OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 201941ToreachLaPaz,wewouldhavetoleavethedes-
ertbehindandreturntothebreathtakingheightsof
theAndeanmountains.ClimbinghighaboveCerro
Blanco(a morethan1000-meter-tallsanddune)we
wereheadingfortheheartoftheIncacivilization—
Cusco.Webrokeupthejourneywithstopsinsmall
townsto enjoyfestivalsormeanderthroughmarkets,
samplingfoodat busyeateriesas wewent.
A visitto themysteriousSayhuiteMonolithnear
Abancaysparkeda whirlwind tourofancientsites
intheCuscoarea:Saqsay-
wamán,Chinchero,Pisac,
Ollantaytambo,Moray,
Pikillacta.And,ofcourse,
nowhistle-stoptouris
completewithouta visitto
MachuPicchu.
After a while though,
no matter how spectacu-
lar,amazing,historical,or
fascinating each ruinwas
initsownright,it allbe-
gantomeldintoonehazymemoryofperfectIncan
stoneworkandneatlyalignedterraces.Wewantedto
wowthefolksandvisitsomewherethatwouldstand
outamongtheseancienttemplesandfarms.
TheMarasSaltPondswerejusttheticket.Inuse
since pre-Incan times, the evaporation ponds are
stillfunctioningtoday.Familiesworktheirallotted
pondsharvestingsalt.Thecombinedappearanceof
these individualpondsformsa surreal patchwork;
squaresofwhitetoreddishbrownareterracedalong
thehillside,bringinganalien qualityto theland-
scape—aswellas flavortopapasfritas.
OurjourneytoLaPazforthefinalairportdrop-
offwasnearingitsend.Weroundedoutourtimein
Peruwitha visitto LakeTiticaca.Theenormouslake
straddlestheborderbetweenPeruandBoliviaat an
elevationof almost 4,000meters.It is theperfect
spotto crosstheborderwhilesimultaneouslyim-
pressingyourvisitors.
BythetimewearrivedinBolivia,Ben’sparents
werewellawarethatweweretakingthemostscenic
routetotheairport.Noeyebrowswereraisedwhen
wementioneda briefsidetripdownElCaminode
la Muerte.Wellmaybesomeeyebrowsraised—the
nameRoad ofDeath doesn’t typicallyevokecalm
whenona roadtrip.
TheoldNorthYungasRoadis mostfamousfor
thenumberoflivesit hastakenovertheyears.Esti-
matessuggestthatatitsworst,thisroadwasclaim-
ingup to 300 soulsa year.This was a harrowing
thoughttocontemplatewhilegazingovertheedge
totreetopshundredsofmetersbelow.It is farsafer
today.Fromtimetotime,travelersstillfallvictimto
thissinisterlysinuousalpineroad,butthese days it is
a tourist attraction, not a main highway.The Maras Salt Ponds almost appear to be painted onto the landscape.
Familiesworktheir
allottedpondsharvest-
ing salt. The combined
appearanceof these
individualpondsformsa
surrealpatchwork;
squaresof whiteto red-
dish brownare terraced
alongthe hillside,bring-
ing an alienquality
to the landscape.