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feeling the altitude
The stone carvings here are from the same era 1000 ACE to 9000 BCE as the artifacts in the museum of Belen. Walter took us around to several sites that you would never find on your own as they are out in the middle of nowhere.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5561/...ece69ae5_c.jpgDSC08019 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/...4b7e6abb_c.jpgDSC07981 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5036/...5af61f89_c.jpgDSC07984 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5536/...f0b458a1_c.jpgDSC07985 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/...7c20c06c_c.jpgAntofogasta kiwi 32 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/...77682ef9_c.jpgDSC07987 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2940/...7b97e391_c.jpgDSC07992 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/...40e7e5c3_c.jpgDSC07994 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/...a9ba226c_c.jpgDSC07997 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/...5ba24be2_c.jpgDSC08010 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The plan from here had been to head OFF OFF road and drive on the Salar de Antofalla (the longest salar in the world), camp out, and then make it back to the dirt road 300 km north on the RP 51. The combination of the altitude, the freezing temperature, the possibility of no gas available in the next tine town, and Sara being sicker today we opted to be safe and back track 332 km to civilization and normal altitude in Santa Maria. It’s a good thing, since arriving there Sara went directly to bed and didn’t get up until the next morning. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5239/...a08a4124_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-03 at 6.28.02 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/...b67b95c6_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/...9fe85e4b_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5272/...c3f07197_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/...50ed93ab_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Positively Stunning shots!!:thumbup1:
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Pachamama
She was a bit better today so we decided to get going north. On the way out of town there is a huge statue of Pachamama. Pachamama is the goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is a fertility goddess. After the conquest by the Spanish the figure of the Virgin Mary became united with the Pachamama for many indigenous who were forced to convert to Catholicism.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7447/...e06b6176_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.27.01 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/...cebd8282_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Just 21 km out of Santa Maria is the small village of Amaicha, which has an amazing Pachamama Museum. From here we rode north and thru Cayfate (which is a very cute town) “ on our way to Cachi up the ruta 40”. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5311/...591e0b6a_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 66 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/...d94110d7_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/...325bf357_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 50 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5591/...9a3c46a4_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5592/...d207908e_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 21 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/...a63c5daa_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/...0d9a0e94_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/...e27c931f_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7439/...9cf2e36b_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/...bdd90044_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/...d6af13c3_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 35 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7353/...6ba43c79_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 44 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/...6f340466_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 47 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/...75089441_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 56 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/...7e200af4_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 60 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/...4fdcde81_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 64 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Cayfate
Our plan had been today to head up to Cachi, but Sara was still not feeling up to 120 km of dirt, washboard, and steep mountain roads, so we drove 25 km thru the vineyards to San Carlos after a total of only 84 km and STOPPED and actually ate lunch! Heading 19 km back to Cayfate we found a nice room in a small hostal. They have a nice square here full of restaurants.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7447/...e06b6176_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.27.01 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7295/...4668af24_c.jpgsanta maria amanche 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/...b245beee_c.jpgDSC08042 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...59f9dd51_c.jpgDSC08028 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/...2c05699a_c.jpgDSC08031 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/...d473c7aa_c.jpgDSC08026 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5031/...35e69358_c.jpgDSC08027 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/...e778d57a_c.jpgDSC08034 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/...2727055b_c.jpgDSC08032 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Salta
The road north from here 189 km to Salta is amazing on the RN 68.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5526/...e0a254fd_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.27.49 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/...497d3af3_c.jpgsalta cachi 52 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr It looks a lot like Utah with the red rocks. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/...fa0d3a6a_c.jpgsalta cachi 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2929/...62ae9afb_c.jpgsalta cachi 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/...459c5104_c.jpgsalta cachi 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5554/...3545dcc0_c.jpgsalta cachi 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/...695eec66_c.jpgsalta cachi 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/...36cc43ff_c.jpgsalta cachi 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/...7d863bc5_c.jpgsalta cachi 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...7eaa13b4_c.jpgsalta cachi 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We saw 4 tour busses pulled over on the side of the road so we checked it out. It was a very cool ancient waterfall from a now dry lake that created a natural amphitheatre. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/...b7b20af8_c.jpgsalta cachi 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/...73afce36_c.jpgsalta cachi 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/...0c3f5e66_c.jpgsalta cachi 21 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/...4d5c6e03_c.jpgsalta cachi 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/...7550813d_c.jpgsalta cachi 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/...b6bd11cb_c.jpgsalta cachi 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr It was so nice arriving in town to be greeted by Clive (my motorcycle over lander concierge). He had rented us a great fully set up apartment with underground secure parking and with a view of the cathedral for 22$. He also of course had wine, vodka, and food for us. This evening we went on a walk of the area, the main square, and to see the Cathedral. