Derelict Railway Line of Uyuni
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Derelict Railway Line of UyuniThe World > South America > Bolivia |
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This rather dirty-looking stretch of salt flats is Chiguaya.
We are probably looking at one of the loneliest railway line on earth - a line that connects the Bolivian Altiplano with the coastal inland of northern Chile.
Volcan Ollague is in the distance straddling right onto the border. The jeeps are on their way to the little village of San Juan but we find time for a little bit of leg-stretching here.
There are several such cluster of strange rock formations scattered around in this area and they don'...
Almost all tours make a lunch stop at this rather foul-smelling high altiplano lake - Laguna Hedionda...
On the way to Laguna Hedionda, Laguna Ramaditas normally serves as a brief stop-over place for some m...
By the time the sun finally rose above the clouds, I had already waded some distance out. The submerg...
Isla Incahausi with its giant cacti basking under a cloudless sky. It is difficult to get an exact wh...
After the spectacular sunrise at the top of the island, I wasted no time running down to the submerge...
South America makes up the southern half of the Americas and a large part of Latin America. It's home to the world's longest mountain range, biggest waterfall and largest river -- even these mammoths pale in comparison to the stunning variety of life forms thriving in the rainforest.
To the northwest, off the coast of Ecuador, lie the Galapagos Islands, which are unique for hosting species not found anywhere else on earth. These were the subject of study for Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution, which he himself said will require proof in every single case.
The main languages in South America are Spanish and Portugese, which basically tells you which European countries colonized the place. The South American wars of independence took place over two decades in the early 19th century, led by Simon Bolivar of Venezuela and Jose san Martin of Argentina.
Following liberation from Portugal and Spain, South America took off into its own development, capitalizing on the rich deposits of oil, gold, copper, silver and tango musicians.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and home to one of the world's best parties, Carnaval. Have you heard of samba music? How about bossa nova? Maybe dancing for three days straight?
I can't say enough good things about South America. All the world's continents have amazing secrets and treasures laying in wait for your discovery, but in South America... just have a look at our pictures while you're waiting for online confirmation of your plane tickets to hit your inbox.
Text by Steve Smith.
