In the high desert |
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The bubbling, spitting cauldrons of the altiplano on the Bolivian side of Ollagüe. These are near a geothermal plant and are, probably, incredibly dangerous. The vapour is steam and boiling water bubbles up through the mud to suddenly be ejected over the rim. Superheated steam, boiling water and hot muddy terrain make this place dangerously beautiful. A geyser just above these cauldrons erupts at dawn every day. |
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Nearby are these hot springs where the water temperature is a comfortable 30ºC but the temperature of the air, just after dawn at around 5000 metres altitude, was below 0ºC. The pool is filled with hot water trickling out of the hillside and drained into the lake visible in the distance. The white powder is borax, not frost, a mineral nearly always visible near water at this altitude. We used this place for a barbecue breakfast - well, porridge and coffee - with water from one of the many streams trickling into the pool.
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Below is a view of the volcano Ollagüe which is actually in Chile. The volcano always seemed to be smoking. This area of the altiplano has very little vegetation, consisting mostly a brilliant green moss growing on the southern side of rocks - in the shade - and yellow tufts of long grass.. |
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Willy, our driver, had been talking about a rock that "looks like a tree" for some time as we drove over the desert. So we were all hyped up expecting to see something pretty amazing. When we arrived at the rock, I have to admit to being a little disappointed but, as an almost isolated landmark it is slightly spectacular. This is the rock. It stands in a rock outcropping at the top of a mountain and appears to have been eroded by sand driven by the wind. There isn't a lot of water at this height so I doubt that water really comes into this type of erosion but, then, I'm no geologist. Personally I found the desolation and rolling hills of this entire high desert very attractive and could have spent a lot longer than the four days allocated to this trip. Paul Arundale from just outside Leeds in England, who we met on Easter Island a month or so earlier, cycled over this route and, at this rock which was probably at the highest point - well over 16,000 feet - he was suffering severely from altitude sickness. |
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It was getting dark and he couldn't go on so he camped nearby overnight not knowing if he would wake up the next morning or not. He did, thankfully, and is currently writing the account of his round-the-world cycling trip. |
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