Neal's Bolivian Bike Adventure

Hmmmm...Neal in Iran perhaps...

2007-11-26T15:17:00.001-08:00

My latest purchase....just to get my Mum a bit nervous ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Iran-Andrew-Burke/dp/1740594258/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196118993&sr=8-1

Cheers,
Neal

I am baaaaaaaaaaack in the US of A!

2007-11-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I am baaaaaack!

The view from my backyard...downtown Atlanta is in the background...close but it feels a long way away :)

Got in late last night. Fall in Atlanta is beautiful...I forget every year what a pretty place I live in.

Thanks for the interest and support during my trip...travelling alone, it was nice to have my blog and a thread on TB to always feel somewhat connected to folks.

I REALLY enjoyed the my adventures. Bolivia is TRULY an amazing country. The people there were very kind and friendly towards me. I was a bit scared before I left and you do want to keep your wits about you but I think it is a very safe place to travel to. I am already planning a return a trip. My plan is then to continue cycling south for a few months to the bottom of Patagonia. Its heading into the rainy season right now so April onwards would likely work. If anybody is interested just contact me off board...I am not looking to be a tour agent but I'd love some company for the mtn bike and climbing portions prior to biking and I am happy to help anybody with advice etc elsewhere. .

After six weeks of not just travelling there but MANY great conversations with fellow Bolivian travellers and a bunch of tour leaders/operators I really feel like i know the place. Again, it is an amazing place to visit for anybody that lusts for a bit of adventure...its also extremely friendly and inexpensive

Thanks Again & Cheers,
Neal

PS I owe a bunch of folks pics an email...please give me a day or two to wash my bike and clothes before thinking too badly of me! :)

Day31. More chilling and Packing in Sucre for a 2 Day Trek and the Trip Home

2007-11-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Update: Trekking Pics

Photobucket Album

Hi All,

I had a fun last night...Sucre has a lot to offer the weary traveller...so I did wake up a bit late...oh well, I´ve had may share of early starts on this trip :)

I had a few things to do...I had to found a bike shop and paid US$2 for a suitable cardboard shipping box for my bike...I´ve now got my bike all packed away. I was really happy with it and I was sad to be packing up. I've promised some TLC when its unpacked in Atlanta...I'd like to see it make it all the way to the bottom of Patagonia! Hopefully next year ;)

I also had to find a way to get to Santa Cruz for my 10am flight on the 20th. The strikes, blockades, 15 hours bus ride and tight time frame made the bus quite unattractive so happily I was able to buy a plane ticket for about US$50 that leaves Monday morning. I´ll get another fun night in Sucre plus a bit of time for shopping in Santa Cruz. Its a great deal!

I am all packed for a 2 day trek which starts tomorrow morning...I´´ll get to get up high again...its weird to think Sucre sis a bit below 10,000ft but after 30 days a around 12,000-14,500 ft it feels like sea level. I´ve gotta get out and do some serious road bike climbs once I get back to Atlanta before my blood readjusts :)

I am off to enjoy another 5 star meal for about US$8....its going to be rough adjusting back to US currency ;)

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,
Neal

I hope everybody is well

Day 30: Chilling and Neal teaches English (GASP!) in Sucre

2007-11-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I got up about 7:30am and quickly found a great breakfast (with 4 Lattes!), internet and also called work in the US (Teresa is doing great things for ETG!)...while having breakfast I met my friend Webke from Germany ...she is spending a few weeks in Sucre teaching german and English. She asked me (as a native speaker!) to help with her conversational and essay class. She has a small group of six young (17 year old) female students. It was hilarious!, conversaion was based around their drinking partying...it seems teenage girls are the same everywhere.

Around 3pm I am meeting for coffee with some of the great folks I meet a few weeks ago in Rurrenabaque (jungle trip) and we are planning a 2 or 3 day trek on some of the Inca trails in the area...it is suppose to be great trekking and I think it will be a great way to finish of my time in Boliiva. I have ridden almost a 1000miles on over some very tough and treacherous terrain so a bit of time on my feet will be good :)

My plan is to pack up my bike and gear for the plane, terk for a 2/3 days and then catch an overnight bus to Santa Cruz (my first use of public transport in Bolivia). I fly out of Santa Cruz on the morning of Nov 20th.

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,
Neal

Day 29: Made it! - Potisi to Sucre, 154km/11 hours - 5 Blockades, a nasty headwind but I got there ! :)

2007-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Blockades and a significant military presence greeted me as i woke Potisi this morning...

You can see the final climb/push i had to do on my bike to reach this friggin city in the sky :)

My last views of Potisi...the whole town is based upon mining the big hill in the background...today 20,000 of the 120,000 residents are miners...they have been mining that hill for silver since the 1500's...its like a big piece of Swiss cheese.

My first of five blockade I had to "chat" my way around...I was nervous as I'd heard they can can get pretty serious and stone folks that try and sneak by!

I didn't know if the blockades would let me pass but I did my very best to be charming and all 5 blockades between Potisi and Sucre let me walk my bike on through...

The blockaders were a friendly bunch (at least to me) and wanted me to play some football...

...and to do a bit of "friendly" boxing against there local studs....modesty and a late start prevented me from knocking one of these guys out ;)

All the other traffic was not so lucky and were stopped, with folks sleeping in or under buses or just giving up and trying to walk to their destination.

The ride was nice...the more I descended the more green the countryside got...I've pretty much had my fill of high desert :)

This part of Bolivia is at a complete stand still....frustrated locals and tourists hoping to make connections etc are stuck where they are until the strike/blockades are over....its good to be own my bike - I had tractically no traffic for 100miles of riding ;)

Here is one of the many excellent Tour de France type descents...a strong wind and heavy panniers made it more technical then i´d like...Neal doesn't really like techncial on the best of days :)

All in all it was a pretty demanding day... a late start (8:30am) and a nasty headwind had me pushing hard all day...also the bloody 1:250,000 topo map is a piece of garbage!....it certainly makes the trip look easier then it is....what small portion of my ride that looked flat was actually a section of huge rollers....climb 500ft....decent 500ft, repeat until you pass out :( There were many awesome decents (it began with a 45km decent!) and a couple of brutal 750+m (2500ft+) climbs....this just went on and friggin on!...but I "love" to climb...or so I say ;)

I got to Sucre at 7:30pm - 45 min after dark (again!) but it wasn't so bad....good roads and a bit of road lighting made the last 10km (all climbing about 600m total) not too bad....although the rain did put a damper on my spirits for a while. I rode through town and found the Hotel Sucre....US15/night and the place is awesome! Beautiful courtyard, rooms, showers, TV....I am thinking longterm :)

The wonderful Hotel Sucre...CNN (in English!), hot showers and a beautiful courtyard....my room is on the left.

I had a wonderful meal and drinks at the Joy Ride Cafe...one of the many very nice nightcubs/bars a short walk from my Hotel...I do like this place :)

I got to bed about 11:30pm...my bed was calling (read: screaming ) at me!

I hope everybody is doing great!

Cheers,
Neal

Day 28: Leaving Potisi for Sucre - well NOT quite yet!;)

2007-11-13T04:59:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Well its 2pm here & I am still here....panniers are fixed,bikes packed but I am still not feeling 100%. I think 4+ hours ofhard riding and then likely camping out above 13,000ft could leave me in pretty bad shape so I've decided to hunker down in Potisi one more day. I now know where to eat and where to go & I've got Cinemax in my room. I expect i'll feel 100% tomorrow morning and may be able toreach Sucre tomorrow night...its 180km of but I've been told the road is quality.

Cheers,
Neal

________________________________________

Hi All,

Well is 9am and I hope to be on my bike by 11:30am and get a solid 60-80km in on the way to Sucre. I think i'll makeSucre a bit of a base and I´ve been invited to do a 2-3 day trek on a remote portion of the Inca trail. It would be great way to finish off my trip.

My bike is iin need of repair..I managed to break one of the panniers so purchased some heavy grade wire yesterday and will have a go to fix after breakfast. I've been told the road to Sucre (180km) is MUCH better then the hell road from Uyuni to Potisi I rode a few days ago...if so my makeshift repair should be fine.

Anyway...I am off to find food!

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,
Neal

Day 27: Silver Mining, Holding Lit Dynomite in Potisi

2007-11-13T04:25:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: For an all too real understanding of the mine please consider watching this documentary or at least the trailer...its 100% accurate IMHO

http://www.thedevilsminer.com/Trailer/Trailer.mov

Hi All,

Yesterday was an interesting day! :)

I got up early for a big breakfast....4 eggs etc...and found a mine tour that left at 2pm. Potisi is a mining town...it's silver bascially funded the Spanish empire from the 1500's on. Back the3n the indigenous people were forced into the mines for 6 months at a time...thats 6 months without seeing daylight! Friggin incredible to think people can treat people that way!

These days Potisi has 20,000 miners (all men) aged from 12 to about 30that would 12 hours a day and often 7 days a week in the mine. The chew coca leaves and drink pure alcohol to stave of the discomfort...they typically don't live for more then 10-15 years after entering the mines...lung disease is the big killer. All this to make about US$6 a week and provide the rest of us with pretty jewellry. After spending a few hours undergraound with them I will never look at silver and copper the same way...folks pay a terrible price for it.

I got hooked up with a tour group with an Aussie, Dutch, English folks - very good people!

The tour cost about US$10 and we were also told to buy some gifts for the miners...we brought a" grab bag" containing a stick of dynomite, coca leaves, detonators and some food and perhaps pure alcohol.

We got kitted out and taken to the mine with 2 guides...the mine is a wicked place...often 3 foot ceiling and lots of exposure to danger...deep holes 30-40ft deep with just a narrow ledge or plank to walk on. Far more dangerous then any caving section in any adventure race i've ever done.