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/...420ecc87_c.jpgsalta cachi 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...a9d0d508_c.jpgsalta cachi 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/...cd2f0026_c.jpgsalta cachi 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/...94f60dbb_c.jpgsalta cachi 27 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/...b9e3d2f6_c.jpgsalta cachi 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5109/...6be0c7ee_c.jpgsalta cachi 30 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/...f2e530f3_c.jpgsalta cachi 28 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2931/...5cdb7a2d_c.jpgsalta cachi 33 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/...8028dee8_c.jpgsalta cachi 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/...5b20158f_c.jpgsalta cachi 32 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Dan made friends with an empanada in the square. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/...a5ddaee9_c.jpgsalta cachi 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Cachi
We decided to do a day trip to the isolated mountain town of Cachi, since we had missed it on the way up to Salta. This is an awesome 159 km one -way ride that Google says takes 5 ½ hours, but Dan did it in 2 ½. He says this is in the top 5 roads of the trip so far.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/...66521ded_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.45.33 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr From Salta you backtrack on the 68 about 30km on the pavement to the turn off. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/...f1de1430_c.jpgsalta cachi 34 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7450/...5b6515a7_c.jpgsalta cachi 40 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The rest of the way is paved except a few small patches and about 30 km on the switchbacks up the mountain, but on very good gravel. You ride along the river on the valley floor to the end of the valley and then up.. up.. up to 3700m on the switchbacks. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/...2090a338_c.jpgsalta cachi 39 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2938/...0d21fba4_c.jpgsalta cachi 38 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/...940a2ea9_c.jpgsalta cachi 37 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/...cae64ff2_c.jpgsalta cachi 48 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/...71b44be1_c.jpgsalta cachi 41 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/...a99ee1ac_c.jpgsalta cachi 47 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5025/...c0e67fa8_c.jpgsalta cachi 49 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/...7568792e_c.jpgsalta cachi 50 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5039/...d74e4948_c.jpgsalta cachi 54 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/...4805de4e_c.jpgsalta cachi 56 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/...bc6fa48c_c.jpgsalta cachi 58 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The view from the end of the valley as we head up the mountainside. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/...20248ab6_c.jpgsalta cachi 57 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/...358cee74_c.jpgsalta cachi 60 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5233/...c826998a_c.jpgsalta cachi 61 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/...b3c106f8_c.jpgsalta cachi 88 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The last 80 km is across the high plateau with stunning views. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/...79c20bac_c.jpgsalta cachi 64 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7345/...f5beaca2_c.jpgsalta cachi 72 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5032/...46fcb104_c.jpgsalta cachi 71 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2907/...1e77223f_c.jpgsalta cachi 69 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/...8ee2b8f0_c.jpgsalta cachi 75 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/...337f7302_c.jpgsalta cachi 74 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The town itself is a tourist enclave, with shops restaurants, and wineries. We stopped for lunch at the famous Oliver wine bar. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7457/...42ca2156_c.jpgsalta cachi 78 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The locals grow a lot of peppers and dry them in the sun. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/...67b02fcc_c.jpgsalta cachi 82 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5573/...16e61f4c_c.jpgsalta cachi 90 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
North to the border of Bolivia
Today we are headed to the border of Bolivia. The border town of Yavi is 391 km north from Salta.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5200/...82789c3c_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.28.53 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/...f15f4161_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.29.18 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Gassing up on the way out we took this picture of the very cute gas girl to add to Trevor Angel’s collection of cute gas girls. There was this crazy huge armadillo sculpture on the edge of town too. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/...45373270_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/...eaced3dc_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/...a38312df_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The ride north from Salta on the 9 is fantastic. The route thru the valley is on a very curvy paved road that is only 4 meters wide and about 30 km long. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5102/...e17f7183_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr A great stopping place for a snack is the cute town of Pumamarca in the valley of the seven colors. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/...e1634cc4_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/...c4058666_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/...c3f1a700_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/...bc3967c4_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/...de077b10_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/...793e8041_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/...13bde5e8_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5156/...41b1de7f_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/...a17c8cb3_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr There is a very old church here with a 700-year-old tree. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/...e144bbfa_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/...a989ef20_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/...e9f69609_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/...d683ab6c_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Arriving back at our bikes we found this police man “guarding” our bikes. He told us we had left them alone too long and they could go missing. He was not at all worried about this guy parked next to us with all his gear. He even has a long board skateboard. