Looking out of the window, you are almost certain to catch a glimpse of Nico when visiting the famous Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. His house is built right next to the main access road that leads hundreds of tourists, seated in all-terrain vehicles, from the bustling town of Uyuni into the vast white desert each day. (Or so it used to, before these times of the pandemic. But this is another story.)
Before entering the Salar, most tours stop in Colchani, a little village right at the border of the salt flat, which Nico calls his home. They take a couple of minutes to eat breakfast or buy a couple souvenirs on the tourist market before running off.
Few stop at Nico’s house, which is situated half a kilometer outside the village. “The closest possible to the Salar,” as he says. Water supply has yet to reach this border area of the village. For now, Nico and his wife fill barrels at a nearby well every couple of days, to cook, clean, wash, and drink.
As most in Colchani, Nico comes from a family of Saleros–salt farmers. People here make a living from cutting blocks of salt from the rock-hard surface of the Salar de Uyuni, stacking them on a truck, and selling the load in town–or so they used to. Salt farming is not very profitable anymore these days. And so Nico has long found a different way of getting by.
Elephants for highlanders
Some tourists do stop at Nico’s house. Most of them are Bolivians venturing into the Salar in their own cars, or foreigners who have booked expensive individual tours. Unlike those with the standard package, they can stop for whatever calls their attention.
Nico’s court yard does indeed call your attention. It displays more than a dozen salt sculptures in different shapes, from animals to vehicles. There is a life-sized lama for you to ride, and a car with a steering wheel for you to turn. His most famous piece: a full-scale replica of a truck, which Toyota commissioned him to build for the Dakar rally that passed by here a couple of years ago.
Most of Nico’s sculptures, however, are significantly smaller–just so people can still fit them into their suitcases. He mainly crafts them in three different animal shapes. One of them is the elephant. It brings good fortune–money–to those who take it home. Bolivians mainly buy it, those from the highlands, like him.
Lamas for the lowlanders
Salar de Uyuni used to be an insider destination for backpackers from Europe, North America, or Israel. While few Israeli tourists still come to Bolivia since former president Evo Morales tightened their visa requirements, European and North American tourists have seemingly grown older. Infrastructure has improved significantly, making the trip somewhat less adventurous. The salt flat has become one of the world’s most sought after destinations for tourists the world over.
Bolivians, too, increasingly visit their own country’s famous natural wonder. Highlanders from the capital of La Paz, which is now connected to Uyuni through several direct flights daily. Lowlanders, too, from the economic capital of Santa Cruz, where people are so different. They buy the lama mostly, for it represents the highlands of Bolivia, which to them must seem almost like a different country.
Owls for Asians
The most dramatic change in tourism in the region have been the rapidly increasing numbers of visitors from Japan, Korea, and China. Try to find a hotel room in Uyuni between December and February and you will likely meet difficulties. During these months, the Salar is fully covered by several centimeters of water, which turns it into a gigantic mirror. It is as if you were floating in the air–there is nothing but sky all around you.
People travel all the way from Asia to South America just for this experience. They like to buy owls mostly, for they bring wisdom. Nico sells them for a couple of dollars each, to those who can still make room in their suitcases. “They last forever,” he tells them. “The salt is so hard, not even water can damage it.”
Anthropologist, PhD student, fascinated by lithium and its connections around the world. What happens once we venture into the different places and issues it can take us?