There is about a 30ft drop :(

Another 30-40ft drop...no discalimers get signed in Bolivia

The mines seem cray dangerous...tonnes of loose rocks held up by a few timbers

Bacically you hammer and chissel a hole for a stick of dynomite and blast away :)

We got introduced to a few miners and got to see how the worked...bascially following a silver rich seam as best they could by drilling holes for dynomite with hammer and chissel and then carting out the minerals by wheelbarrow. They get paid per tonne of minerals they extract.

The guide was very imformative and we learnt about the history of the mine and how the Conquistadors had used religion to enslave the locals...they were told the devil lived in the mountain and they must not risk risk angering the deveil. To this day they still make offerings (ciggarettes, coca leaves etc) of to an idol of the devil in the hope of making him happy and therefore having him have a good "relationship" with the Challpata (sp) Mother earth which would produce more silver in the mine.

The trip was fill of adventure...we got to light our own stick of dynomite underground...while standing around the corner to shelter from the blast as the minors do...the resulting shockwave was terrifying.

Yep, there is a stick of dynomite (balled up) surrounded by Ammonium Nitrate to give it some extra kick...and yes the fuse has been lit :)

We also got to light a stick above ground...you get to carry it on the hopes you make youtube's top ten dumbass videos...the kind where some dumbass losses his arm ;) I do have a short video of the resulting explosion...but its a pain to upload on a slow connection...no flying limbs so it would be a hit on youtube :(

Anyway...Bolivia is not your typical country and certainly offers your not so typical adventures! :)

All the best and cheers,
Neal

Day 25 & 26: Uyuni to Potosi - 2 days/208km/10lbs of body fat!

2007-11-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

Oh the long and climbing (shit) road to Potosi....

Hi All,

Day 25:

Well I finally dragged myself away from Tonitos (after my second breakfast) andgot onthe road at 11am...I had been told by many local folks that the ride to Potosi was going to be tough. I thought I ride till 6pm (look for a safe place to stay) see how far I got and then ride the remainder in a day or 2.

The ride started with a long climb from 12,500ft to 14,000ft. My belly was full of good food and my legs still strong so it went pretty well.

I would stop and look back over the Salar and vow to return...again, an amazing place.

After about 18km I crested the climb and mistakenly entered an almost abandoned mining town (Pulacayo)....this place was spooky! I saw all of 2 people....one of whom was a crazy and drunk old ....he just keep screaming at imaginery people...very Stephen King feel tothe place. As soon as i realized my mistake I was outta there!

A deserted playground complete with vintage car???

Where old trains go to die!

The remainder of the day went well... a few more similar climbs but my legs and lungs did well.

The desert scenery is getting a bit tiresome :) but it still impresses me...I do wish for better roads....ass bruising ruts or and/or deep sand tends to wear down my morale but if it was easy everybody would ride... wouldn't they? ;)

Around 5pm/65km I entered a river valley that was almost green :) as I followedthe road downhill there was actually patches of water and a tree!....amazing!

Along with the water came a smallviliage. By now it was about 5:30pm...I´d rode a pretty tough 78km and decided to call it a day...it gets VERY cold at night and often extremely windy so I wanted 4 solid walls.

The villiage had a school so located the professor...with my limitedSpanish I asked him fora place to stay and I

made a small donatio to the school.

He led me to a small1 room hut that had a foam mat and an oil lantern...perfect! I set about cooking a meal and checking out the villiage.

Simple but it proved quite cosy :)

I met two young girls herding up Llamas just on nightfall...cute girls although that dog wanted a piece of me!

I got asked to dinner with the Professors family and thhought I'd contribute my food to the meal....I had a Mountain house mal (Pasta Permavera) anda some dehydrated mashed pototoes.

Day 26:

I woke early, around 6am...I had felt pretty sick during the night and had taken some flu medicine ...it got me some much needed sleep. I had some coffee and deep fied bread with the professor's family and was on my bike just after 7am...I had 130km to ride and thought I´d be able to knock that out in 12 hours....oh silly me! ;)

I´ll post somedetails and some pics when I feel up to it....I arrived a 9:30pm after pushing my bike up and down some huge hills in almost complete darkness. I was completely physially and mentally spent when I finally arrived in Potisi that I strugged to even eat...I found a hotel and forced myself to find food...I fiound a pizza place but could only eat 3 slices and drink a litrer of beer before struggling back to the hotel. I stopped and called my Mum to let her know I was safe but I was way too tired to chat.

This morning Iam feeling better but unsure about riding tomorrow... I had a big breakfast (4 eggs etc) and am off soon in search of a big lunch. I will do a mine tour....Potisi is a mining town and the local minors last about 15 years before dying of lung disease...conditions are attrochious....all this so we can buy our fancy copper cookware :(

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,

Neal

Day 24: Pizza, Pasta, Vino Tinto & Recovery in Uyuni

2007-11-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

This key board is trash so just a short note.

Uyuni seen as I climb towards Potosi...a small town of 14,000 sitting next to the Salar de Uyuni....just visible in the distance.

Uyuni is surprizing appealig and even a much bettter place to hang out and recover before the grueling ride to Potosi thanks to a great Pizza place called Tonitos...its much much more then just great Pizza...it great gourmet food....pasta, bread, coffee, cheese, wine etc....all 50ft from my room...its been wonderful!. It owned and operated by Chris and his lovely wife...Chris is originally fro the Bost area and his wife from Uyuni...together they are a powerful combination. I´ve had multiple dinners and breakfasts to try and put some much needed meat on my bones....I am guessing I have dropped 15 lbs in the last 3 weeks....hard rides above 12,500ft , little food and getting a bit sick will do that for you ;)

Anyway Tonitos is an amazing place and it was very tough to leave...a constant turnover of interesting people from all over the world completed the package very nicely. I very much hope to return!

This guy is Hiro (like the charactor from Heroes) ... a great guy...we "chatted" in Spanish....our "common" language :)

These two American guys are 2 years into their motorcyle tour of SA...off to the Salar today.

I hope all is well with everyone.

Cheers,

Neal

Day 22 & 23: 2 days/145 km on the Salar de Uyuni...the Weirdest

2007-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of teaser pics...much more to come :)

I got up early to enjoy the sunrise from Isla de Incahausi with a coffee

The Salar de Uyuni is that flat and that big :)

My Yoga teacher would have been so proud!

Sunset looking back on to Isla de Incahausi

Isla de Incahausi looking back on my ride from Tahua (base of the Volcano)

Day 21: Salinas to Tahua 40km7/3.5 hours: Neal Goes Back to School

2007-11-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I was pretty shattered following my 14 hour ride the daut before so I decided to take it easy and ride to the edge of the Salar de Uyuni and spend a night living the highlife in a ritzy Hotel de Sal. A hotel made completely of salt. It was going to be costly (US$75) but I really craved a good meal, hot shower and comfortable bed. It is a community owned hotel so I could also justify the expense as the money went back into the local community.

I met a great French couple and we exchanged road info...they were travelling North and me South. They told me about their 4x4 experinces..the roads south of uyuni were so bad they have had to dig out their 4x4 3 times...and once had to wait to morning...tough travelling.

The innkeeper (forgot his name grhhh) was a great guy and drew me a map and suggested the fastest typical route to Tahua. Of course I ended up not taking his advice and taking the route less travelled :)

Bacically I would ride to the otherside of the Volcano passing a few small and isolated villiags on the way. The ride started very well...a gentle downhill on a very ridable road and then across a flat semi-salt plane.

I turned left instead of right (as the Hostal keeper had suggested) and had to climb up from the salt flat to cross a series of ridgelines...I definitely took the tougher path.

The payoff came when a reached a small village after about 25km of riding. I decided to call in to check I was on the right path and rode up to the school. I was immediatly greeted but about 20 smiling kids, their teacher and a young Cuban girl. Again, my digial camera proved to be a big hit and getting it back from the kids was the biggest challenge.

It was just on lunchtime and i was invited to join them for lunch...I knew the food might be a bit suspect but I was honored to accept. Lunch was served in a simple adobe building adjacent to the school...it had a dirt rock floor and no windows. Lunch consisted of a Quino ( a local grain)soup , rice and some basic vegatables. I can't say it was really tasty but it was very nourishing and the company was excellent!

After lunch I was usherd to the classroom where I got to see how little in the way of teaching supplies they had...their world map was hand drawn but DID include New Zealand! I made a small donation to the school and will endeavor to send a few items like a Spanish Atlas, World map and basic stationary once I get to Potosi. It is going to be tough to get the items delivered...I hope there is a way....the village is not served by any mail service :(

I was very sad to leave and felt guilty arriving at my posh Hotel de Sal knowing what the US$75 would buy for those kids. It ddidn't stop me enjoying a hot shower, buying a red wine and napping for the rest of the afternoon...I was definitely still feeling the day before. Later that evening a Swiss tour group arrived and they were very freindly and enjoyed their company for dinner. The next 2 days I'd spend riding and camping on the Salar de Uyuni so I definitely needed good food and rest.

I won{t forget those kida and that school and hope I fufill the promise I've made to myself to try and get them better equipped.

Cheers,

Neal

Day 20: Challapata to Salinas 140km/14 hours...YEP! 14 friggin hours!!!

2007-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I woke early in Challpata and grabbed a quick breakfast of hot tea and deep fried bread...from a Bolivan "drive thru" if you like and at 7:45am began what was going to be the toughest day of my trip thus far...

The previous night I had studied my maps (1:250,000 1964 rev topos, the best money can buy). I decided I´d had enough of sealed roads and knowing where I was....time for a little adventure :) Instead of taking the standard route to the Salar de Uyuni I would head west to approach the Salar from the North. Heading west meant leving the main road and travelling by jeep trails for well over 100km...unfortaunately I didn´t have a topo for the second half of the trip, I only had a rough map in my Lonely Planet to go by - but I was thirsty for adventure so i went for it.

