this fragile eco-system. So instead of ignoring it like many countries do they quickly did something about it and relocated it to a nearby village. Whilst the new one doesn’t have the same instant appeal as the old one which is situated in the middle of this white nothingness, it has the added advantage of leaving the salt flat intact and causing no environmental damage, which can only be a good thing. You are also not charged for a quick trip around the old hotel, the only thing they ask of you is if you buy something from their shop. We opted for a large bag of crisps!!!

After this we drove a little further and again stopped, this time to see the water filled area. It was amazing and to say it was mirror like does little justice to the actual beauty of what we saw. Perfect symmetry was accomplished by the water and its reflections. We could now really appreciate how surreal the whole salt

flat must look hidden beneath a layer of water. From this point you see the areas where the locals mine the salt. The salt mining is on a really small scale and kept to one small area so it doesn’t diminish the view whatsoever. I don’t really think they mine it that way to keep the tourists happy it just seems to be the way they do things around here and the respect they show for their precious environment.

It was now time to say goodbye to the salt flat and our tour was drawing to a close. We had one last stop at the small mining village for lunch and Christina once again served us up a wonderful and healthy salad with potato mayo and bread. We had a look around the village and Cynthia pondered about where would be the cheapest place in Bolivia to buy some socks!!! Wow! She was a school teacher in Canada and was worrying about saving a few Bolivianos on socks!!! There were a few friendly