Leaving the Salar, we cross towards Salinas, giving a last hug to Geoffray and getting at the bottom of the Volcano Colo Colo (also named Quesata).

Out of the fact the name of it gives me a good laugh, one of its foot-hills appeals me a lot to fly it.

We are still on the boarder of the salar and flying from there would give me an awesome view above the salt sea.

As usual, at 4 am I start walking up the hill through unknown fields and strange cracks in the earth.

At sunrise, I am up there, scanning the ground for a take-off.

Luckily the wind is west, with a bit of south in it. Perfect, I will be flying facing the top of the volcano and landing not too far from the campment, the salar on my left.

A flat ground on the plateau of the hill is out of bushes, with a smooth slope going down facing west.

Quickly the wing is above me, I am a bit shy, as usual when I take off alone into the wild.

Flying at 4200m is not exactly like flying at sea level.

Speed increases a lot and the wing reacts differently. Of course I haven’t had much occasion to train in the air before, so that I must learn by acting it!

A problem occurs me at landing. I planned to land facing west and so the top-wind direction, but the morning sun already has heat the eastern sides of the mountain, and landing-wind is clearly ENE, meaning I am shooting myself toward the ground!!!

This mistake makes me flying all above the clean landing field that I had chosen before, till the next field completely ambushed… Damn, everything’s OK but that wasn’t wise.