The first 12 km were cake or perhps a sip of cold Pilsener...a slow decent on the main sealed road to a town called Huari....famous for the beer it brews that bears its name....from there I would bike off the beaten path for the first time.

Immediately I was faced with a choice between three trails...I took a bearing and choose wht looked to be the most direct route to my first goal...a small town called ??????? about 30km away. It was rough going...after about 8km a found myself in a very small village and my jeep trail split again...I rode over to a small school yard to ask for help.

The kids and teacher were very excited to see me and were fascinated by my digital camera...I spent about 15 minutes chatting (as best i could) and taking pics and videos

After each one 'd had my camera over to the kids and it would dissappear in a crowd of kids only to be rescued by the teacher. It was just the morale boost i needed. I got dubious directions (the teacher pointed due west and not at either trail!) to the next town and dragged myself away and rode on the "most likely" trail.

My chosen trail soon split again and again till I was often just following a single pair of tire tracks...it was like a braided river. I have often been in simialr situations when adventure racing and knew that you just made sure your general direction was good and hoped for the best.

I also came across the occational llama herder and would try and get confirmation. I was riding across a the flat lake bed of the retreating Lago Lago...flat riding but occassional deep ruts and sand. I rode past a few abandoned adobe villiages and decided I check one out...it looked totally deserted.

After walking into a few of the huts I turned a corner to met a old lady that immediately reminded me of the old witch from the first Conan movie...she had made a home in one of the huts & she was NOT happy to see me...I rode off without looking back...I had visions of her casting a spell on me and feasting on me that night. It really was quite a bizarre encounter, it left me totally creeped out and unnerved.

After about 20km the various trails converged and I could just make out a village on a hill top in the distance.

I immediately felt a lot better...even if I was in the wrong place I needed food and water.

Happily i found myself on course and found a roadside stall that offered a basic soup that made an OK lunch for about $0.15.

I was able to get some good directions and even then nearly took the wrong trial out of town...luckily there was a road sign that saved my dumb ass :)

The quality of the road improved...it was now a real road! (I passed several road crews) and I made pretty good time. My map showed a village about every 30km but I knew the map was unreliable at best and that Hostels wouldn't exist till Salinas...if I didn´t make it there I'd be camping or knocking on someone's door.

After about 15km the road quality deteriorated...it was typically very corragated but there was often an alternative route running parallel...it would offer a smoother ide but occasional deep soft sand. I´d switch out every 1 min or so trying to find the lesser of the two evils.

After about 70km I was getting a bit concerned about my water supply...I regreted not starting with more then my 3 water bottles... I was down to a bottle and a half and a mechanical or injury would leave me in a bad spot. Around the 70km mark I came across a very small villiage and decided I'd try for some water. I had be warned that the smaller villiages were very pretective of their water supply...it hadn´t rained since March!

Fortunately this village had a well and theywere happy for me to fill up my water bottles.

Its the first time I'd use a bucket/well to get water since a race in Vietnam in 2001. I did screw up and poured the excess water back down the well - NOT the thing to do but they smiled at my mistake :)

I meet two felow cyclists along the way...one whose tracks I´d followed for hours...I enjoy these chance encounters and usually remember to offer some water...that has always got a smile and thanks.

I had this Volcano as a land mark...I believed/hoped Salinia to be about 30km north of it.

At 90km and 4:00pm (after 8 hours of hard riding) I arrived at the last village shown on my map thinking I was only 30km from Salinas with a good chance of making it there before dark - sadly I was mistaken. There were some Bolivian mining enginneers set up in the village that laughingly informed me I had 53km to go and there was no way I'd make it today. I knew I should stop there the night...90km/8hours of hard riding is nothing to be ashamed of but the dark (dumb ass) force in me can be strong and I elected to press on...resolved to prove them wrong. I figured I had 3+ hours of daylight left and if I kicked ass I'd get within 5-10km of Salinas and could limp in the remainder with my headlamp. Painful but I'd be rewarded with a decent meal, a cold beer and a warm bed :)

I was hoping to see the road improve as I neared Salinas but it detoriated...

Then it forked (there was no fork on my basic Lonely Planet map!)...I had nobody to ask and a taking a bearing was useless so i just guess, figuring I'd ride/walk 145km and if no Salinas I'd camp and just sleep on it in my tent.

By nightfall (7pm) i was horribly behind schedule and had about 25km to go...i knew every minute of daylight was precious but so was sunset.

I could help but stop many times and takephoto's...it is not a decision I'll ever regret.

It was awesome to be alone in the desert and watch the sun set and the myrid of stars come out.

The euphoria of sunset was replaced with realization I was a long way from anywhere...riding/walking a crappy road with a crappy LED headlamp...not even knowing I was heading in the right direction...all i had was the word of engineers i'd met and the painfully slow turnover of my bikes odometer...143km was a LONG way off :(

To make matters worse by batteries died around 8pm and I only had the dim light fom my camera to locate my replacements and swap them out...by this time the temperature had plummented, the wind was howling and my hands were shaking (you don't know how cold it is tl you stop!). I messed up replacng the headlamp cover and had to hold it one hand...making riding that much more difficult. During the day I could pick a line to avoid the deep ruts and sand but without a decent light I was forced to walk even the downhills...progress was painfully slow.

By 9pm I was about 5km out and bitterly dissapointed I hadn´t seen the lights of the village on the horizon...I understood Salinas to be a sizable village so I began to serously doubt I was heading in the right direction...I pressed on and every crest in the road was filled with anticiapation but reslted in disapointment. If the wind and cold weren't so bad I may well have stopped but it was easier (and warmer) to keep pushing my bike.

At 9:45pm, 142km & 14 hours after i had set of from Challapata I crested another rise and was greeted with 5 small lights. It seemed too small to be Salinas but I was knocking on one of thosedoors regardless.

As i approached Salinas revealed itself to me...tucked from view in a small valley. I was happy :)

A few folks were still up and directed me to the Plaza and Hostel. I was elated to find it no only still open but they were still serving meals and cold beer.

I walked in with my bike, sat down and started ordering...

2 plates of soup and 4 large beers later I headed to be, leavnig my bike in the restaurant downstairs...I just needed a room and a bed. At 3am I was woken by a poundng at the front door...I'd end up sharing my room with 4 snoring Boliivans but I think I gave as good as I got!

I was both proud of my stubborness but also acknowledged my luck and bad judgement...I really should have quit abot 5 hours ago!

All is well that ends well - it was an interesting and epic day and why I chose to cycle around Bolivia! :)

All the best & cheers,

Neal

Day 26??? (Thursday) : Alive and Well after Crossing the Salar de Uyuni

2007-11-08T13:24:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Just a short note to let a few folks know I am alive and well ;)

I have cycled the last 6 days...about 500km...the last 2 days on the Salar de Uniyi...a massive salt lake/desert that defies decsription...I´m still having a great time (although a bit burnt!)and my Spanish is improving because it has had to!:)

I had one wicked desert crossing 4 days ago to get to the Salar, of course I wamted to take the path less travelled...14 hours to to 140km...I did the last 2.5 hours in the dark, cold and wind...no map, broken headlamp...great AR training ;(

Last night I sleep on the Isla de Incahausi(sp) in the middle of the Salar and nearly got blown away....I was pretty freaked out...the cold, wind, feeling of isolation...everytime I moved my watch would light up and freak me out some more...I was quite the scardie cat!

I will update my blog with pics etc (they are amazing!) over the next6 24 hours or so....so far the web connection has been too slow :(

I am in a small town on the edge of the Salar called Uyuni about to go out for pizza and cervasa :)

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers and all the best,
Neal

Day 19: Oruro to Challapata 122km/6.5 hours

2007-11-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I am tired and more then a bit sunburnt so i dragged my feet leavnig town...I hoped to be riding before 11am but didn´t leave till 12:30pm. I decided to head south and see how it went...there is very little in accomodation/villiages so I was hopeful I wouldn't have to pull the tent out.

Getting out of town was worse then getting in...lots of bad directions, traffic and no road signs had me frustrated and on edge. Fortunately things rapidly improved once I was out of town...I really find that riding is a naturtal mood enhancer :)

Looking back at Oruro...its a mining town sitting on top of the tin rich hills

It was a bit of a grind of a ride but I knew it would be the last sealed road I'd be seeing for a while so I tried to make the most of it.

Llama crossing...kinda like a sheep crossing in NZ :)

Challapata sits a cross road to Uyuni & Potosi...making hostels likely :)

I arrived right on sunset and happiy it had a few hostels to choose from.

I chose to spend an extra $0.25 to stay in the best one...it kinda reminded me of Melrose place.

I found a clean looking restaurant for dinner and beers...got a free Spanish lesson thrown in from a youg guy keen to talk English...I also found the worlds slowest internet connection....1 hour to sent 1 email (just text!)

I hope all is well!

All the best and cheers,
Neal

Day 18: Patacamaya to Oruro 130km/8 hours

2007-11-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Oruro is a working town and it is unaccustomed to tourists...I tried in vain to find a good restaurant and even the better hotels have no English speakers...not a big deal but after the previous night I was craving a big steak, potatoes and some vino tinto :)

I sleep OK inspite of my accomodations...I was afraid of bugs and being robbed...there was no lock for door and it had access to the street.
I propped by bike to fall if someone can in unannouced ;)

My breakfast....a kinda of deep fried bread....much more appetizing after its cooked

The cook!

A brute of a day...road was nice and mainly lost elevation but the elevation and lack of good food took its toll...and of course I had a headwind for the last couple of hours. As there are no trees its hard to judge except by the wind on your face...I am sure I had a tail wind for a while as well.

