Part 26 Bolivia - Volcano Country, Flamingos, Vehicle Issues
Friday, 1 August 2014 7:21 am
Friday 1st August:
Now we head south following the Bolivian/Chile border and into some isolated country.
Left and above is the 5800 metre active Volcano Ollagüe
Volcano Sedilla
Lake Canapa surrounded by Volcanoes
And full of Flamingoes
Lago Hedionda is also full of Flamingoes, and like the others, is 65-80% salinity and rich in zooplankton providing feed for the Flamingos.
It also has a high sulphur content and can be smelt easily at the lake edge.
Our camp is just over the next rise on Lago Ch’iyar Quta or Black Lake
Camp 391: Black Lake camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 4134 meters
S21* 35.032 W068* 03.409
Today: 114kms
Trip Total: 118,821 Km
Saturday 2nd August:
Minus 17 Degrees this morning, and despite running the Webasto exhaust into the fuel tank the diesel is still freezing and motor missing .
As an experiment I decided to disconnect the engine DP Chip to see if it would make a difference.
I am not sure of the result as just as we were about to drive away from this fix we had a flat tyre.
A huge gash on the inside. No marks from a rock or bottle - just unexplained.
It is already 12noon and the day warm so will see tomorrow if the removal of the chip made a difference.
The tour vehicles, of which there are many, drive flat out and the corrugations are horrendous.
The tracks are right across the valley floor, some times up to 750+metres wide and there is no reprieve from the constant jarring.
On the plus side the mountains are spectacular.
Weathering has provides some unusual rock formations
One of the highlights is Lago Colorada.
The lake contains white Borax Islands which contrast to the reddish colour of the waters. The red colour is caused by red sediments and also pigmentation of the algae. The same pigmentation that give the flamingos their pink colour
Camp 392: It’s a cold and windy camp above the lake at 4350 metres
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 4350 meters
S22* 14.420 W067* 49.566
Today: 89kms
Trip Total: 118,910 Km
Sunday 3rd August.
We awake to a negative 17*C morning and a broken shock absorber.
Fortunately I carried a new one over with us this trip, it was just 2 hours to change it in the bitter cold.
Then back down to Lago Colorada to check out yet more Flamingoes.
They are still the same as another 50+ or so photographs prove.
Todays drive was over a 2 Million year old Volcanic ash field scattered with Volcanic Bombs.
Many time we drove cross country, mainly to avoid the corrugations on the main road.
We are currently travelling between 4400 and 4900 metres.
The vehicle is still spluttering. Is either starved of fuel or oxygen?
The Chip removal made no difference.
John’s Canter suffers form no such problem !! ????
At 4800 metres is the Sol de Mañana (Morning Sun) Geothermal Field.
The area is characterised by intense volcanic activity and sulphur springs.
Bubbling mud and jets of steam as loud as a 747 Jet Engine are throughout the 10km square area.
The Salar de Chalviri is another salt lake and flat covered with frozen water and Borax islands
Just before we call camp is the Salvador Dalí Desert.
It is an extremely barren valley with some very unusual rock formations and a great backdrop of volcanic mountains.
Camp 393: Another VERY cold and windy camp at 4555 metres
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 4555 meters
S22* 38.748 W067* 42.687
Today: 91kms
Trip Total: 119,001 Km
Monday 4th August.
Last night minus 15*C.
Laguna Verde ( Green Lake) is a salt lake at the foot of Volcano Licancabur. (5,868m)
The lake contains mineral deposits of Arsenic and depending on the winds the colour changes from Turquoise to dark green.
The lake often reaches temperatures of minus 56*C but because of its mineral content remains 70% liquid.
It was John’s time for vehicle issues.
The Webasto Glycol heat exchange unit destroyed itself sending Glycol into the hot water system.
The only remedy was to disconnect the Webasto unit and put a loop into the engine system so that engine Glycol did not flow to the Webasto.
This means no heating for water or air for them ...bugger !
It was the Good-By to Bolivia and into Chile.
The Bolivian exit point was this lonely concrete block at the mountain pass of Hito Cajón.
The Chile formalities is 45Kms away in San Pedro de Atacama.
That we will do tomorrow.
Then we have another vehicle problem. The water pump has failed. Pulling it apart, I have found it is sucking air internally and have filled the potential leaks with engine gasket sealant...we will see, as it dries in the next 24 hours if we will have water.......
Camp 394: Just off the road at a more moderate height and temperature.
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 3286 meters
S22* 54.590 W067* 58.418
Today: 76kms
Trip Total: 119,077 Km
In light of the ongoing engine problems (missing, dying etc), aux fuel tank leaks, water tank brackets broken, and other problems we cannot fix here we have elected to return the vehicle to Australia. Our friends, John and Elizabeth have a 40’ container organised for the 13th September Santiago/Brisbane so it is logical also to share with them.
It has been a hard decision, however in light of the vehicle’s unreliability we cannot continue into isolated places that we enjoy.
We have modified our current travel plans accordingly to be in Santiago on the 8th September for cleaning, loading etc. This is with the idea of returning to South America at a later date.
Tomorrow we travel Northern Chile and then Southern Peru