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7383/...728e5a2a_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 28 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2929/...8573490a_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Just up the road is an artisanal shop with a huge Llama and a cactus with a nice rack (Andi). This is the first time we had issues with gas and altitude. The 650 especially did not like it and several times the power failed and twice the bike died at 3900-4200 m. Phew and we have not even got crappy Bolivian gas yet. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/...013bd5b7_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/...460c1f06_c.jpgpumamarca yavi 34 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Arriving at the border at 4 pm we had lots of time to get to the Bolivian town of Tupiza in 65 km. Driving up it was eerily quiet. This was because there was a roadblock on the Bolivian side and the border had been closed all day. They said it would open at 7 the next day. We drove 38 km to Yavi Chico because we had been told it was a nicer place to stay then Yavi, it’s not. So we headed back to town and found a hotel. Luckily there was a room with the border closure and there was also a large tour here with 12 bikes. |
Its Bolivia so of course there is a protest and blockade
Today we are in for a big day with crossing the border to Bolivia (country number 16) and 210 km of dirt to Uyuni.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/...d1f37afc_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-05-11 at 3.31.48 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr In the morning we were up at 630 to make it to the border early as we expected a huge line up after the closure the day before. There was no one there and we were second in line behind one of the guides from the tour dealing with the support vehicle!!! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5040/...708e8caf_c.jpgUyuni 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/...a82384d3_c.jpgUyuni 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Pulling up to the border go under the covered area and park to the right along the curb. You will see a number of windows to your right. You start at window number2, which is where you get the Argentinean exit stamp for your passport. Then you head to number 3 where you go into the office and up to the counter of the Aduana so you can get your Argentinean temporary permit cancelled. You need your passport, permit, proof of insurance for Bolivia, and bike title. In January we had bought 6 months of insurance on the net from an agent in La Falda for Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil. This avoids the previous problems we had heard of people getting hassled by the Bolivian police for insurance you cannot buy at the border. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5073/...071a182d_c.jpgUyuni 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/...5c130298_c.jpgUyuni 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5591/...ab018048_c.jpgUyuni 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/...ef8fd266_c.jpgUyuni 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Pulling up to the border go under the covered area and park to the right along the curb. You will see a number of windows to your right. You start at window number2, which is where you get the Argentinean exit stamp for your passport. Then you head to number 3 where you go into the office and up to the counter of the Aduana so you can get your Argentinean temporary permit cancelled. You need your passport, permit, proof of insurance for Bolivia, and bike title. In January we had bought 6 months of insurance on the net from an agent in La Falda for Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil. This avoids the previous problems we had heard of people getting hassled by the Bolivian police for insurance you cannot buy at the border. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5559/...ee231b47_c.jpgUyuni 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Then proceed to window number 4 this is Bolivian Migration. Then wave at your riding friends back at number 2. The officer will give you a 2-part form in English to fill out and stamp your passport to enter Bolivia. Lastly go to window 5, which is the Bolivian Aduana. They will want your passport and title. They will get you to sign 2 copies of the new permit. Make sure you check the VIN carefully. This was the stumbling block as their Internet was on and off. Despite actually being the second in line the whole thing took over 90 min. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5315/...c4103059_c.jpgUyuni 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Finally they will come out and check you plate number. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/...77e24995_c.jpgUyuni 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Next head across the bridge to Bolivia, where they will check that you have completed the import process. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/...6db380ec_c.jpgUyuni 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/...83a31b01_c.jpgUyuni 14 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/...da8065ee_c.jpgDSC08184 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We headed into Bolivia in dense fog and a temperate of 1 degree. We had planned to stop to get money in Tupiza in 110 km. Luckily the tollbooth agreed to take Argentinean Pesos (the toll is 5 Bolivianos or about .80$ to get to Tupiza). They give you a receipt to show at the next tollbooth. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5200/...38e68381_c.jpgUyuni 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/...cdb773b9_c.jpgUyuni 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr About 80 km later we came across a roadblock of several loads of rocks and dirt. Daniel went across to see what was going on. Basically the police were trying to explain to the protestors that blocking the road was unconstitutional. Their response was that blocking the road was their constitutional right. Dan finally said in Spanish “ excuse me, but I don’t understand what the problem is here. Can we pass with the motos?” The leader of the protest said “si”. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/...2703ccb0_c.jpgUyuni 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The only way to cross was over and so Dan drove the bikes over. This took two tries for Lulu because she is so low. In between I flattened out the top and removed a few rocks. Dan’s bike was no problem. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/...984d7105_c.jpgUyuni 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/...6a858072_c.jpgUyuni 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/...a5b3db08_c.jpgUyuni 22 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5318/...25b60a44_c.jpgUyuni 28 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr After this was a tunnel and then the road was again strewn with rocks. Where they were really blocking the whole road the locals had made a 1-foot wide walking path that we could just drive up. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/...844dd565_c.jpgUyuni 35 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5233/...0e050f9e_c.jpgUyuni 36 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Uyuni
Arriving in Tupiza we found the square and an ATM that “spoke” English. Despite what we had heard about Bolivia (horrible drivers, bad food, and very unfriendly people) we found just the opposite. That good vibe continued to be true for our whole visit to this country named most unfriendly in the world by CNN.