Yes, i did see some but too far away to photograph

I now think New Zealand sheep are a lot luckier!

Tough terrian breeds tough people

This must be amonst the most boring road in the world...dead straight, flat, scenery doesn´t change...

I haven´t scene too many deserts so I still enjoyed the experience...hopefully not to be repeated too often though...

Bottom line...I made it here! This is a great Momument to the Virgin Mary protesting the miners.

The city many great statues and this one commerates the famous carnival held once a year (I missed it)

They love their Plaza here...they are extremely well groomed...I think if I had to work in mine in the middle of the desert I'd try and make my own green oasis :)

I eventually found my hotel (hotel Gran Sucre)...i was a bit bonky when I arrived and this town is not small and is a maze of unsigned one way streets. The hotel's hot shower was great! (best shower in Bolivia!) , clothes are being washed and just finished my early dinner...I'll give my self a couple of hours and have a late dinner...I feel like I am wasting away :)

Oruro is a pleasant town of about 200,000...mining is its reason to be but I am impressed with the beautiful green plaza's and tree lined streets...an oasis in the desert.

All the best and cheers,
Neal

Day 17 (Maybe?): La Paz to Patacamaya 77km/4 hours

2007-11-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I left La Paz (wahoooo!) at 12:30pm...I actually got a taxi with a great guy called Jonnie to the outskirts of Alto La Paz to avoid the wicked climb and traffic. As soon as I got in the cab the Aussie song...with the lyrics "Do you come from the land down under?" and "I just smiled and gave him a vegemite sandwich" came on the radio - I hit the volume and we cruised...it was a magic moment!

View back to Alto La Paz (La Paz is hidden in a deep valley)

...another view back toward La Paz

My lunch...a BAD order...it didn´t taste good at all and had me "retasting" it for the rest of the ride :(

....its been a quick ride...slightly downhill most of the way with just a few hills that hurt a bit. Elevation wise...I stated around 13,200 and the highest poit I hit was about 13,700ft and I am know sitting in a small town (Patacamaya) at 12,800ft. I have re-acclimatized much better then expected and hope to knock out the 127 km to get to the large town of Oruro by tomorrow night. My left hand is doing OK..i did buy some drugs in la Paz and they seem to help...I am glad the roads will be sealed for the next day or perhaps two.

I am off to find a secure place for my bike and I to spend the night...I am hoping there is a hostel in this town...if not I am going to ask somebody that looks friendly to let me sleep over....maybe we could make smores ;)

UPDATE: Well I am back in internet cafe after finding the hostel...is the cheapest/nastiest "hotel" I have ever stayed in....10 Bolivianos a night (US1.30)...and no I did not bother to negotiate :)...its pretty dam nasty...like a prison cell without the atmosphere but it has a padlock and I´ve also padlocked my bike to the bedframe...I will not bother with the scary blankets but will use my sleeping bag and a mesquito net to keep any bed bugs etc at bay. Since its basically a concrete cell there should be too many places for nasty critters to hide.

Here is were i rode...funny when the best map you can find is hanging on a restaurant wall :)

A couple of freindly young guys herding dhip a few Kms from Patacamaya...that was me 30 years ago :)

I always try to trusting :) and gave m camera to one of the guys and got picture...travelling solo its alwas tough to get pics of yourdelf so I often ask folks i deem trustworthy.

I rode for 200m towards Arica and got to see Mt Sajama...hopefully you can make it out faintly to the rigtht on the horizon. I hope to return to Bolivia one day soon and climb this guy (over 21,000ft)...my little mishap on the bike forced me to the jungle...not a bad thing really...that was cool!

Patacamaya seems to be a friendly town...nobody has hassled me and i have got a lot of smiles and a few puzzles looks as well.

This is where I will lay my head tonight...i hope the bed bugs don't bite!

Main Street - my hostel is down a scary alley way to the right

This where i am as i type...a small and increasingly hectic internet cafe...the only place to hang out in Patacamaya at night it seems...it seems kids are kids all over the world :)

All the best and cheers,

Neal

PS I just got an email from from God son Lachlan in New Zealand...great to hear from you mate!

I am leaving La Pa-aaazzz, yeh, yeh yehhh

2007-11-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well I am leaving La Paz once again...I stayed an extra day to acclimatize again (sucks!) and I was here for Halloween....not that La Paz needs anything to make it scarier at night. I did venture out and found myself in a den of real life Vampires...scared to stay but a bit too scared to leave. It was really very unnerving and depressing so I am extra keen to get on my bike and ride.

I am going to riding south and hope to get to the Salt Flats/Desert crossing it (heading southeast) in a week or so...then maybe head a little bit into Chile before heading east to cross the Andes to Santa Cruz.

Cheers, Neal

PS I gotta leave before the US National's (adventure racing) coverage starts and I really don't want to see the sunset in La Paz again!

Neal goes to the Amazonian Pampas

2007-10-31T18:04:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

Days 13, 14 & 15 (perhaps?): Just returned to Rurrenabaque from the Pampas (Jungle Swamp)

2007-10-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Sadly I have just found out that Jonas (one of the cool Dutch contigent) may have Salmanella(sp) Typhoid...we will find out his results shortly. I had Typhoid many years a go in the Phillipines and its horrible :( I hope its nothing too serious.

Ola,

Just got back from the Pampas...basically a flat grassy swamp that makes up a large part of the Amazon Basin. It was a good trip & it was fun to spend more time with Thomas & Angelica(sp?) who I'd met earlier on a 2 day jungle trip. There was also a cool young Aussie couple (Micheal & Jess) that were great to hang out with. We also mingled a bit with another group with some great folks from Holland, a couple of crazy Californians ladies and a great young Kiwi guy and his English wife...obviously I suck at names!

It was a fun and interesting trip but I am SO looking forward to getting on my bike and seeing Bolivia my way and at my pace. My fellow touristo's were good folks but "crazy" as it might seem...I´d typically rather chat with a hard working Bolivian farmer, miner then to some 21 yo tourists doing their obligatory jungle tour between their Bachelors and Masters...hope my bias towards adventure is showing.

This was a great trip for photo´s and seeing lots of diffterent animals up close. The jungle (for me) was a more emotional expereince but I am glad I did both. I´ll have more time tomorrow to post pics and fill in the gaps but here is a few pics to give you the general idea.

Che???? the worlds larget rodent...these guys are cute!

Caimens a plenty

Neal's first Anaconda...not huge but i did catch it myself. Its a bit disconcerting to grab the tail not knowing exactly how big the snake might be :) Anacondas here are as big as 10 meters/22ft...rare but they are out there...

Our Pyrana catch...small but tasty...we had them for lunch an hour later

We swam with the Caimens, Pyranas, Anacondas, Pink Dolphins and probably a smorsborg of parasites and nasty ass bacteria's but we are all still in one piece :)

OK, i am off to meet my Dutch friends for dinner and then we are off to the Mosquito bar to catch the tail end of happy hour...US1.50 cocktails are a hell of a deal ,)

Hopefully i'll get some more detail and pics up tomorrow.

FYI, i fly back to la PAz at 5pm tomorrow, looking forward to seeing my bike!!!!

All the best and cheers,

Neal

Day 12?: Welcome to the Jungle and a Friend gets Mugged :(

2007-10-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

UPDATE Nov 2: Finally got some pics uploaded...more to come in a day or so.

Welcome to the Jungle:

Just got back to Rurrenbaque after 2 days in the jungle...seven of us travelled 3 hours upriver and stayed in very primitvie hunts. We did 3 pretty long treks...one at night and the last in the rain...all very cool. We got to see Howler monkeys, wild pigs, the worlds larget rodents, huge tralantralas(big spider lol) etc and had a great guide that taught up a lot abot the fauna and flora of jungle. The total cost was US$40 for everything...the food was great I am off for beers with the guys/girls from the trip and then tomorrow I am going on a Pampas trip...its even more full on...most folks going here will get to capture/release an Anaconda, swim with the pink Dolphins, see Camians(sp) etc....lots of snakes and monkeys plus a fair bit of adventure as well! I won´t be back for 3-4 days and no pics till I get back to La Paz and fast internet. My friend Ondrej get mugged in Santa Cruz :(: I just got this note from my Sloviakian friend...VERY back news and I am very soory to read this...as he saids he is lucky to still have his camera and of course to be unhurt. "hey guys i got a warning for u...especially if u r coming to santa cruz--- i know that u probably read a lot of about fake police.... so they got me here.,...2fat guys forced me to go their car...check all my stuff and i end up short of 400dolars.(it was very scary,they dont play with u be honest i was lucky to have still my camera, which cost much more)..i know , probably u think nothing can happen to us...but please be aware...they have connections with taxi drivers and im sure with police also ...dont walk alone which happened to me ..it was riot here that day in center and i couldnt get home due to police used gas and i couldnt passed end up in different street and they got me there ...... well, im staying in residencia bolivar..nice place..great breakfest and probably safe place...nice people there leaving on sunday to bueno aires.,...i got a ticket... take care and let me know if u get here......." I hope to meet you in Santa Cruz - take care mate! Cheers, Neal PS My hand is improving so i should be on the bike before too long :)

Welcome to the Jungle:

Just got back to Rurrenbaque after 2 days in the jungle...seven of us travelled 3 hours upriver and stayed in very primitvie hunts. We did 3 pretty long treks...one at night and the last in the rain...all very cool. We got to see Howler monkeys, wild pigs, the worlds larget rodents, huge tralantralas(big spider lol) etc and had a great guide that taught up a lot abot the fauna and flora of jungle. The total cost was US$40 for everything...the food was great

I am off for beers with the guys/girls from the trip and then tomorrow I am going on a Pampas trip...its even more full on...most folks going here will get to capture/release an Anaconda, swim with the pink Dolphins, see Camians(sp) etc....lots of snakes and monkeys plus a fair bit of adventure as well!

