The World is Flat | Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Bolivia was not as bad as my entry and exit may imply. The reason I was visiting was for a few days in the country’s southern desert, huge swaths of land made up of salt flats, volcanoes, and flamingo lagoons. As we drove, I joked that our car was actually a space ship: every few hours I would look out the window onto what seemed like a new planet. Surreal is often used to describe the landscapes and the desert shadows have a Dali-esque melt to them. While there are no records to suggest the painter made it to Bolivia, through magic or science non-fiction I believe he was there. 

Much to the scare of my loved ones (sorry Mum!), it was the first time all trip that I was truly off the grid. After what felt like being chased by death every few hours, the middle of nowhere was the perfect place to hide; that disconnection helped me reconnect with life. The hours of drive time were a great excuse to stare aimlessly out the window, letting my mind wander the endless valleys that stretched as far as I could see. When the silence wasn’t filled with reading or wonder, the incredible people who I shared the trip with were full of conversation. We traded stories strewn with life lessons and talked about the adventures of past, present and future. On our last, particularly frigid night ( about -10F), myself and a few others ventured out to see the full moon bright overhead in a sky scattered with an infinity plus one number of stars. I have said it before, and I will say it again: the world is a beautiful place, and I am such a lucky bastard for getting to be witness to it.