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One Car & Four Friends In Bolivia

A roadtrip through some of the most stunning landscapes in South America

By Regina Roeder

November 22^nd, 2015

Imagine a place high up above 4000m, where a harsh climate only creates home to few indigenous tribes, flamingoes and Llamas. Only flamingoes and Llamas can be found driving through the most colourful lagoons and volcanoes together creating a moonscape like scene.

one car & four friends

Some friends planned to join me on my South America adventure for a little while and we decided to rent a car in the beautiful white city of Sucre with the idea of exploring Salar Uyuni, the biggest salt flat in the world and from there heading South.

"Good luck my friends - you will definitely get lost.”

This is what we were told by some that had already done an organized tour to the same direction, to the South of Bolivia. But as so often in life, I listen to others, but in the end I follow my instincts when it comes to decision making. And guess what? Of course it worked out in the end and we found our adventure navigating ourselves through the countless paths in the desert. Nevertheless it was a good reminder that some people try to protect you, because they are scared about the unknown.

To ‘wander’ comes from the west Germanic word ‘wandran’ which means simply ‘to roam about’. It is the discovery of the self, the discovery of the outside world and the learning of how the self is both ‘at one with’ and ‘separate from’ the outside world.

Jumping into situations I haven’t dealt with before while letting go of fear and at the same time trying to understand the world surrounding me sometimes still creates a slight challenge but and important learning process in order to become more comfortable with myself and the world surrounding me. These challenges of discovering the unknown and adapting to new environments with all my heart are key in order to gain more confidence and find more peace. Of course this openness makes one more vulnerable and there will be situations where I will end up disappointed, heart broken and hurt, but these are most likely the moments that will teach you without even realizing it.

The most important thing is be honest - to yourself and everyone surrounding you.

Disconnect in order to connect

One car, enough food & water and four friends from three different countries that share the memory of having lived in a beautiful place called Vancouver, BC exactly 2 years ago. Together we decided to head to the colourful and arid landscapes of an area called Sud Lipez in Bolivia and explore Salar Uyuni, the biggest salt flat in the world.

For the four of us this journey served as a self reflection but also as a reunion, therefore it was wonderful to disconnect from everything for a total of two weeks while discovering some of the remotest places in South America.

“Space to breathe, silence to rest and places to rethink and reflect”

“Go out, experience nature, you will see how beautiful the world is and how it soothes you”

Fascinating landscapes awaited us along the way while exploring colourful lagoons and running through geysers and sleeping under the stars. The car gave us the freedom to stop whenever and wherever we wanted to and most of all it allowed us to take our time to process and truly enjoy all the stunning sceneries.

Rest, reflect and then go on

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Let's drive out of town

Sometimes we need the distance from our current situation in order to realize the scope of our problems, but also how fortunate we are in life, how much we achieved and what is important to oneself. Experiencing the simplicity and conditions indigenous communities live in was a big reminder on how fortunate we are. We cooked with some local families and played with their kids which made us realize how fortunate we are while living in abundance and in pretty high standards with constant running water, electricity, basically any type of food available all the time and furthermore anything we want is only one click away. Everything is given to us from a generation that wanted to us to have a easier life. Nevertheless our parents generation forgot how important it is sometimes to fight for what you have in order to fully appreciate everything to the fullest and consume more consciously.

In comparison to other countries we do work a lot and do a lot of things just because they are expected from us, thus sometimes our pursuits are not really driven by our passion instead they are driven by money and status: We basically run our system while saving up for a two week yearly vacation and to go out on the weekends. On the other hand this system provides us with a lot of security: We have insurances for basically everything, our pensions are most likely covered and most of us can afford a pretty decent lifestyle: Going out whenever we want to, having cars, going to concerts and nice restaurants without worrying too much about money. Nevertheless this creates at the same time a certain stress level to perform and compete while comparing ourselves with each other and it takes away our freedom to pursue what we might be passionate about.

A lot of people here on the countryside live a very sustainable life and earn whatever else they need on a day to day basis, a very simple, relaxed way of life focusing on the here and now. In contrast to that we plan further into the future for ourselves, for others and others plan for ourselves. Sometimes we get caught up in all these planning processes and we forget to ask ourselves: Am I happy? What are my dreams?

For my journey I can honestly say, the less I own the less stressed I feel. Which is kind of ironic as I thought I will get stressed once I am running low on money, or wearing the same 15 pieces of clothes that I own for the past 2 years now. Things you own will sometimes start owning you. This is why I learnt to live frugally and learnt to improvise by going to the tailor to fix my clothes, change the soles of my leather boots the third time, cook seasonally and live off exchanges.

