After a week of relaxing and catching up on drinking and eating I thought it was time to get back on my newly serviced bike and head north again! I got up early and got the bike packed ready to head out of the hostel into a grey and wet La Paz morning. I wasn't thrilled as it was still a little dark, raining and I had a huge climb in front of me to get out of the city. After an hour and a half I'd made it the 12km out of the city which was one steep climb the whole way. After that it was another 140kms of hard riding but through spectacular scenery to my destination of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca (the worlds highest navigable lake). That night over dinner and a couple of beers I met a French guy, two German girls and an English/Burmese girl. We arranged to meet the following day to travel together to Isla Del Sol which is a island in the middle of Lake Titicaca and is a perfect place for hiking and exploring the Inca ruins which are scattered over it. The island was a surreal place which we managed to see a great deal of during the next couple of days via boat and hiking trips. The infamous Inca stairway was certainly a highlight even though my new travel mates thought it was the funniest thing!! After a cold boat ride back to Copacabana we finished the trip off with dinner and a few beers before I had to say goodbye to my new friends. I decided to stay another night in relaxing Copa before heading into Peru tomorrow and the long stretch to the city of Cuzco which should take me 5-6 days of seriously hard riding. I'm definitely looking forward to getting into Peru to see what it has to offer. Travelling by bicycle in Bolivia has been extremely challenging with the poor roads and high altitudes being two of the major factors influencing my experience. Also Bolivia is one of South America's poorest countries which can add another level to the travels!! In saying this I've had an amazing time travelling through and trying to interact with the people of Bolivia. It's definitely been a travel experience to remember....
Riding Stats
> 23th Feb - 153km
Total - 3121km
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
La Paz
Well, I've been in La Paz almost a week now and the city is still treating me well. The other day I when mountain biking down the ´world's most dangerous road' with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking and it was truly amazing. One of the best and scariest rides I've been on and the team at Gravity were excellent. Check out the photos as we started the ride in the snow at 4700m above sea level and finished at an animal refuge in the jungle at about 1500m. They also serviced my touring bike for me and the bike now looks brand new again. Looking forward to getting it back out on the road heading north for Copacabana, hopefully in the next couple of days time. La Paz is a full on city but also fairly relaxing at the same time. There are truck loads of street markets, crazy drivers and loads of shoe shine boys who wear full black ski masks and basketball caps so you can just make out their eyes. The look pretty menacing but everyone seems all good. The food and beer are really cheap but you have to be a little careful about what you eat as I've found out!! The last day or two I've been a bit sick so have had to take it easy and recover! The plan is to hang out in La Paz for a couple more days before heading north, if i can ever figure out how to ride out of this city!! I've got a very long day or potentially two days riding to Copacabana which is situated on the southern shores of Lake Titicaca. From there I can do a bit of hiking and visit the nearby legendary Inca Islands of the Sun and Moon. It will be my first taste of Inca ruins before I hit Peru and the famous Machu Picchu.....
Monday, February 18, 2008
Oruro to La Paz
Riding out of Oruro was no where near as fun as riding into the place. It was early and there wasn´t much traffic around but I was on my way to La Paz and I was happy! There just wasn´t a great deal to do in Oruro so I decided to carry on north after only two nights in the city. The cycling was great as it was a proper pavement road the whole day winding through lots of little villages along the way. After a solid day of riding I came to a place with a hostel so decided to stop for the night. After some dinner and a great nights sleep I was up early for the 70 odd km´s to La Paz. I was so excited I forgot I left my sunglasses on top of my bag and just cycled off. About 5-6kms into it I was thinking somethings not right and I finally figured it out. I decided to back track and try and find my sunnies. I got all the way back to the hostel with no luck so I had to start the day over riding again this time highly pissed off!! Oh well, I´ll be adding sunnies to the shopping list for La Paz! The riding was a bit hilly and my legs were really sore so it was a long day. At a police check point on the way I meet a Kiwi guy on a motor bike heading south. It was great chatting to another Kiwi and to get some info on the towns to the north. Coming into La Paz was just amazing and the traffic was hard to negotiate but I found a hostel alright. Just as I was checking in a Swiss guy on a motor bike pulls up so after a quick shower we go out for a couple of beers and something to eat. The night ended up being another crazy South America one where we meet some others and bar hopped until the wee hours. Saturday was spent relaxing and recovering but was still an interest day! After a great night sleep its now time to explore La Paz and see what the city has to offer.
