Day 29
OJO de Perdiz, The Bolivian Desert
For 11 hours this day we drove through the desert. During this time we only saw one other car.
We passed the time gazing out the windows in complete wonder of the vast dry desert and the feeling of being the only people left on earth. Luckily, Rich´s IPOD was charged and we bounced across the desert listening to Santana which made me think of nights dancing in the summer with The Brothers, Nichols, and Tobins.....and Jimmy Buffet which made me think of lazy days on Alan´s boat.
Its so wierd to think that all of you at home are getting ready for Christmas while we sit under the hot desert sun and work through the cold Bolivian nights.
Rich commented it felt like crossing Mars (only later would we learn this is where they test the rovers). I don´t even know how to describe this area of the world. Forget "off the beaten track"...there was no TRACK. No roads, just your truck bouncing up and down over the tips of the Andes with no path to follow. No towns, no water, just you and the earth and the prayer that the sun will guide your driver to a safe place to sleep.
We ate lunch again out of the back of the truck. Our supplies were dwindling at this point, but amazingly even a 5 year old will eat canned peas and three day old rice when that is all there is!
This night our hostel was found quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Here is a picture.

Yes that spot in the sand is our hostel. At 17,000 feet above sea level, deep in the Andes, a little place to eat, drink, and warm your toes.
Once again we arrived to find no other guests....but instead of wanting company this night I was happy for the quite as some type of Bolivian bug had taken over my stomach.
However, one hour and three cups of coca tea later a group of back packers arrived! The first people we had seen other than our staff in two days!
It turns out their truck had broken an axel and blown three tires on the dusty track.
They are very lucky to have been close to the hostel. There is nothing else for 400 miles!
Our driver helped them fix the truck and we entertained them with our pre-charged DVD player and happily before nighfall they were on their way to the military base to beg a bed and food.
Shortly thereafter our guide announced we would have to get up at 4am the next morning to B-line for the boarder. I explained to him this was not my deal and I had another full day of site seeing in my contract....but he would not budge. He and the driver wanted to return to Uyuni the following day and to make it before dark they would have to drop us at the boarder by 10am.
I was furious! I paid for the full day and I wanted to see so many more things! But, despite my arguments....I was getting nowhere.
Now, Heather knows what I would have done at home.......a scam deserves to be made public and in these times it is typical for me to revert to my education....and call the media!
However, here in the middle of nowhere, with a ham radio that worked two hours per day, hundreds of miles from the nearest water source, let alone a Tv station or telephone.....I figured it would be hard to find some chirpy reporter to care about my cause.
Hence, I was about to resign to my fate of having been cheated, when out in the darkness a light flashed. Then again. Then the light became a steady stream of white and it became obvious it was a car headed toward the hostel.
We froze, as did our driver, guide and the two employees of the hostel.
No one drives here at night.
With no road it is not safe. No one was expected at the hostel.
Having been told by Oswaldo that drug dealers frequent these uninhabited areas....I became quite sure we were in trouble.
Moments later the Jeep stopped out front, the doors swung open and in walked a young, wealthy looking Columbian man. Following behind him was an entourage of scruffy Bolivian men......and they were carrying......I swear this is true.....TV CAMERAS!
It turns out the Columbian man, who we will now call our friend, Ernesto, was an investor in building hostels in the desert and promoting adventure tourism and was there to film a promotional video!
Well....as you can imagine within 15 minutes all my problems were solved, our tour was restored, and to boot...The Herald Family was under the glare of camera lights...the new stars of Ernesto´s film.
The poor unsuspecting European and American´s planning a trip, watching the video, seeing us eat gourmet food, drink wine, and listening to me expound upon the glories of travel in Bolivia, they will never know that that night the Bolivian bug dug at my stomach and inbetween each elegant take....I was running to the bathroom!