I've seen recent news reports about severe flooding in Bolivia, dozens of villages washed away!

Is anyone traveling there NOW? Can you give us some background?
Where in Bolivia is this happening? How is affecting travel and roads in terms of being able to cross the country?

I've only heard a few short blurbs on radio, but nothing like first hand reports from riders to get it right.

Take Care!

Hi Mollydog,

I was in Bolivia in January, and travelled south during Feb via north Chile, crossing into Argentina and then taking the 40 south. I was living in Bolivia near La Paz and yeah it was very wet, but I think most of the damage has been caused in the lowlands, and according to my host who works with Red Cross, most of the lowlands region around Moxos has been subject to severe, protracted flooding.

On my way south I always felt like I was being chased by rainclouds. There has been severe flooding causing deaths as far south as Cordoba. Some parts of the Ruta 40 looked to me like if they saw another serious downpour they'd be washed away. I thankfully managed to get through the most terrifying electrical storms I've known in the north, I mean seriously those things are scary at the best of times, not to mention in a tent.

Even as far as south as San Rafeal and those two passes, La Lenas and the other between Bardas Blancos and Talca were touch and go, with the former closed. Some people told me that it's very strange for there to be such terrible weather in the mountains this time of the year. I made it back to Chile where I am now thankfully for repairs to the bike, but heading south soon and hope I get better weather!!

Surte!

Thanks for the update.
The report you quoted from 2014 was last year's flooding. Current reports claim this year's floods are MUCH worse! The flooding I referred to has just happened in the last week or two ago ... so I think you left Bolivia before things really got nasty? But the current report sound a lot like last year's report.

But sounds like you did get some scary stuff down in Argentina on your way South. YIKES! Lightning is no fun.

All these extreme, out of sync weather patterns merely confirm what we already knew ... that Global Warming/Climate change is well and truly upon us ... and we are Totally Fooked!

Funny, our team of scientist's at Palmer Station, Antarctica all saw this coming in 1977-'79 during my work there. Even then we saw tabular ice bergs the size of Rhode Island breaking off ... and record temps (both HIGH and LOW) everywhere across the HUGE Antarctic continent. This and a hundred other measurement factors across all scientific areas, all proved what was to come. No one listened.

Travel while you can ...

Yes, the climate deniers have rather shut up now and yet instead now we seem to have now a political consensus of either just hopeful ignornace and business as usual or, even how to profit from climate change i.e. otherwise known as disaster capitalism. I always thought the terribly irony is with climate change is that it seems to adversely affect the poorer countries i.e. those who pollute and consume the least, but well, things won't look so good if sea levels rise a few meters for anyone. Meanwhile with artic ice in decline bear witness to the shouts of the oil industry and its supporters to start drilling there, I mean, talk about short-termism. I once met a "oil guy" in KL, Malaysia and he told me most of the US oil companies are ran by insane Republican Texan christians who believe in the apocolypse, second coming of Christ, and all that rubbish, so they are quite warm to the idea of an unfolding global calamity! Still, onward to Patagonia on my petrol-powered motorcycle.

Hello fellows,

I arrived yesterday in LA Paz and where coming from Idependencia (150 km nw of Cochabamba), Cochabamba, Samaipata, La Higuera, Potosí, Sucre, Uyuni, Ollagüe (Border Chile).

The main roads I rode were mostly good and besides getting very wet there are normally little problems. But you can always be unlucky: the (one year old) bridge of the main connection between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz just fell down : http://www.eldeber.com.bo/bolivia/ca...e-y-corta.html

If you love travelling side-roads it's more rough to not possible. The roads are often washed out and very muddy. Even if you like sliding around next to a steep decent, you should be aware that plenty of roads are closed because the rivers are too high and there are no bridges.. Also rockslides are not rare on the mountain roads.

If you want to go from Cochabamba to la Paz via Ruta25 you can only go to Independencia and than head back down to the RN1. Beautiful thou.. Also the small roads around Uyuni Salar are often flooded and you either drive through quite deep Saltwater or take a 200-400 km detour.