I won´t be back for 3-4 days and no pics till I get back to La Paz and fast internet.

My friend Ondrej get mugged in Santa Cruz :(:

I just got this note from my Sloviakian friend...VERY back news and I am very soory to read this...as he saids he is lucky to still have his camera and of course to be unhurt.

"hey guys
i got a warning for u...especially if u r coming to santa cruz---
i know that u probably read a lot of about fake police....
so they got me here.,...2fat guys forced me to go their car...check all my stuff and i end up short of 400dolars.(it was very scary,they dont play with u be honest i was lucky to have still my camera, which cost much more)..i know , probably u think nothing can happen to us...but please be aware...they have connections with taxi drivers and im sure with police also ...dont walk alone which happened to me ..it was riot here that day in center and i couldnt get home due to police used gas and i couldnt passed end up in different street and they got me there ......
well, im staying in residencia bolivar..nice place..great breakfest and probably safe place...nice people there
leaving on sunday to bueno aires.,...i got a ticket...
take care and let me know if u get here......."

I hope to meet you in Santa Cruz - take care mate!

Cheers,
Neal

PS My hand is improving so i should be on the bike before too long :)

DAY 10: Political Unrest( everywhere?)...so a later flight to Rurrenbaque (I hope)

2007-10-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I got up late and checked on my flight to Rurrenbaque (Amazon basin)...it was scheduled for 11:30am...BUT no...there is a strike (grhhh!). After getting folks to call arounf for me, it appears that I'll get to fly out at 3pm...we will see... That is travel in a 3 rd world somewhat unstable country...you have to relax and go with the flow.

As if to prove the airline wasn't lying to me as soon as got back on the street a heard gunshots...OK I thought for a moment it might be gunshots ;). I walked down towards the commotion and sure enough a big political protest.

I noticed a bit more action 100 yards further down and decided I'd play Clark Kent/Anderson Cooper for a few minutes and get in on the action. There were 2 goups gtting into it when I arrived...throwing trash, insults and some pushing and shoving...all very exciting!

The guy in the brown jacket is the head hombre...talk about passion!

I took a cool 30 sec video but the dam thing won't upload (grhhhhh) maybe later...

My flight is in a few hours so I am off to find another phrase book...I lost my last one...fortunately a few folks on Trailblazers forum are trying to help me out...or possibly get me arrested...I am not sure :)

All the best and cheers,
Neal

Day 9: La paz - Internet, Phone Calls, Coco Museo, Markets & Zebra's

2007-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Last night I had dinner with my new friends Ed and Frances, hopefully I'll see you guys in Santa Cruz in a few weeks!

Today has been another cruisy day in La Paz as i wait for a flight to the Amazon basim tomorrow...as anybody from the Trailblazers forum or who have checked my blog today could tell you I have spent a LOT of time on the web! The connections aren't great here and I wanted to uplaod all my pics & update my blog before taking off tomorrow. There will be internet at the small town I fly into (Rurrenbeque) sp? but I hope to leave there via 4x4 and find a road less travelled. i will be flying in some old run down 8-10 seater...I am already sweating bullets...I may have to watch ALIVE (the movie) for some recipes...worse case scenario and all that ;)

I did manage to check out the Coca Museo...its a must do (US$1 entry)...its a prety unbiased view of Coca and cocaine and provides a great history of both from 4000BC up to present day.

Entrance to the Coca Museo

First you crush the leaves....

...add some hydrochloric acid etc...

...refine a bit...and voila....Cocaine! :(

I also got a chance to call my Mum and older brother Alan in New Zealand and fill them in on my latest (mis)adventures and catch up on the latest family news...calls cost a mere US$0.10/min :) I also got to chat with Teresa, the good woman that runs my little company...most of the discussion involved my dog Trooper and his issues...he takes after his Dad...he got run over a month ago and his eye hasn't quite healed...he is just lucky he doesn't go mountain biking with Lisa Randall ;). Fortunately we got a second opinion from a specialist and he won't need an operation. Thanks again to Tonya (Teresa's sister) for taking such good care of him while I am gone.

I also went exploring (read I forgot my map) in search of the Witches Market...the markets here are similar to markets in other 3rd world countries...different products grouped together by street. La Paz tends to remind me a lot of Marrakesh...it can almaost have an old world meets hippie vibe is some parts.

The shoe market...

The suit market...

The Witches Market!...note the dried Lllam feotus's :(...there was more inside but no pics allowed!

}

This guy reminded me of my dog Trooper but wouldn't stop growling at me...don't try and pet a Witches dog!

On the long way back to familar ground (I had no map :)) I came across the famed "Zebra Crossings" of La Paz.

These guys and girls are paid to dress up like Zebras and control pedristrian crossings...its hilarious but seems to work a treat :)

I am off to have a couple of quiet drinks before sorting out my gear for tomorrow trip. I am leaving my bike and just taking my 20L backpack so I'll be travelling light (read, very stinky...eat your heart out Carole Farmer!) for the next 5-6 days.

I hope everybody is doing great!

Cheers,
Neal

Day 7: The long push back to La Paz, 120km/8 hours, Blockades, Great Ruins & Neal Screws Up the Final Descent :(

2007-10-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hi All

This was going to be a very long day. I hoped to make it back to La Paz. I wanted to have dinner with a few of my friends. I also wanted to spend 2-3 hours checking out the archeological dig and museums at Tiahuanaco. In retrospect i was a little over ambitious...120km with panniers, a head wind at about 13,000ft was going to be tough.

My day began well...I was very happy to find a couple of ladies set up in the middle of the road making smoothies and fresh carrot juice...2 Bolivianos (US$0.25) per glass...I had 3 :), my opinion of this town took a huge leap up.

I took a short cut on a gravel road to save a kilometer or so but nearly got savaged by 6+ big dogs...no pics as i was scared sh&tless!...some shortcuts are not worth the stress. I have a passed many dogs in my riding...often one dog per 300m, but most were friendly and none were this friggin savage...i may start carry bread or stones to throw if this happens again.

yep...it was going to be a long day

I wasn{t riding for very long before I noticed some big rocks in the road...being the occasional good samaritan I stooped to remove a few...then I came accros a big pile of dig and rocks...i figured a dump truck had accidentally lost some of it load...but then another and another...folks had managed to shovel it out of the way and then drive over but I was confused.

About 20km in i came across my first functioning blockade and it all made sense. Lindsay, an Austrailian archeologist had warned me about blockades. Local villiagers upset with the government would set up blockades on the roads and sometimes prevent (even stone) anybody (including intrepid cyclists) who tried to pass...often blockades would last for days till the army would remove...sometimes this would get violent.

I asked a local and he waved me thru...on the positive side, there was a big drop in traffic :)

I met a lot of farmers along the way...the bigger folks were sheparded along but the smaller folks (10-12 sheep, cattle etc) would be tethered in place for the day. Some Kiwi farmer needs to put some of the stray dogs to work!

Che is still very popular in S. America...houses etc often had his likeness

At 10:45/45km I arrived at Tiahuanaco, I was pretty knackered as I had no breakfast so I went in seach of food and decied to see the ruins later. After asking a few locals I found a small restaurant...it was early so I was their only customer and i got well looked after.

The floor was simply rocks and the food very simple...I had a plate of fried chicken, fries and rice...very tasty and it cost 6 Bolivianos (US$0.80)...they were very friendly.

Their daughter was shy but very cute

After lunch I headed to the ruins. I was a bit dissapointed with the ruins on Ilsa de la Sol so I wasn't expecting much. Being a lazy ass, i elected to enter thru the exit (it saved me 1km of riding and I figured I{d buy a ticket on the way out :))...i knew I'd likely get busted but I like to live dangerously.

Immediately a man came over to me asking to see mt billito (ticket), he directed me to the entrance but I decided to check out the ruins on the way.

The upside of breaking the rules is its a quick way to make new friends :)

the ruins are VERY impressive and a MUST see for anybody visiting La Paz (its an easy day trip). What made it special for me is that I felt I was in a Indiana Jones movie...it is very rare to be able to interact and inspect a real and important archeogical dig...it made it that much more real to me.

Eventually my "friends" got a bit tired of my daddling and i saw one of them taking my bike to the entrance.

I took the hint! ...time to buy my ticket :)

They stayed with me till I purchased my US$10 ticket that would get me into the 2 ruins, 2 world class Museums. The Museums were very impressive.

I had to wait out some rain...

so i tried worked on my Spanish...6 words and counting ;)

With more time to kill i had a second lunch and got accosted by a very friendly French girl that wanted company for lunch...whats an old man to do :) needless to say but lunch ran a little long. I was nice to her even though France beat New Zealand in the rugby world cup...I am such a gentleman :)

It was 1:45pm before finally left Tiahuanaco and I still had 75 km to go...I needed to push hard to make it before nightfall...although some times you just HAVE to stop and take pics :)

This family immediately had me thing of Borat (the movie)

Sadly about 3:30pm i noticed a slight headwind...but 4pm it was a steady 30km/h and gusting much higher...it fored me to ride way off the shoulder to aviod being blown into traffic...the bloody Antiplano wind strikes again. i am only 30km from La Paz but only averaging 10-15km/h.

As I slowly closed in on Alto La Paz I saw this guy in the distance...I pushed hard to close on him and then drafted off him to avoid a bit of the headwind...i don{t think he was too impressed...it seems "wheel suckers" are not apprecied in Bolivia either.

