Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --- Mark Twain

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Salar de Uyuni


23.06.2013 – 25.06.2013
The Journey: La Paz – Oruro - Potosi – Uyuni – Isla  - Tahua – Salinas de Graci Mendoza – Challapata – Oruro – La Paz (1373 km)

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Located 3656 meters above the Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt field , which has an area of 10,582 km2 , and the thickness of the central part of the salt layer is approximately 10 meters .

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Death Road

21.06.2013 - 22.06.2013
The Journey: La Paz – Coroico – La Paz.

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A couple of paragraphs from Wikipedia :

The North Yungas Road (alternatively known as Grove's Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, Road of fate or Death Road) is a 61-kilometre (38 mi) or 69-kilometre (43 mi) road leading from La Paz to Coroico, 56 kilometres northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia.

It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road". One estimate is that 200 to 300 travellers are killed yearly along the road. The road includes cross markings on many of the spots where vehicles have fallen.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Bolivia, Aymara New Year


20.06.2013 – 21.06.2013

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Bolivian currency is bolivanos . 10 BOL = 1,1 EUR or 1.45 USD

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bolivia, La Paz


16.06.2013 – 20.06.2013
The Journey: Tambo Quemado – Patacamaya - La Paz (300 km).

I could leave behind the Chile- Bolivia border at about one clock, hoping to reach La Paz (300 kilometers) before dark. The road was said to be ok , still the main road between Chile and Bolivia
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Before Patacamaya it was necessary to pay the toll of 8 bolivano .

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Arica, Putre, Parinacota


11.06.2013 until 15.06.2013,
The Journey: Calama – Iquique – Arica – Putre – Perinacota – Chungara – Tambo Quemado (1020 km).

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Iquique – on the shore of a shallow pool there is a full size copy of the corvette "Esmeralda"

Monday, July 22, 2013

Chuquicamata Mine


10.06.2013

There is a copper mine near the town of Calama. One can read about it that it is ".... excavated by volume the biggest open pit copper mine"

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The mine belongs to the state company of Codelco, which organizes free guided tours to the mine and to the adjacent derelict city of Chiquicamata.


Atacama


05.06.2013 - 09.06.2013
The Journey: Altamira – Agua Verde – Antofagasta – Calama – San Pedro de Atacama – Calama (831 km).

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The expance.  Something similar, such as Patagonia, where you can view tens of kilometers.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Chanarcillo


31.05.2013 - 04.06.2013.

The Journey: Vallenar – Chanarcillo – Copiapo – Copiapo Valley (Iglesia Colorada) – Bahia Inglesa – Caldera – Copiapo – Inca de Oro – Diego de Almago – Chanaral – Diego de Almago – Portal del Inca – El Salvador – Diego del Almago – Altamira

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Vallenar. Perfectly ok, a little away from the big road, so that the traffic noise did not bother

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Further Upwards


May from 29 to 30, 2013
The journey : Valparaiso - Vina del Mar - Zapallar - La Serena - Reserva National Penguina de Humbolt - Vallenar

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One more picture of Valparaiso.