Day 6, 7, 8 & 9 - Salar de Uyuni

Had my Pathfinder washed and oiled - literally! They spray the underside of the vehicle with used motor oil which protects it from the salt

.... and I found cheaper gas - apparently the trick is to negotiate a price above the local rate and lower then international

 I head off for the Salar De Yuni bright and early - the approach to the Salar access point was, as all roads in Bolivia - terrible!

One has to use the access and exit areas or you will break through the crust (more on this later)

It is an amazing unique place - I can only compare it to driving across a frozen lake - to be surrounded by white with islands scattered around - is truly an exceptional experience

In the very center of the salt flat is Island Incahausi - covered with Cacti - did you know that cactus grows one cm a year and some of the cacti on the island are over 12 meters tall!

Most days the Island is overrun by tourists and has a restaurant (which usually is out of supplies) and has toilets (which you have to pay for)

As I wanted to find a good spot to pitch my tent while the day was still young - I headed off to find one

And that’s when my day came to an abrupt and messy end

About 35 km from Island Incahausi I saw a island that looked promising - knowing that the fringes of the Salar are soft and treacherous - my approach was cautious - then I saw old tire treads approaching the island - so I assumed that it was a safe approach - well assumption is the mother of all fuck ups!

As I felt the surface giving under the Pathfinder I switched to 4x4 on the fly - but no luck as I broke through the surface and bogged down just 8 feet from firm ground

And that is when my drive through the Salar became an exercise of escape from the Salar

I was sunk axle and differential deep in clay - which was BAD news - first because axle and differential were bogged down and second because it was clay which has the same clingy sticky sucking qualities as quick sand

I knew I was in big trouble - just how big I was to find out later

Well, pointless standing around feeling sorry for myself so I unloaded the Pathfinder and pitched my tent

and started digging the wheels out and then I shored up the tires with bush and rocks from the island - gave it a go - the wheels spun in place - as the clay gave no purchase and actually acts like grease - at the same time clinging on to the wheels

We were not getting out without help

So I started exploring the Island as I knew getting out and to the island was just part of the problem the bigger problem was how to get off the island!

And that’s when I realized I was in very very big trouble as there was no way of the island - it was soft boggy terrain everywhere I looked

Even if I had help in getting out and to the island there was no way (I could see) off getting off - I could not be towed or winched as the distance to firm ground was too great and no vehicle could get to the island as it would bog down 

I had shelter (tent) plenty of water and food so I was not too worried - I was close to a spot visited by hundreds of tourists a day - I was sure I would be spotted by a passing vehicle and the tour guides would know the terrain better - a solution would come along

Wrong again - I did not see a vehicle the whole day and the island had no cell phone coverage

By this time I had pitched my tent and had something to eat - early evening the wind started to rise and was storm force in no time - shades of New Mexico - in spite of my efforts a tent pole snapped and the tent from that time on could only serve as a tarp weighed down with rocks - tent was gone but I could still use the Pathfinder as shelter - maybe the gods have an issue with me camping!

I had a relatively comfortable night in the Pathfinder as I had plenty of fuel and could turn on the heat when it got too cold- the nights are very cold in the Salar along with blazing hot days - great sunsets!

Woke up early and started my vehicle watch - I was already in survival mode - took stock of my water (had plenty of food) as I was surprised how much water I was consuming working in the heat at an altitude of close to 4000 meters in a dry environment - I had just enough water to last me max 2 more days

In the evening around 5 pm a tour vehicle showed up - there is a cave on the island that just this company visits - the island is avoided by tour operators as the ground around it is so treacherous - no wonder I had not seen a vehicle

Well, he checked out the extent of the problem and said (what I knew) that I need a professional recovery team as no half assed effort involving shovels, stones and bushes is going to work

He knew someone who had all the equipment and would contact him the minute he got back - all good!

Three guys showed up at around 8:30 pm checked out the issue and told me that the cost is 150 US dollars and that only included getting the Pathfinder to firm ground on the island as they had no idea of a safe route off the island

Keep in mind that Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in the world so 150 dollars is a lot of money! But desperate situations are usually expensive

They were a real professional crew - in about an hour (working at night) they had me out and on to firm ground! But, still trapped on the island!

As I said professional but less than honest - I gave them my flashlight to help them load their equipment and they just drove away with it!?

Well, I was out of one mess will tackle getting off the island in the morning

In the morning I realized I was running very low on water (one liter left)  - so I had to try getting off the island. Cutting a long story short I tried and failed - result - bogged down again!!

This time I just locked the Pathfinder and packed my rucksack with items I could not afford to lose and started walking towards Island Incahuasi - as I had just one liter of water left - it was time to get proactive

As for the hike - unless you have done an endurance march you will have no idea - so let’s just say I will never forget it and will certainly never ever want to do it again

Took me around 8 hours to get to the island the Manager was kind enough to find a room with a cot for me to spend the night - next morning he introduced me to a old man who knew the Salar like no one else and would help me - cheers to that!

So the old man and his son loaded up there truck and away we went - they were not as professional as the last team so it took a few hours to get the pathfinder to firm ground again. Here is how the recovery goes:

-          - First dig out the wheels

-         -  Then jack up each wheel individually (cannot use the jack points) using the hub of the wheel

-         -  Jam rocks under the wheel to give purchase

-         -  Then jack up the wheel higher and place a long plank between the wheel and rocks

-          - Repeat as often as it takes to get to firm ground

We were on the island - we just had to find a way off - this is where the old man’s knowledge paid off - he suggested we go over the island to the other side - so we scouted out a route as there were no tracks etc this would be bushwhacking in every sense of the word!

After a couple of hours we were all set - the Pathfinder was up to the challenge and we made it without a hitch!

And right there in front of us was a good firm way out - Allah be praised!