Riding Stats
> 14th Feb - 159km
> 15th Feb - 90km
Total - 2960km
Riding Stats
> 14th Feb - 159km
> 15th Feb - 90km
Total - 2960km
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Uyuni to Oruro
Well, I made it to Oruro after 4 very hard days riding thanks to the superb Bolivian roads!! First thing on the agenda was a shower as it had been 5 days since the previous one, I thought I´d gotten really sun burnt but it was just dust and dirt which was soon washed off!!
The last 4 days have just been amazing with some spectacular scenery and fantastic riding but just made all the harder by some of the worst roads I´ve ever seen. Sometimes the road just disappeared and it became guess work before getting back on it or the road was the river bed and riding up one of these on a fully loaded bike is not pleasant at all!
I was planning on spending a few nights in Uyuni but the place but a bit disappointing so after two nights I got up early and rolled out of town on route to the famous Salar de Uyuni. I really wanted to cycle across them but knew at this time of the year they would be under water. Anyways, I still rode out on them as far as I could and it was just the best feeling. I´d wanted to visit this place for a long time now and to finally to so, and on a bike was just amazing. Check the photos out but they don´t really give you a feeling for the place. Getting back on track the riding for the rest of the day was a but of a blur until I realised I was running out of light and energy. I meet this random old guy on the side of the road and managed to ask if I could camp somewhere. He showed me the back of his friend´s house where I set up camp for the night. It was a brilliant cloudless night sky and during the night I saw 4 shooting stars amongst some restless sleep. It was damn cold though and when I was packing up the next morning I found my tent covered in ice and that my water bottles on the bike were frozen solid!! After another hard day riding through beautiful landscapes I stopped at a small town just after getting stuck in the middle of a river I tried to ford!! I managed to get the bike back out and once the shoes and socks were back on I had to ride around a sandy detour before hitting town. That night I was so hungry but there was only one food stall open which was the most disgusting place I´ve ever come across. I was too hungry to care and sat down to some food fully prepared that I would be very sick that night!! Anyways after two full plates of the stuff I was off to bed for some rest. To my surprise there was no worries with being sick either so it was up early and back into the merciless Bolivian roads!! Riding all day I was getting a little worried about all the dark clouds coming in around the hills so was trying to pedal faster to make it to the next town and some shelter. My poor tired legs were trying their best but they weren´t going so well but I arrived just in time as a full storm hit the town with thunder and lightning, not much rain but the wind was incredibly strong. I decided to call it quits for the day and finally found a hostel for the night. Starving again I ate two dinners before totally crashing out. Today was fantastic riding on pavement again and it was an easy 82km to Oruro which is the altiplano´s main city with a population of around 200,000. Cycling into the chaotic city was hair raising but heaps of fun with all the cars, buses and trucks going in all directions and tooting and yelling. Not sure what cycling into La Paz is going to be like in a few days time but I´m sure there´s a story or two to come out of that one as well.
Bolivia is a very interesting place and is just so different from Chile. I could feel this the moment I crossed the border. The people seem really friendly but the differences between my culture and their´s is massive. I´m still trying to settle into the Bolivian way and get the most out of this place but even simple communication with the locals can be hard going. I´m definitely looking forward to getting to La Paz and having a week or two there off the bike. The legs are tired and getting a little sore. The passed couple of weeks with the combination of long rides and bad road conditions have taken there toll. Anyways, ahead are a couple of days to explore Oruro and it´s treasure´s before the 3 day ride into the capital city!! Stay tuned!!!! Oh, I´ve brought the best Llama wool Bolivian beanie.....photos to come!! Take care and keep the comments coming as they are always appreciated.
Riding Stats
> 9th Feb - 71km
> 10th Feb - 89km
> 11th Feb - 94km
> 12th Feb - 82km
The last 4 days have just been amazing with some spectacular scenery and fantastic riding but just made all the harder by some of the worst roads I´ve ever seen. Sometimes the road just disappeared and it became guess work before getting back on it or the road was the river bed and riding up one of these on a fully loaded bike is not pleasant at all!
