Once over the bridge, we walked for another 5mins to the base of the mountain where the salt mines are. At the bottom, there is a stream of salt water. We dipped our hands in, only for them to dry white, yet so smooth. Climbing the mountain was a challenge. The air is thin here and the dirt (& dusty) path to the top was mostly steep and narrow. There were no signs or barriers, making some parts scary as you looked down below. Once at the top, we were greated with a view of the salt mines and the surrounding scenery, what a view! With the salt mines, the locals channel the salt water that bubbles to the surface from a spring called Qpripujio towards man made wells. From the exposure to the sun, the water evaporates and the salt remains on the surface to be transported later to the market to be sold. The view of this complex of nearly 3000 wells is spectacular. The journey down the steep mountain was harder than it seemed, not to mention the dirt and dust making it slippery. We were so slow, that a local family caught up to us...the mother with her baby on her back (so cute) and the father with a bull on a leash.