In the morning we visit the train graveyard, this is not far from the town and there are carcases of old steam locomotives which served the line from the Bolivian border to towns of Oruro, Potosi and La Paz. These days there is not much left of these locomotives, nevertheless it is rather interesting visit, especially for the train buffs. From the train cemetery we drive to village of Colchani at the shores of the Salar itself. Here we have our first glimpses of the Salar the Uyuni. Colchani’s main source of income is the salt extraction from the Salar. We visit the part of the Salar which is being mined, or rather harvested for salt. The extraction method is somewhat primitive, the surface of the Salar is scraped with scrappers and pilled into miniature cones, and these are then loaded onto trucks and transported away. Another interesting site near Colchani is the so called “Ojos de Salar”. These are natural springs where an underground river bubbles up to surface through the salt layers. Here we leave the shores and start to enter the Salar proper. The view is imposing, the snow-white flat plane ringed by volcanoes, capped by deep blue sky with eerie stillness and silence; an unforgettable experience.
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