Bolivia - the struggles of a flat-lander in the Andes
While I was keen to enter and explore Bolivia, a 3-day-tour ending in Uyuni long booked, my body and mind weren‘t just ready for it. Some symptoms of altitude sickness accompanied by a cold had me postpone the tour three times to take rest and acclimatize in Chile’s San Pedro de Atacama (on 2,500m, but day trips can take you up to 4,700m or higher), the anticipation of three days in a jeep through areas on 3,500-5,000m created a number of worries and fears. Not feeling well physically, worrying and being by myself I had some symptoms of home sickness come up, too. As I didn’t want to succumb to the fear and at least try, eventually I made it; and I can say some of the worries have been quite justified. The altitude and speed we climbed up is no joke: from San Pedro we went to cross the border, then drive through sandy desert for 12h up to 4,000-5,000m to check out lagoons with flamingos, geysers and hot springs surrounded by snow capped volcanoes. We were with five people in our jeep a...