I was planning on spending a few nights in Uyuni but the place but a bit disappointing so after two nights I got up early and rolled out of town on route to the famous Salar de Uyuni. I really wanted to cycle across them but knew at this time of the year they would be under water. Anyways, I still rode out on them as far as I could and it was just the best feeling. I´d wanted to visit this place for a long time now and to finally to so, and on a bike was just amazing. Check the photos out but they don´t really give you a feeling for the place. Getting back on track the riding for the rest of the day was a but of a blur until I realised I was running out of light and energy. I meet this random old guy on the side of the road and managed to ask if I could camp somewhere. He showed me the back of his friend´s house where I set up camp for the night. It was a brilliant cloudless night sky and during the night I saw 4 shooting stars amongst some restless sleep. It was damn cold though and when I was packing up the next morning I found my tent covered in ice and that my water bottles on the bike were frozen solid!! After another hard day riding through beautiful landscapes I stopped at a small town just after getting stuck in the middle of a river I tried to ford!! I managed to get the bike back out and once the shoes and socks were back on I had to ride around a sandy detour before hitting town. That night I was so hungry but there was only one food stall open which was the most disgusting place I´ve ever come across. I was too hungry to care and sat down to some food fully prepared that I would be very sick that night!! Anyways after two full plates of the stuff I was off to bed for some rest. To my surprise there was no worries with being sick either so it was up early and back into the merciless Bolivian roads!! Riding all day I was getting a little worried about all the dark clouds coming in around the hills so was trying to pedal faster to make it to the next town and some shelter. My poor tired legs were trying their best but they weren´t going so well but I arrived just in time as a full storm hit the town with thunder and lightning, not much rain but the wind was incredibly strong. I decided to call it quits for the day and finally found a hostel for the night. Starving again I ate two dinners before totally crashing out. Today was fantastic riding on pavement again and it was an easy 82km to Oruro which is the altiplano´s main city with a population of around 200,000. Cycling into the chaotic city was hair raising but heaps of fun with all the cars, buses and trucks going in all directions and tooting and yelling. Not sure what cycling into La Paz is going to be like in a few days time but I´m sure there´s a story or two to come out of that one as well.
Bolivia is a very interesting place and is just so different from Chile. I could feel this the moment I crossed the border. The people seem really friendly but the differences between my culture and their´s is massive. I´m still trying to settle into the Bolivian way and get the most out of this place but even simple communication with the locals can be hard going. I´m definitely looking forward to getting to La Paz and having a week or two there off the bike. The legs are tired and getting a little sore. The passed couple of weeks with the combination of long rides and bad road conditions have taken there toll. Anyways, ahead are a couple of days to explore Oruro and it´s treasure´s before the 3 day ride into the capital city!! Stay tuned!!!! Oh, I´ve brought the best Llama wool Bolivian beanie.....photos to come!! Take care and keep the comments coming as they are always appreciated.
