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| The first Salt hostel we stayed at. We were packing the jeep to leave. |
Well so
I’m back from my vacation/retreat. It was wonderful to take a break from
volunteering and to explore the beauty of Bolivia. I really didn’t think there
were too many activities to do or sights to see in Bolivia but there are! One
thing I enjoyed was a three day get away to the salt flats of Bolivia. The salt
flats are in Salar de Uyuni. There were some odd rock formations, roaring geisers,
pinkish lakes, and beautiful mountains. There was a lot of salt there. I mean
we even ate in a restaurant and slept in a hotel made from salt. A lot of
things are made from salt there: salt chairs, salt tables, salt walls, salt
beds, salt people…ok no salt people but you get the point about there being a
lot of salt.
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| 7 am in the morning on our way to the geisers, Saul pulled over to help someone. Saul is wearing the blue jacket. |
We were
blessed with a very kind tour guide. His name was Saul. Saul made us feel like
home(usa). During our three day tour he drove us in his jeep around the
different places in Salar de Uyuni. Whether he was talking about the different
types of flamingos on scene or history of the culture there, he would speak
very slowly for us so that we would understand. He even played English music
like Red Hot Chili peppers in our car rides to make us feel like we were back
in the USA. He would also prepare and cook our food for us at the different
stops. We had a propane tank on top of the jeep for cooking and gasoline
containers for the jeep. One thing that stood out about his character was his
helpfulness and compassion for others. Salar de Uyuni is really big and you do
not want to get lost or stranded there. Whenever Saul saw a stopped vehicle
along the way having car problems, he would pull over and get out to help.
Whether it was helping to change tires, inflating tires, offering his tools,
using his jeep to take tires off of rims, he was always there to help. I asked
why he helped so much and his answer was because nothing really bad ever
happens to him.
It is good to meet people like
Saul. I have had my fair share of tour guides and there is no one like him. He
is not being paid to pull over to help others, that does not come with his job
description. He is one person that makes the world richer in flavor with his
good works. This is the way we were designed to be, to help one another. I
remember Jesus saying “You are the salt of the Earth” 5 Matthew 13-16. If we
have gifts and skills in some areas we should use them and make the world
richer. Jesus expresses his discontent and sadness when people do not use their
gifts by his ongoing words “But if salt has lost its strength, how can it be
made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people
will trample on it.” So if we were made to be the salt of the earth, let’s
flavor the world with our good works and love!
Three fun facts about
Salt:
Salt removes red wine stains.Salt was used as a currency in Ethiopia.
The amazing Salar de Uyuni (the world’s largest salt flat at 4,000 square miles) in Bolivia becomes mirror like when a thin layer of water lies on top. This reflectivity makes it a very useful tool in calibration scientific equipment from outer space. ) listverse.com