My not so willing domestic, Alto La Paz in the background

As i finally got into town the building broke the worst of the wind and my pace picked up a little. Just like the road out of la Paz I took 5 days earlier, there were some pretty horrendous detours...even the folks that can afford them often don't own their own cars in La Paz.

Its good to be on a mountain bike!

Puente (Bridge) America was made from an old truck frame

Bike shops are actually pretty common in La Paz...I saw Treks, Scotts etc ...these guys were really into my bike :)

This view from Alto La Paz was impressive, i think it might be Potosi

As i got to the eastern edge of Alto la Paz the roads became crowded and the riding dangerous (hence to pics)...La Paz lies deep in a valley 1,500ft below Alto La Paz...the only way to get down is to "risk" hiring a Taxi or risk riding down the the freeway.

I had read that you could ride down to La Paz and it was rush hour and I was having to push my bike thru hectic crowds and there were no legit 8radio) taxis to be seen plus i was so tempted to ride down as the sun was setting...I knew it would be an awesome descent...I went for it!

Somewhere down there was my hotel...the view was amazing.

I rode past the "No Bicylettes" sign hoping all would be OK. I had a large shoulder to ride on and keep my speed at a sane level...I kknew I was pretty fried form the ride. As i descended the temperature dropped remarkably but with the sunsetting I decided to suck it up and not stop.

The traffic was horrendous...only a 4 lanes of traffic connect Alto la paz to La Paz and the gradient is between 10% and 15% for 9km...buses and minibuses rouring down the hill and bumper to bumper traffic climbing up. The medium strip is only about 18" wide-this would prove critical ;)

Half way down...DISASTER...my cosy shoulder to ride on dissapears...on my right is a sheer cliff...i feel (and am trapped!)...I try pushing my bike up where this is a decent shoulder and flagging down a Taxi but to no avail...only 50ft away was salvation...a makeshift off ramp where folks stood hailing mini-buses and taxis...a saw few folks braved the crossing but they didn{t have a 30lb bike with 55lbs of panniers...you had to RUN to the medium strip, straddle it while sucking your belly before RUNNING to salvation on the other side.

What to do???? By now it was almost completely dark and I was feeling VERY vunerable, i knew this wa a bad part of town and figured eventually someone passing would see this dumb tourist with all kinds of expensive gear...Darwin could have written a paper just about me :(

I thought I'd test out lifting my bike before risking the crossing...I could push it to the medium but would have to lift it over the railing and then quickly jump inside the medium strip to avoid being crushed..then repear the procedure to get to salvation.

I guess the freezing temps had tightened up my injured tendon in my hand (I had taken a bad fall in the US 10 days earlier). As I lefted the bike I felt something snap/tear in my hand and immediately knew I was screwed...CRAP! now I could hardly even push my bike :(

My Saviour came in the form of a middle aged Boliivan man who had witnessed my ongoing my misadventure and he braved the crossing to aid me. We each took one end of the heavilt ladden bike, took our chances and sprinted to the medium...we were stuck there with traffic ripping only a foot or so away before finally making salavation. He accepted my thanks but nothing more...I am so impressed with the Bolivian people.

Sadly my story does't end quite yet...it took me another 30min to wave done a taxi capable to transporting me and my bike. He looked a bit dodgy but I didn{t feel safe where I was so loaded up my bike and jumped in...he promptly drove about 100ft (into a even dimmer/scarier area) and promptly the engine stops...he says he's broken down - i am thinking I am about to get robbed or worse (SHIT!!!!)

He spends a few minutes looking at the engine and then makes a call on his cell phone...I am getting more concerned by the minute...we tried to push start his taxi...me with my gimpy hand...bu we couldn{t clea a small rise. I use my poco Spanish to say we need 4 folks and he seems to understand and leaves with me sitting in the Taxi still thinking I was being set up and looking for a weapon ;)

He returns with 2 young guys and sure enough, he is LEGIT (WHEW!)...we coast down thw hill for a few hundred yards before the engine cuts in and 15 min later I am checking in at the hotel. Its 9:30pm and the whole ordeal has lasted over 3 hours. I am starved 8pretty much bonking) so i find an open restaurant and eat a huge meal, return to the hotel and order a stiff drink and a bucket of ice for my hand...I don't move till 8:30am the next morning.

I know I was a dumb a$$ and dodged a bullet...I resolve NOT to push my luck again. Bolivia is a dangerous enough place even if you play it smart.

What a friggin day!

Cheers,
Neal

Day 6: Cococabana thru Peru and back to Bolivia (70km/6hours)

2007-10-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I left Cococabana after two liesurely breakfasts at 11:30am...about an hour behind schedule with the hope of making Desdagauda...a very sleazy border town before dark. I was nervous about the road conditions, no map, passing thru immigration and most nervous about my where I'd be sleeping that night. I'd heard nothing good about the border town.

Leaving Bolivia - The army guys were very helpful and friendly

Entering Peru was also easy and everybody was freindly :)

The weather was nice and the roads were great...smooth asphalt and very little traffic. Once in Peru a nice lady drew me a crude map but I had no idea of mileage, my spanish is work in progress...worse case i'd get a little lost but I was in no hurry.

I stopped in a very small town...to make sure o was still heading towards Chaca Chaca (where i had to turn to the east). The man immediated beakoned a young man named Carlos who spoke a little English.

Carlos with his ride

Carlos takes my ride for a spin...I did worry about him riding off into the sunset ;)

Carlos was a great guy and wanted me to meet his mother and also wanted to pump up my tires with his floor pump...as anybody who has raced with me will testify - I hate to fix my own bike ;). I also meet his dog Lassie...a great puppy that had me missing my own dog Trooper.

I ended up staying for over an hour while his Mother cooked a meal for me...

His family is very poor, they live a single room house. I was afraid to eat the food but I was also pretty hungry...I ended up eating all the different kinds of potatoes but avoided the egg. I did give them a small amount of $ ($3) so I think they were surprized and pleased and not too offended i did not finish my meal. I am constantly impressed with the openess & generousity of the local people I have met.

I was escorted out of town by 3 teenage boys on bikes...as we neared a decent climb I said 1,2,3 (in spanish) and tried to out sprint them to the top...Heras would defend the honor of his village and beat me handily...I should have waited just a bit longer to attack! ;)

Sprinting at 13,500ft is not to be rccommended :)

Heras...the young man has a future...already wearing the colors

I rode on really enjoying the countryside as well as the friendly villagers...lots of friendly waves, hello's, good days and how are you? etc:)

The lady in the background is washing clothes

This is typical Anti Plano views from one of the smaller climbs

After about 50km a guy on a motor cycle passed me a few times and then indicated that something/someone important was up just ahead...a few minutes later I met a couple of fellow adventure cyclists...Paulina & Santiago from Argentina.

Paulina & Santiago (2 years exploring SA on bike...I was jealous!)

It was great to meet my "brother in arms" and we discussed upcoming road conditions, routes, bikes. It was great to learn there was a hostel in Desaguarda (even though it was bad!) and that i only had 20km of flat riding to get there. They were totally hard core...notive their HUGE packs they were carrying...they had been travelling for 2 1/2 months and were looking forward to spending 2 years (!!!) explorering South America by bike.

I took a short video so they can speak for themselves...they were both very cool people :)

I was able to give them a map good maps are VERY tough to come by in this part of the world.

I was sad to see them leave and did for a bit regret having a travelling companion...especially a good looking one like Paulina :) and rode on to Desaguarda...that bloody antiplano wind came on like clockwork at 4pm and I spent the last 1.5 hours struggling into a growing headwind.

This guys name was Alex and he reminded me of my nephew in New Zealand of the same name...checky as! behind him is a kilm for making bricks...the poorer home in the villages and the farm buildings were made of adobe and the slightly better homes were made of locally (1/2 mail away) made bricks.

About 45min later I was struggling along past a group of about 20 villagers playing volleyball...they beckoned me to stop and play but to be honest I was a bit intimidated. I was thinking close to the border meant increasing danger but i didn't want to wimp out so i rode back and joined them for about 5 minutes of spirited play.

They were cool and obviously were taking it very easy on me...although I did have a huge height advantage...bring on basketball next time:) I was too scared to give up my camera so sadly no shots of air-Neal ;)

Soon after I bid them farewell i had another riding partner (its rare in Bolivia or Peru that I rode along for more than an hour)...a young man named Aru would ride with me all the way to the Peruvian/Bolivian border town of Desaguarda...i am not sure but I think he may have been looking out for me. We chatted as best we could in Spanish/sign language and I shared my water with him. He was a really cool guy...I wish i could had given him something - I think he'll do great things with his life.

Aru wishing me luck as I left Peru...i was happy of his "security" escort

I paused in no man's land for a quick pic

Desaguarda is a nasty little town and crossing back into Bolivia was not straight forward - I did not get the right stamp leaving Peru and of course no one spoke a bit of English anywhere...I eventually got it sorted, crossing back to Peru and then back to Bolivia again. By this time the sun was setting and I felt like I was a likely victim in a Quintin Tarrantino vampire movie...I felt the need to be behind locked doors before the sun went down!

I found a hostel 100m from the border for 15 Bolivianos (US$2) a night...hardly 5 star but it had a locked door and decent security for my bike...i was starving so I got a good meal from a small roadside stand (fried chicken, rice and fries) for US$0.80

A bed and a locking door for US$2...a good deal

I went back to my hostel and asked the daughter of the inn keeper to find me a grande cervesa (beer)...by 7pm I was safely in my room - i didn't leave until the sun came up!

