big toad

big toad Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Yavi

Yavi Originally uploaded by Road Trip

small town still pretty untouched by tourism, had some amazing landscapes and cave paintings

local transport

local transport Originally uploaded by Road Trip

the first 2-3 hours was interesting the last 5 or 6 dragged on a bit, just a bit though

fun with dynamite and coca leaves

fun with dynamite and coca leaves Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Potosi miners

Potosi miners Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Maria, Leon and Me

Maria, Leon and Me Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Potosi and back into northern Argentina

Potosi is the highest city of its size in the world and at 4060 meters you`re first day you get winded just getting out of bed. At one time apparently it was one of the richest in the world being bigger that Paris. It`s a town based solely on its silver mine located in the moutain overlooking the town, unfortunately its said that in 20 years the mine`ll be dry, which puts most of the town out of work. Tourism is helping a little but you have to wonder what will happen to this town when the metals stop coming out of the earth. We were able to go an a tour of the mine which was extremely eye opening, 2 hours down there breathing the dust and the pumped in oxygen, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling and you`re exhausted. Yet you meet miners down there that have been doing it since thirteen years old, sometime for 24 hour shifts. Needless to say 25 year olds look 40, and 40 years olds already half severe health problems. To cheer us up at the end of the tour they let prepare and blow up our own dynamite, all in all a pretty depressingly surreal day. After Potosi is was back into Argentina, which included 8 hours in the back of a small flatbed on a dusty roadwith at times 30+ bolivians, Yavi, getting caught for a few more days in Salta (I love that place), weird experiences in Tucuman, Cordoba and the beginning of my march to Buenos Aires and then Tierra del Fuego.

local beauty contest

local beauty contest Originally uploaded by Road Trip

so our last night on the tour Maria, Leon and I passed by the colseo, there was a big crowd gathered for what we thought was a volleyball tournament. we had the desire to do somthing local so we stepped in. we got there just in time for them to take the nets down and have underage girls parade around in bakini´s. it proved a little too bizarre watching kids chant for their favorite half naked 7th grader so we left pretty soon after sitting down.

outside Tupiza

outside Tupiza Originally uploaded by Road Trip

small toad

small toad Originally uploaded by Road Trip

San Vincente

San Vincente Originally uploaded by Road Trip

this is the church in the cewnter of the town where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed afew days after robbing theri last bank a few hours a way, I had no clue they made it this far south

flamingo and vacuna tracks

flamingo and vacuna tracks Originally uploaded by Road Trip

vicunas are wild llama type animals, apparently thwy`re protected now because they`re prized for their fur

snow and flamingos ¿who new?

snow and flamingos ¿who new? Originally uploaded by Road Trip

quinoa

quinoa Originally uploaded by Road Trip

local grain

salt hotel

salt hotel Originally uploaded by Road Trip

a little more expensive than we were able, but there were a number of hotels made out of salt

mud brick hoops

mud brick hoops Originally uploaded by Road Trip

first night on the tour had a local court

an ocean of salt

an ocean of salt Originally uploaded by Road Trip

perspective games

perspective games Originally uploaded by Road Trip

because of the infinite horizon you can play a lot with your fotos and perspective. like jumping off the planet for example. Leon, Maria and I played with it a bunch (they were oin the tour with me). Leon is the one pretending to be a terradactyl

Uyuni Salt Flats

Uyuni Salt Flats Originally uploaded by Road Trip

crazy

My car

My car Originally uploaded by Road Trip

about 9 hours later it pulled into Uyuni

Bolivian train yard

Bolivian train yard Originally uploaded by Road Trip

so my first day in Bolivia and I walked through the train yard to find out the schedule for the following day. Apparently in Bolivia (or at least so I`ve been told) the roads are so bad that when a train is available you take it. While walking through all I could think of is how quickly I`d have been arrested in the US for just being there.

Iglesia de Los Capuchinos

Ctedral de Cordoba Originally uploaded by Road Trip

7 cascadas

7 cascadas
Originally uploaded by Road Trip

one of the few day trips I was able to do outside of Cordoba. mainly just stayed in town and drank too much. Baluch Backpackers hostel made it too easy. Deck a hilarious irish guy (other guy in the picture) and Nick and Edd didn`t help the situation either

Cordoba arches

Cordoba arches
Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Cordoba Catedral

Chiuch in the Plaza Originally uploaded by Road Trip

Shrooms

Shrooms
Originally uploaded by Road Trip

these aren`t the ones that make you see jesus

Bolivia and the Salar de Uyuni

So besides than being incredibly cheap, Bolivia also happens to be gorgous and full of frienly people. If any of you get down to Uyuni, spoend the extra coin to do a 4 day tour rather than 3. The roads outside of Tupiza are just as impressive as the salt flats themselves. I`ll only put on a few but I have what would be equivolent of probably about 6 rolls, if you kiss my ass nice enough when I get home Ill show em to you.