Uyuni and the Tonito Hotel

After crossing the Altiplano we arrived in Uyuni, a small town in the middle of the desert.  This was our first real taste of Bolivia, and being a desert town, the change from Argentina was immense.  We saw many of the ladies in their traditional big skirts and bowler hats, selling bread and other items on the pavements.  The market places were full of passageways of little stalls selling all manner of foods, materials, clothing and hardware.  And everywhere we looked there were alpaca jumpers, hats, gloves and socks.

Being a small town, it didn't take much walking around to see it.  There were some contrasts of quite old and slightly dilapidated buildings, and some quite modern looking areas, with their monuments and sculptures.  Overall the town seemed quite a relaxed and friendly place.



Minuteman at the Toñito Hotel



However, the highlight of Uyuni town had to be our hotel.  I know it seems very wrong to be in a new town and to pay most attention to where we were staying, but after a lot of camping and dodgy conditions, The Toñito hotel was consistently described by our fellow travellers as a little oasis in the desert.  It is run by Suzi, originally from Uyuni, and her husband Chris, originally from Boston, USA.  It was a nice friendly place, with a radiator in the room and an ensuite bathroom with reliably hot water.  They had some nice seating areas that we could use and had a laundry service.

But the best thing was the food.  They had a small restaurant called minuteman that did fantastic pizzas and great breakfasts.  Now again, it may be wrong, but we ate here both nights and both mornings, and it was great to have easy, tasty and relaxed meals.  We did at least have llama on our pizzas though, so there was at least some South American element to them!