I could not be happier right now wandering with my messy hair, dirty feet and a soul that craves for new adventures

Currently my goal is to find a balance and take care of myself while living a healthy lifestyle and supporting causes I find worth working on without thinking that every day does not not have enough hours to accomplish everything I need to.

This adventure has taught me two lessons: Enjoy the moment and also don’t worry too much about what will happen next but rather be excited about the uncertainty this journey brings along.

Right now I am living in Tarija a lovely small town close to the boarder of Argentina. But in a month from now I will be heading back Peru to support two projects, one in the Amazon and the other one on the Peruvian coast. I am excited about both projects as I know I will be learning, learning to understand the cultures I am spending time right now which to me is way more worth at this point than seeing places, this will happen anyways naturally along the way. Living with indigenous in the the Amazon learning about their plants, their food and just share moments like Christmas and New Years with them will be special and memorable. Last year I spend my time in the mountains of Colombia celebrating with my Colombian family in a super small town in the Andes. These are the experiences I will remember of this journey. Being part of communities and a culture can teach you way more than you could ask for.

“But isn’t traveling about seeing places?”

Exploring the train graveyard close to Uyuni

A fellow backpacker who had visited 5 countries in 2 months asked me the other day. I shrugged and questioned this “Isn’t a journey about experiencing and learning? About understanding yourself and the world that surrounds you, this is when you learn and grow.” He was silent, because he realized in the end nobody really cares about how many beaches you have seen, how many countries you have visited if there is no story that can be told, if you have not found meaning in it?

“Isn’t it ironic we live in a pretty rushed world and all we strive for is vacations where we again can rush from one place to another instead of enjoying where we are with the people we meet?”

In South America I often get thrown back in time and imagine myself in a world my grand parents lived when they grew up. A life being based on exchanges with a strong focus on the community. My grandpa used to play music in exchange of food and drinks and worked on a farm for milk, meat and vegetables and for the little money he needed he was working as a blacksmith; in the end of the day money was never the focus but community. I remember him being one of the happiest persons I knew, someone who dreamt of traveling and wandering around the world. Then the war came and he had to serve his country all the way out to Russia.

we are a fortunate generation

Ever since I arrived in South America I got reminded about the stories my grandparents told me how life in Germany used to be and why they did not see themselves as part of our society any longer right before they died. Life and values had changed.

I was never really aware of it but I guess right now I am fulfilling my grandpas dream to explore and work around the world while living a content and simple life based on exchanges, he was not able to because a regime destroyed his dream, but my generation is fortunate enough to pursue ours. I sometimes wish he knew.

In the end I see this lifestyle my grandparents and people I encountered in South America more as living instead of working, because they do it for themselves. My experience in the Sierra of Ecuador proved the same.

Interesting right, how lifestyles and certain values have changed within such a short amount of time how much progress has happened so fast, maybe too fast after the second world war in places like Germany. What education enables us to do but also what pressure it creates to perform. I guess it can be a blessing and burden at the same time if we do not find a balance in our life and if we forget about certain values and what we really want while rushing our lives.

your inner peace

Coming back to the first statement about self discovery - For me this past 10 years felt so natural and felt like this is exactly what I should be doing & why I am alive. I was never really questioning my journey and my environment and the people I met along the way, it all made sense, because I know I made the decision to be here while following my heart. Starting to realize this and learning how to be alone and not be defined by others made me feel more comfortable and confident and I found my inner peace by not wanting too much in short amount of time, but enjoying what I have, where I am and be happy exactly in the moment. I realized even if I’d die tomorrow I know it is ok as I did exactly what I wanted to and was always honest to myself. For now the road is home and I wish for every single person out there that you will encounter the same feeling on your journey:

A mix of freedom and feeling alive and most of all truly being yourself

After all these thoughts the most important question probably is: How do you know what you want if you have no idea what possibilities and opportunities are out there?

Thanks for following my journey and thanks for heading on this adventure Marion, Dave and Sam. You are truly wonderful people and I am happy to have you in my life.

Footnotes

#bolivia #roadtrip #adventure #regina roeder #roadtrip southamerica #explorebolivia #camping #sud lipez #travel photography #south america #salar uyuni #car rental Bolivia #regina roeder travel

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FootNotes

#bolivia #roadtrip #adventure #regina roeder #roadtrip southamerica #explorebolivia #camping #sud lipez #travel photography #south america #salar uyuni #car rental Bolivia #regina roeder travel

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One Car & Four Friends In Bolivia

A roadtrip through some of the most stunning landscapes in South America

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