Safe travels,
Mitch

can confirm the situation in bolivia (am there too now):

main roads are quite good, even the gravel parts like from sucre to samaipata are easy and also manageable with rain (did that and didn't drop her there, so it has to be easy).

the 25 is extremely beautiful and IMHO well worth the effort, there were river crossings (some of them quite deep but all good) and a good amount of mud depending on the weather you had before / at the time of driving

the river at sacambaya (?) seems to be impassible at the moment though. also, the information on the road conditions from ABC is only trustworthy for the main roads, they never do the backcountry. the information we got for the 25 was: good, easily passible and all the river crossings have bridges. so stick to the information from the locals.

another advice regarding wild camping in remote areas: always ask the locals, and not only the closest house but the full community/pueblo, they don't see foreigners very often and may mistake you for a cattle-thieve. but they're good people, just let all of them know you're there for the night.

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hit the road jack! tr15a

We are bordering on politics within these discussions, so I won't tarry here for very long.
I just want to add this quotation (i.e. they are not my words) which I have been reading most recently in the context of another subject.

"The subtle point is that the “facts” should not be challenged. In many so-called sciences today the “facts” are not experimental observations, but just the output of a computer model, for example anthropogenic global warming. Little heed is paid when the real “facts”, actual measurements, don’t support the prevailing theory. We are regressing back into the age of superstition and unthinking deference to authority."

I would urge anyone to keep an open mind and do your own thinking, and research; especially, look for who provided the funding.

In support of my quote above, intelligent debate can be found on the web, in among an amount of dross.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/1...sts-consensus/

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Dave

That crap is from Forbes magazine! HA!

Sorry, Forbes is not a credible source regards "facts" regards climate change/global warming.
Talk about "look where the money comes from!
Forbes clearly represent the richest 1% of corporate interest and protect those interests at all costs.

The fact is, THE FACTS ARE IN! ... only crackpot ignorant politicians and scientist's bought and paid for by the oil industry still have the mendacity to deny these facts at this very late date.

You can have your own opinions ... but not your own facts.

At Palmer Station, Antarctica I worked with Scientists from all over the USA, mostly Uni professors. Also scientists from New Zealand, UK and Germany working there in exchange programs. All top of their fields.

We also visited many other Antarctic stations in my over 2 years there: Chile, Argentina, Poland, UK and USSR. (this 1976 to 1979)

The term "Global Warming" or "Climate Change" was not even in the lexicon of scientists at that time ... but they ALL saw, even then, unprecedented and radical changes that no one could quite explain.

But they've learned a lot since 1979 and THOUSANDS of credible studies have been done world wide since. Evidence is simply overwhelming.

Not computer models or arm chair punditry either. I'm talking about digging around in the Ice for a year, taking samples and measuring a thousand other parameters from a thousand different locations.
I was there ... this is the work I did.
Sure, keep an open mind, do your own research ... but please do learn how to identify a LIE and propaganda when you see it.

Let's review: the thread is titled "Flooding in Bolivia?." It's in a forum subtitled "Topics specific to South America only."

Posters above wishing to debate global climate change issues will please do that elsewhere--in a new thread entitled, perhaps, "Global climate change issues." There's nothing wrong with that, in the proper forum and under the appropriate heading.

However, posters unable to refrain from framing the debate in terms of, for example, "crackpot ignorant politicians" and the like might find themselves edited out of discussions even when properly located and titled. That's because such language will sooner or later be viewed as an attack on other posters, and will attract similarly disparaging (i.e., attacking) responses.

In other words, take it elsewhere and throttle down the flamethrowers.

Thanks.

Mark

anyone interested in the exact GPX tracks which i was referring to can zoom into bolivia here. you may notice that we turned back after independencia, was due to an injury didn't really get to the river though the road was bad.

i can recommend this stretch, however. it is beautiful, even the way back to the main highway.

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hit the road jack! tr15a