Riding Stats
> 9th Feb - 71km
> 10th Feb - 89km
> 11th Feb - 94km
> 12th Feb - 82km
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Chiu Chiu (Chile) to Uyuni (Bolivia)
An exciting few days over this leg of the trip with me finally crossing the border into Bolivia! I started out from Chiu Chiu after a great relaxing day spent there and back in Calama. The riding was great with not too bad roads and minimal traffic but as the day progressed so did the climbing!! I again got up to 4200m before dropping back to 3900m where I spent the night at a place called Cebollar. A really odd place as no one was there!! There were a few houses and a mining camp but after knocking on all the doors etc I just decided to pitch my tent in the middle of town. No one came during the night so it was all good! Next day was a short one to the Chilean border town of Ollague. I just wanted to stop for some lunch then carry on into Bolivia. The border guards didn´t seem too keen to stamp me out and told me to come back tomorrow. I thought it was a bit weird but hey it is South America! I got a hostel and had a shower before wondering what the hell I was going to do as the town was tiny with no one around. I decided to go for a walk to check the place out and get some supplies for the coming days. I ran into a group of locals who were preparing for the annual carnival and they invited me to join them by wrapping streamers around my neck and spraying me with fake snow!! Well that was the start of a great night as after this the beer started to flow along with the wine, shots and of course loads of coca leaves to chew on! All the locals thought I was mad cycling but they had plenty of laughs about it during the night. Carnival de Ollague wasn´t like the one in Rio but it was heaps of fun all the same. The next day I got up early as promised the day before the border would be open at 8am to let me through. The old lady running the Hostel wouldn´t let me go until she had made me breakfast so I didn´t get to the border (just across the street) until about 8.45am. I waited and waited until about 10.10am when a very hungover border guard finally stamped me out!! 3-4km down the road I did the same thing on the Bolivian side where the friendly border guard only charged me US$4!! Oh well it got me through plus I was carry lots of fruit, meat and coca leaves so all good in the end. Due to the late start I only cycled 72km......in the wrong direction (!!!) before camping in the desert for the night. I didn´t feel that safe in the Bolivian desert at night but it worked out OK just bloody freezing at -10 degrees!! The next day I thought I would hit the next town by mid morning but I rode into a totally different place. I was sratching my head thinking this town shouldn´t be here before I figured out that I wasn´t on the road I thought I was!! I´d been travelling south east instead of the north east I thought I was. I blame it on the altitude as it was very high through this section!! Anyways, it worked out to my advantage as the road was fairly good and it only took me two days riding to reach Uyuni when I thought it was going to take me three!!
Bolivia is certainly a lot different from Chile with the people being extremely poor. It will take a little getting used to as Chile was so relaxed with no real concerns about crime but here I think is a little different. We´ll see as I have a lot of riding to get through before hitting the capital La Paz in about a week or so time. I can´t wait but first a couple of days in Uyuni checking out the salt lakes and other amazing scenery. Tonight I´m heading out for some Tortilla´s but I hope they aren´t dirty like the ones I had the other night!! Anyways, the food here is a bit dodgy so we´ll see.
Riding Stats
- 4th Feb - 120km
- 5th Feb - 49km
- 6th Feb - 72km
- 7th Feb - 161km
Total - 2375km
Bolivia is certainly a lot different from Chile with the people being extremely poor. It will take a little getting used to as Chile was so relaxed with no real concerns about crime but here I think is a little different. We´ll see as I have a lot of riding to get through before hitting the capital La Paz in about a week or so time. I can´t wait but first a couple of days in Uyuni checking out the salt lakes and other amazing scenery. Tonight I´m heading out for some Tortilla´s but I hope they aren´t dirty like the ones I had the other night!! Anyways, the food here is a bit dodgy so we´ll see.
Riding Stats
- 4th Feb - 120km
- 5th Feb - 49km
- 6th Feb - 72km
- 7th Feb - 161km
Total - 2375km
Monday, February 4, 2008
San Pedro de Atacama to Chiu Chiu
Well, today is an ún-scheduled´rest day as the last three days cycling have taken their toll on the body. Three full days of crap roads and high altitude riding has both inspired me but at the same time left me totally drained.
I cycled out of San Pedro de Atacama early to get a good start to the day. It was certainly hard leaving that town as it was a great spot. Anyways, I only had 30km to go which you´d think would be a piece of .....but it was climbing from 2400m to 3400m over the 30kms on dirt and gravel roads which were not easy. It took me 5 hours until I reached this amazing natural hot river with hot pools and little waterfalls. Needless to say I spent the afternoon soaking in the pools and relaxing my tired muscles. Thankfully the guy let me camp there for the night so when all the others tourists left I had the place to myself which was great but freezing cold! Thanks Macpac for the toasty warm sleeping bag! Well, the next day started early with me having to push my bike out of the gorge back to the road. I knew this day was going to be a tough one but I didn´t realise how tough. Currently at 3400m above sea level I was finding it hard enough to breath as it was but the day was just getting started. I was on the road for 10 hours and 8 of those were spent above 4100m. Throw in some awful roads which consisted of gravel, dirt and the most dreaded of them all.......sand! I would have fallen off my bike a dozen times after riding along and hitting heavy sand. I´d get up and push the bike for a 100m or so before being able to get riding again! Actually there was a hell of a lot of pushing the bike that day due to being so tired from the altitude and the road conditions. With about 6km to go until El Tatio geysers I hit sand again and came off my bike but after nearly 60km of this I totally lost it and had a bit of a meltdown!! Finally I got it together and limped into El Tatio which took another hour to reach. Thankfully on arrival two girls helped me with getting some tea to drink and sort out a room for the night. They could see I was totally stuffed from the day so they only charged me $4 for the night which is mega cheap. As there were no showers they also sorted me out with a hot tub!! It was just a plastic tub with natural hot spring water running into it but after my day it was heaven (check the photos out) with the Andes as a backdrop.
