a night living the highlife in a ritzy Hotel de Sal. A hotel made completely of salt. It was going to be costly (US$75) but I really craved a good meal, hot shower and comfortable bed. It is a community owned hotel so I could also justify the expense as the money went back into the local community.
I met a great French couple and we exchanged road info...they were travelling North and me South. They told me about their 4x4 experinces..the roads south of uyuni were so bad they have had to dig out their 4x4 3 times...and once had to wait to morning...tough travelling.
The innkeeper (forgot his name grhhh) was a great guy and drew me a map and suggested the fastest typical route to Tahua. Of course I ended up not taking his advice and taking the route less travelled :)
Bacically I would ride to the otherside of the Volcano passing a few small and isolated villiags on the way. The ride started very well...a gentle downhill on a very ridable road and then across a flat semi-salt plane.
I turned left instead of right (as the Hostal keeper had suggested) and had to climb up from the salt flat to cross a series of ridgelines...I definitely took the tougher path.
The payoff came when a reached a small village after about 25km of riding. I decided to call in to check I was on the right path and rode up to the school. I was immediatly greeted but about 20 smiling kids, their teacher and a young Cuban girl. Again, my digial camera proved to be a big hit and getting it back from the kids was the biggest challenge.
It was just on lunchtime and i was invited to join them for lunch...I knew the food might be a bit suspect but I was honored to accept. Lunch was served in a simple adobe building adjacent to the school...it had a dirt rock floor and no windows. Lunch consisted of a Quino ( a local grain)soup , rice and some basic vegatables. I can't say it was really tasty but it was very nourishing and the company was excellent!
After lunch I was usherd to the classroom where I got to see how little in the way of teaching supplies they had...their world map was hand drawn but DID include New Zealand! I made a small donation to the school and will endeavor to send a few items like a Spanish Atlas, World map and basic stationary once I get to Potosi. It is going to be tough to get the items delivered...I hope there is a way....the village is not served by any mail service :(
I was very sad to leave and felt guilty arriving at my posh Hotel de Sal knowing what the US$75 would buy for those kids. It ddidn't stop me enjoying a hot shower, buying a red wine and napping for the rest of the afternoon...I was definitely still feeling the day before. Later that evening a Swiss tour group arrived and they were very freindly and enjoyed their company for dinner. The next 2 days I'd spend riding and camping on the Salar de Uyuni so I definitely needed good food and rest.
I won{t forget those kida and that school and hope I fufill the promise I've made to myself to try and get them better equipped.
Cheers,
Neal
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