Salar de Uyuni

Today's trip to the salt lake close to Uyuni was Included in our trip price. We were taken in three 4wd trucks and went firstly to the train cemetery then on a village to see them processing and bagging salt and then on to the salt pan itself where we drove to a number of spots for photos and lunch.The old trains are great just sitting out there on the plains very slowly rusting away. Many of them look vy old in style with massive rivets all over the body and some of the structures had wooden struts as well as the heavy cast iron for the fireboxes and tanks. We had a great time ther taking pictures and climbing over them.The stop at the village was a bit of a tourist trap but we were told about the process of raking up the salt, transporting it to town where it is unloaded outside the little salt plant. Then they barrow it in and spread it on a metal tray under which they have set a fire. They have to use some sort of brush from the desert as there isn't a tree for hundreds of miles. Anyway they then put it through a grinder at which stage they put in the iodine. I liked this bit as the old guy demonstrating it for us just plunged his hand into a plastic bucket by the grinding machine and tossed it in. No need for careful measures here. They had this old gas burner which shot flames out off a burner about 6 inches long. This they used to seal the salt into small plastic bags. The bags of around .5 kilo cost 1 Boliviano - there are 7 to an Aussie dollar. The walk on the small island in the salt lake was interesting. Looking out one could think the lake was snow but the cactus made it more like the wild west. Many tourists take photos here to distort the perspective so you can see adults getting up to all sorts of silly antics. Stopped at the salt hotel which has been closed for hygienic reasons - it is mid lake so who knows where the toilet waste went.Great day out overall.