Just outside of town you head off road 208 km to Uyuni on the route of the Dakar. The first 104 km to the town of Atocha are very hard packed good dirt and gravel. We could travel at 80 km at least. There is actually a toll and a barrier blocking this dirt road again of 5 BS per bike. There is not too much traffic on this road, but it is still very dusty when there is some. We stopped in the town for an empanada snack. The 650 again was having some issues with power and cut out a few times on the steeper hills. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5031/...8a6c1daa_c.jpg Uyuni 38 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/...c220f30f_c.jpg Uyuni 39 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/...9345fc2a_c.jpg Uyuni 42 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2931/...8806c8d9_c.jpg Uyuni 43 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/...420e5512_c.jpg Uyuni 45 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/...3cec2228_c.jpg Uyuni 46 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/...3299bc67_c.jpg Uyuni 48 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/...7285946b_c.jpg Uyuni 50 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/...a94583bd_c.jpgUyuni 52 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/...e59cabfd_c.jpg Uyuni 53 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/...b83e6695_c.jpg Uyuni 55 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/...85cc1a3a_c.jpg Uyuni 57 |
Uyuni
The road after this got quite a bit worse, but the views were still stunning. The gravel got deeper in spots and there was a fair number of sand pits up to 20 meters and some mud pits too. There are a few ruins of towns also. We met this young guy who was planning to take 4 days to get to Uyuni with all this gear. Google says it’s a 10- hour drive from Yavi.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/...c1d0f65f_c.jpg Uyuni 58 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/...b51910a4_c.jpgUyuni 61 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5563/...64a0600e_c.jpg Uyuni 64 Shortly after this Dan noticed his front tire was flat. We pumped it up and drove a few more km to where we could get off the road to change the tire. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/...182741cb_c.jpg Uyuni 65 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2897/...98a2f536_c.jpg Uyuni 69 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5234/...45808147_c.jpg Uyuni 72 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/...2a9e690c_c.jpg Uyuni 74 |
the last 50 is always the worst
After this the “road” was full of sand pits into which I did take a nap. Daniel will admit my bike with the 19-inch wheels is a lot harder to ride in sand and mud.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/...04be375e_c.jpg Uyuni 75 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5075/...8f6c6bc5_c.jpg Uyuni 77 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5037/...22ddb7aa_c.jpg Uyuni 78 The last 50 km was even tougher since we were so tired after an 11-hour day and there was more sand and the deepest corrugation we have seen on the trip so far. I thought it would shake out teeth out. Driving directly into the sun as we approached Uyuni it was blinding especially with trucks causing tons of dust. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5155/...5a63e455_c.jpg Uyuni 80 We arrived into Uyuni mentally and physically done, but still had to drive around to find a hotel. This is the worst part of any day on the road actually. Pulling up in front of the Hotel Julia we parked and just then Charlie McCormack pulled up and said “ this is the hotel with the best wifi and hot water and I know a good parking lot 1 block away”. Another Moto Concierge I’m going to get used to this. He was right and he also knew an amazing pizza place. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5157/...ba4b2faf_c.jpg solar de Uyuni 105 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/...52f30df5_c.jpg Uyuni 81 |
Train Cemetary
The next day we all went out to the train cemetery to check out the metal. This is a major attraction here and is about 3 km outside of the town of Uyuni along the old tracks. In 1892 the tracks were completed and this town was a major hub for trains carrying minerals to the coast. The local Aymara indigenous people constantly sabotaged the route. In the 1940’s the mining industry collapsed partly from mineral depletion and many trains were abandoned here producing the train cemetery. Interestingly these same people blocked all road access in and out of Uyuni for 5 days last week to protest the mayors plan to build a “tourist only” bus station. The military finally came in to break up the blockade.
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market day
Walking back thru town it was market day. The traditional costumes of the Bolivian women are really colorful.
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