All the best and cheers,

Neal

Day 8: After Two GREAT days of riding - I get an x-ray in 45 min :(

2007-10-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the out of sequence posting...my hand kinda took priority!...I hope you understand :))

UPDATE:

Its 2pm and I've just returned from Dr Ebert Orellana Jordan office. I called at 8:45 am on the recommendation of Lonely planet and my hotel. At 9:30am his assistant arrived to escort me to the X-ray clinic and then to the Doctors office. After examining my hand and the xrays the Dr believes it is either a severe strain or a torn tendon...the intital treatment will be the same...strapping and intense anti-inflmatories for a week. The cost for everything is a whopping US$50 - I am very impressed with the Doctor and the medical care I have recieved.

If I am lucky it will heal and I may even be back riding my bike in 10-12 days :)(perhaps with a half cast). If I am unlucky i may be getting a MRI here in La Paz and be looking for a specialist in NZ or USA :(

As climbing is not an option I am thinking of flying to the eastern edge of Bolivia to visit the more remote and virgin parts of the upper Amazon...not a bad second choice! :)

All the best and cheers,
Neal
***********************************************
Hi All,

I am back in La Paz after riding 200km back from Lake Titikaka...the first day was in Peru ...neat to cross over and back 70 km later.

I wish I had use of both hands and time to post pics...it was an amazing journey...scary sleeping at the border town...but it went very well.

Sadly I may have pretty badly re-injured my wrist and fear i broke properly this time.It happenned during the descent down to La Paz after 120km of tough riding...I´ll know more later today. i have an x-ray this morning so expect to see me in a cast soon! :) If its possible I´ll keep riding (a man can hope) if not, I´ll look into doing some serious trekking and possibly explore some of the very cool jungle options east of the Andes.

I am glad it not too serious and that I am in La Paz....not having to mime "broken wrist - need doctor in some remote villiage" :)

I'll try and update after I find out how much of a gimp I am going to be ;)

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,
Neal

DAY 5: Isla de la Sol - Hiking

2007-10-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Today was a very cruisy day :)

I had a good breakfast at my hotel and then walked 200m to the take the 8:30am ferry to the Isla de la Sol...its a small island about a (very slow) 2 hour trip from Cococabana. The ferry was packed with tourists so at first I was regreting my decision as I had wanted to spend as much time learning about Bolivia but I recognized my new friends from Switzerland (Thomas & Nicola) and enjoyed chatting with them on the 2 hour trip. It has been a while since I've been in a touristy setting where everyone friendly folks exchange tips and stories...its a good place to be.

Das Boat

Thomas & Nicola from Switzerland

I had originally thought to spend the night there, I'd packed an overnight pack and brought a one way ticket....but as soon as I realized how slow the boat was I realized it would be impossible to get an early start riding tomorrow. Tomorrow I ride into Peru and then circle back towards Bolivia towards La Paz...I have a terrible 1:2,500,000 map and so I want as much time as possible to handle the likely issues...it may be my first camping experience in Peru/Bolivia :)

Anyway...enough of my fears!...The first thing i did was visit a very small but interesting museum...I was a bit shocked to see a skelton sitting on top of a display case in a big pile for so you could touch if you wanted (I didn't) I did take a picture though.

Hopefully not an unlucky Tourist!

Being the clumsy buffoon I am I did manage to break a display squeezing past folks on the way out(hopefully no priceless treasure)...thats where I first met the Aussie Ed who immediately gave me a had time about being a clumsy Kiwi :)

Afterwards I started the hike on an old Inca road to the various Inca and pre-Inca ruins:

Inca Sacrifical Alter

Pre-Inca Ruins

I meant some more great people...an older (but still young!) couple from Austrailia (Ed and Babs), a great Irish couple in their late 20's (Francis & Ed) , a great guy from Slovakia(Ondraj) and a fun Scottish girl (Mash). I am meeting most of them for dinner tonite - it would be VERY easy to leave my biking ambitions behind and join up with some good folks and do the tourist circuit...we will see...

Ed (from Aussie) putting a gap on Thomas & Nicola (Switzerland)

The nine of us hiked together, chatted, took photos etc...it was a fun and eclectic group that you'll only get travellign to interesting places. For those that think my month tour of Bolivia is extravagent please note that I am the short timer the group...they are all down in South America for at least 3 months.

An old cementary...graves marked with Cairns...Cordillera Real in the background

Ed with Nicola...good view of the Inca road

Neal taking a break...note the OverMountain Extreme/Blckdome Cap ;)

Ondraj, Francis, Edward & Mash...sorry for the bad pic skills!

The hike was pretty mild...inca trail was great to walk on...they knew how to make roads and the sacrifical alter and other ruins were very cool but I would have liked to have done a bit more reading to know what I was looking at...there was a guided tour in Spanish available for US$1.50 but my Spanish has not quite progressed that far. The hike got a bit intereting as we had 5 1/2 hours to make it back for the last ferry and the climbing at elevation was taking its toll everyone ...Babs his wife was tough in a nice way and helped keep the pace up - she was always in the lead!)...everybody did great and we arrived with maybe 45 min to spare.

Arriving back at Cococabana about 5:45pm I had to find a hostel...being Saturday it to0k a bit of looking but I found a nice room with double bed, private bath, shower and great lake views for 50 Bolivianos (US$7) for the night including breakfast!...my days of hotels are over! I am back on budget! ;)

My US$7 room (I paid for the whole room)

View from my room - white domed Hotel Restaurant (La Copia) is where we ate dinner

I meet the friendly Irish couple (Ed and Francis), the cool Slovakian (Ondraj) and the nice Scottish girl (Mash) at 8pm for a dinner and a few wines - life is GOOD! - great meal 3 courses and copius wine for US$6 a person

View from my room - sunsetting over Lake Titikaka - end of another great day :)

I hope everybody is well!

Cheers,
Neal

DAY 4 Pic Album

2007-10-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

DAY 4: Huarine to Cococabana 77km / 6.5 hrs 12,500ft-14,500ft

2007-10-19T16:09:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I had a REALLY good day today...I left Hotel Titikaka about 10:15am after a good breakfast and a walk around where I met my first Llamas (see above)...they seem like good people :)

The ride was VERY beautiful...as they say, the pics don't do it justice. The ride got a bit more interesting as I encountered my first real climbs...climbing from the lake at 12,500ft to about 13,500ft and back again...I was really happy to be on day 4 (NOT day 3)...it just wouldn't have happened for me ;)

I stopped often (I took 80+ pics) and on one overlook I met a nice Swiss couple (Thomas and Nicolette) just starting a 3 month South American trip via 4 wheeler...it was nice to speak english again :). I met them again at the bottom of the decent where we had to do a ferry 2km crossing...we had expcted a real ferry....not a selection of barges powered by one outboard motor and mannouvored into position with poles...I am very glad it wasn't my rented 4x4!

It was very cool that Petro , the captain of our barge was a roadie...he had is road bike on the barge so we got to chat bikes using my 6 words of Spanish...I had 4 yesterday so I'm moving on up!

The next climb was da bomb...I have 1:250000 topo maps but the 100m contour intervals leave alot to be imagined...it all started innocently enough...the grade was gradual...likely little more then 5% but once I hit about 13,500ft it started to get a bit rough....maybe a 7.5% grade (and a bit less O2)...I expected to hit the top at 14,000ft...but every friggin false summit would show me 2km more of climbing...with one nasty ass section of 10+%...I had to spot twice on that friggin section :)...after that it levelled out and I rode for about 6km climbing slowly to the top of about 14,500ft. The view were terrific and lots of locals to chat with so it was great section of the ride. Just before the summit I met some more great locals...they laughed when they pointed to the bend ahead and indicated it was the top :)

From the summit I had sweet decent to Cocobana...dropping 4 miles and about 200oft - no peddaling required.

I was a bit shagged on arrival and it took too long to find my hotel...again I am throwing the budget to the wind and staying somewhere upmarket...Hotel Rosario de Lago - its US$35 for a room overlooking the lake and cooked breakfast in the morning. The hot shower convinced me I'd mad a good decision (they are rare in Bolivia!).

A room with a view...

Cocobana is a very pretty town but far too touristy for my liking...I feel like I am in a small tourist coastal town in Spain rather then in Bolivia so I am thinking of leaving my bike and most of gear here for a day while I spent a night on Ilse (sp? Island) de Sol its a 60 min ferry ride and apparently has some great hiking to some important/cool Inca and pre-Inca ruins.

Well, I've had a great meal (Pesto Fettacine), updated my blog :) and got all my clothes washed and already returned to me for 20 Bolivianos (US$2.75)...no recyling cycle shorts for Neal...at least for a few days.

Off to bed now...unless I get caught up in some Eurotrash party - not always a bad thing ;)

All the best and cheers,
Neal

DAY 3:La Paz to Lake Titacaca (66km/4 hours)

2007-10-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

OK, so averaging 16.5km/hr (granted I did stop a few times to breathe!) is not very impressive...BUT I am still very happy with the day :) I am doing what I came here to do...ride a bike around Bolivia!

Here's where I rode:

I am not sure if the resolution is good enough to read but I rode from Alto La Paz on the right (mid way up) stright across to the edge of the left hand edge of the lake in the bay near the middle of the pic...looks REAL easy now. Tomorrow I ride on to Cococabana...its not quite as far but I'll have my first real hills to climb (gasp!).

The ride:

I decided to get a Taxi from La Paz to Alto La Paz...using my superior Spanish skills (the late Marcel Marso would have been proud) I found out my drivers name was Guilliome. It saved me 10km of wicked climbing and suicidal riding in carazy markt traffic and cost me $3. The drive wasn't without incident...check out how they cool an overheated engine down in Bolivia (I told you it was a rough climb!)

Once we got to the edge of Alto La Paz it was time to suck it up and ride:

Of course I left late (1:30pm - different country/same Neal) and that put a bit of pressure on me as I really wanted to sleep in a hotel...camping so close to La Paz is not a good idea and I wanted a good dinner & a real bed!

