Saturday, 02/23: Great view of the Salt Flats from the sky.
From the Airport we took a few cable cars to another market. Interesting. Saw my first Alpaca. Had a hot drink (“Happi”?) of purple and white corn with sugar and cinnamon. Much better than it sounds. Cheese bread accessory was wonderful.
Visited the Valley to the Moon. Local legend says it was so named by Neil Armstrong, who said it looked like the Moon’s surface. He did in fact visit the location, but authenticity is doubtful. Amazing formations of clay. Cactus can take root anywhere.
Lunch was largely skipped by me to prepare for Bolivian Farewell Dinner. Spent much of the PM washing cloths and resting. The Dinner was superb. I had beef with Bolivian wine (2011 cab/merlot blend; excellent).

The five of us have ended the Pre-extension Tour on good terms with great memories. Bolivian citizens are without exception friendly. Hold up your hand and drivers will indeed stop. There is a tendency to think down on countries with horrible roadways. Such thinking would (once again) be a mistake in gaging the intelligence of its citizens. Good roads are not a good representative of individuals.
Tomorrow we fly to Lima for a one-day gap day before the main tour begins. OAT’s planning for this day is spotty. Arrive at 9 AM, check in at 3 PM. What we do in between is up to us. Fine by me, but the women are concerned, with reason.