Up early to check the geysers out at their best it was bloody freezing with the temperature during the night getting as low as -12 degrees!! After breakfast I headed back out for another day in the saddle, well kind of!!! Basically I spent most of the morning pushing my bike as the road was too bad to ride on!! Then I started to go down hill which was great for me but I think the bike was taking all the hits. I dropped from 4300m to 2500m over the day until I finally reached a little place called Chiu Chiu. Totally knacked today I took a day off the bike and hitched into the nearest town (Calama) which I was in last week to rest and do some emails!! I´ll hitch back to Chiu Chiu tonight and head out tomorrow.
Heading north again for the Bolivian border...finally, but it will still take me a few days to get there! Hopefully the next update will be from a Bolivian PC! I hope you like the new bunch of photos?
Riding Stats
> 31st Jan - 30km
> 1st Feb - 63km
> 2nd Feb - 93km
I cycled out of San Pedro de Atacama early to get a good start to the day. It was certainly hard leaving that town as it was a great spot. Anyways, I only had 30km to go which you´d think would be a piece of .....but it was climbing from 2400m to 3400m over the 30kms on dirt and gravel roads which were not easy. It took me 5 hours until I reached this amazing natural hot river with hot pools and little waterfalls. Needless to say I spent the afternoon soaking in the pools and relaxing my tired muscles. Thankfully the guy let me camp there for the night so when all the others tourists left I had the place to myself which was great but freezing cold! Thanks Macpac for the toasty warm sleeping bag! Well, the next day started early with me having to push my bike out of the gorge back to the road. I knew this day was going to be a tough one but I didn´t realise how tough. Currently at 3400m above sea level I was finding it hard enough to breath as it was but the day was just getting started. I was on the road for 10 hours and 8 of those were spent above 4100m. Throw in some awful roads which consisted of gravel, dirt and the most dreaded of them all.......sand! I would have fallen off my bike a dozen times after riding along and hitting heavy sand. I´d get up and push the bike for a 100m or so before being able to get riding again! Actually there was a hell of a lot of pushing the bike that day due to being so tired from the altitude and the road conditions. With about 6km to go until El Tatio geysers I hit sand again and came off my bike but after nearly 60km of this I totally lost it and had a bit of a meltdown!! Finally I got it together and limped into El Tatio which took another hour to reach. Thankfully on arrival two girls helped me with getting some tea to drink and sort out a room for the night. They could see I was totally stuffed from the day so they only charged me $4 for the night which is mega cheap. As there were no showers they also sorted me out with a hot tub!! It was just a plastic tub with natural hot spring water running into it but after my day it was heaven (check the photos out) with the Andes as a backdrop.
Up early to check the geysers out at their best it was bloody freezing with the temperature during the night getting as low as -12 degrees!! After breakfast I headed back out for another day in the saddle, well kind of!!! Basically I spent most of the morning pushing my bike as the road was too bad to ride on!! Then I started to go down hill which was great for me but I think the bike was taking all the hits. I dropped from 4300m to 2500m over the day until I finally reached a little place called Chiu Chiu. Totally knacked today I took a day off the bike and hitched into the nearest town (Calama) which I was in last week to rest and do some emails!! I´ll hitch back to Chiu Chiu tonight and head out tomorrow.
Heading north again for the Bolivian border...finally, but it will still take me a few days to get there! Hopefully the next update will be from a Bolivian PC! I hope you like the new bunch of photos?
Riding Stats
> 31st Jan - 30km
> 1st Feb - 63km
> 2nd Feb - 93km
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