The first 5 km I was still in town and it was hell...the traffic was anywhere from 4 to 1 lane on each side of the road depending on how many people were in the street...taxi and mini buses always cutting me off...I am too scared to ride in Atlanta so I wasn't having a good time. I did get to see my first road carnage when the rear wheels completely snapped of the big dump truck directly ahead of me...at one point the road just disappeared and everybody was off-roading. I should have stopped for a pic but I just wanted out.

After I got out of the city things picked up and I made decent time for a while...I started at 13,200ft and dropped very gradually to about 12,7000ft then would climb back to about 13,000ft all the way to Lake Titicaca. I stopped to take some picks and fix a few minor issues with brakes and panniers. Locals are friendly...passing drivers would beep and wave and folks would smile and say "Ola" when I passed...I am sure they think I am a crazy white guy but I am quite OK with that.

Typical views during the ride with Cordillera Real in the background

About 15 km from from where I was told I'd find a hotel all was going well...averaging about 20km and feeling tired but OK...then the friggin wind started down from the Cordillera Real and I was suddenly struggling to do 8km an hour and getting so knackered I'd have to stop and breathe every 2-3 km. All this on essentially a flat road SUCKED!) About the time I was going to get off and walk a 2% grade (after resting first of course) I saw this magical sign..."my sight grew dim & I had to stop for the night":

It was the first hotel I'd seen since leaving La Paz. I belive I am the only guest...it is VERY strange (alaThe Shining) but they are friendly and the food was good...they had Vanilla Ice Cream too! I had to sneak into the kitchen to find it as I didn't know the Spanish for ice cream - its a tough mime :) I know am blowing my $10 a day budget but I get a primo room with double bed, hot shower, great breakfast and about 10 folks with only me to look after all for $20...its hard to sleep in a tent for the equivelent of 3 Guiness's at McCrays pub!

Here's the view from my room:

There was an awesome sunset over Lake Titicaca I would have had to go outside to photograph but I was way too knackered..I went straight to bed and napped for an hour before hitting up the hotel folks for a meal. Tomorrow I'll have a good breakfast and fill up the water bottles before heading out for a more difficult ride...I do hope it gets easier as I acclimatize...its wierd, I was sitting at dinner and my heart rate is 110...in Atlanta its seldom above 55 sitting around (I'm a geek)...I gotta be burning some calories :)

Anyway, I am off to snag some more ice cream and few more fluids then bed.

I everybody doing great!

Cheers,

Neal

Day 3 Getting on the Bike and Leaving La Paz

2007-10-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

I didn´t get much sleep last night but this morning my headaches pretty much gone and I´ve decided its time to leave...I will hopefully make it to the edge of Lake Titicaca...about a 65km ride..its pretty flat (I think as my map shows only 100m intervals) but it all at an elevation above 13,000ft...add in the heavy panniers and it will be a workout.

View from my hotel of the 3 sister´s...a very tricky climb...apparantly the Inca´s used to sacrifice people there many years ago and its climbs the lives of many climbers ' locals say the mountain is still hungry. I won´t be trying to climb it anytime soon!

Call me a wuss but I am going to get a $3 taxi ride to Alto La Paz...its a VERY steep climb of over 1000ft with nasty traffic and I don´t even have a decent map to follow...I am sure I´ll get my share of climbing during this trip!

Final thoughts on La Paz, its an amazing city...I did not expect to see so much indiginous culture blending in with modern city life. Its setting in a valley at 12,000ft surrounded by high peaks is awesome. The people have been freindly but not intrusive...tourism doesn´t seem to have made much of an impact outside a very well defined few blocks downtown. I´d reccommend watching your step here and taking more care then I did when booking a hotel, a great deal but its best not to be walking home too late. Food choices are good and the prices are very good...after i was sick I searched out the flashest restaurant i could find and still ónly paid $8 for a 4 course meal.

It may be a day or 2 before I can post again...I hope everybody is well.

Cheers,

Neal

Day 2: Neal gets sick as a dog! :(

2007-10-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well day 2 in La Paz was not a lot of fun...it was 7:30pm before I ventured out of my room...I think I hit the daily double...a stomach bug and altitude sickness. I could not eat anything and even drinking something was tough as i knew what that meant... Anyway, I am very glad i was in a hotel room and not in my tent somewhere off the map. I have just got back from a big but simple meal and all is well! I will drink a bunch of fluids tonite and expect I´ll be 100% tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I will start the ride...I´ve decided to ride to Lake Titicaca and take a ferry to Chile and then ride back towards La Paz...that should take 5-6 days depending on weather and my legs/lungs. After that I may look at climbing Sajama(sp), its the highest point in Bolivia at about 21,500ft - that did seem like a much better idea before i got sick!...so we shall see. I can hire a guide for around $250 and that includes food and mountaineering gear...its a 3-4 day climb. I am not sure about 2 peeps on ropes crossing the glaciers etc...3 minimum sounds much better to me. Anyway - the next 5-6 days will certainly help me firm up my plans.

I am looking forward to getting out of La Paz...during the day i feel OK walking around but its almost 10pm and even the short walk to the hotel has me bit wigged out...it reminds me of the worse parts of Manilla. La Paz is certainly a cowboy town of the first order!

Cheers,
Neal

Got Maps?

2007-10-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

Day 1.1 : La Paz is bloody hilly...I am glad I left my bike in the room...lots of heavy breathy and dodgin taxis. I got my haircut(something i do for luck everytime I enter a new country) and have located the best(possibly only) place to buy topo maps in Bolivia - Instituto Geografico Militar. If you check out the pic below you'll see why it was easy to walk by...they are closed till 2:30pm so hopefully I'll get the maps I need after lunch.

Also...Shimano is NOT supported in Bolivia...its all hayes brakes...I hope my 2 extra sets of pads will go the distance.

Cheers,
Neal

Day 1 La Paz : Coca Tea & Bike Shops

2007-10-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

the view driving down from Alto La Paz to La Paz

Hi All,

The airport at La Paz is actually at Alto La PAz...about a 13,000ft above regular la Paz which sits at abot 12,000ft. Flying from sea level to la Paz is not to be recommended but it seemed to make sense to me when at midnight a few days ago when I brought tickets online. I´ve been here 3 hours (its 9:30am) and I finished my second pot of Coca tea and even chewed a few leaves for good measure...I blame that altitude and the tea for partically stripping a bolt while assembling my bike...I think it will be OK and I have have spare nuts and bolts that i should be able to get work...worse case.

this is the infamous Coca tea...pretty dam tasty - $0.25 a pot :)

I can REALLY feel the altitude so expect it will be a day or two before I ride off...being the last minute planner I am I didn´t book a hotel until I was waiting in Miami...I pulled out my Lonely Planet and my cell phone (I took it by mistake) and called Hotel La Joya...I got I guy named "Ourey"? that spoke little english and we had a difficult conversation the guts being I arrive at Alto La PAx to be met but a elderly gentlemen holding a sign that said "NEOW" - I guess he struggled as much as I did.

I am off to visit gravity bikes www.gravitybolivia.com to get some local advice, see what the spare part situation is and maybe book a bike trip on the "worlds most dnagerous road" or maybe some local mountain biking which is suppose to be amazing. Its a great site with pics and videos...well worth checking out by Mtn bikers reading this.

All the best and cheers,
Neal

Hmmmm....my Mum's email....

2007-10-12T23:22:00.001-07:00

My Mum backpacked around Bolivia and a big hunk of SA in 1978&79...I seem to remember she left some $$ on top of the fridge and told us "she'd be back" so she is talking from experience. here is a pic of Mum (Bet) from 1978 somewhere in SA....possibly on the upper amazon & a sample of Bolivian roads...I doubt they have got much better :)

I can't want to try the hand in boiling water trick...look for video on the blog soon - I've packed some burn cream just in case ;)

" NEAL, WHAT THE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is no joke...... Have you any idea what you are planning to do? You really need a mate and even that would be dangerous. I will write lots more tonight. I have
had altitude sickness and at a time like that you need someone. preferably with local knowledge. I Know I drank some strange concoction and it helped. There
is coca tea in moderation!! Also onions are good At altitude things go strange toothpaste tubes blow up and you can put your hand in boiling water. Lack of oxygen is a real problem even with walking. It effects people differently - the fit and the non fit

You must get local knowledge - from memory some of those places are not good to be. Your passport and gear would be enough to set some families up for life. You have only to stumble into a coca operation and you are worth nothing.

Go for an adventure if you must - take a mate - stick to more main roads. - get some knowledge - take a /several dictionaries You will have enough trouble peddaling at altitude and the cold. I remember on the road from Lake titicaca to La Paz there were dogs who had died on the road still lying there.
If you must go, get a llama - at least you can milk it, eat it and wear it if you must and things are desperate!!!

More later.

You have a heart of gold but your brain...................

Cheers
MUM"

Route Overview: Maps are cool and kinda useful!)

2007-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

I will try and add some more detail route this evening.... a cold beer will help the process :) The pic below give a better idea of the elevations involved. Clicking on the maps will provide more detail.

Packing & Planning - only 3 days to go!

2007-10-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Planning and packing has began! Since I only decided to do this a few days ago I guess i should be happy to be this far along...

What I have (a big mess...) :

1. Air tickets - Depart 10/15 to La Paz, Bolivia & Return 11/12 from Santa Cruz (all for a tad over US$800).

2. Bike - I picked up my Novara Safari from REI today...all very exciting :) I added rim tape and changed out the tires to some more suitable for rough riding. I swapped the seat from my Mtn bike and swapped out the pedals for dual use cage/spd's...I still don't know what will work best in Bolivia.

3. Racks and Paniers - The Safari comes with a bomber back rack and I purchased a front rack (AC Low Rider) from Old Man Mountain. A friend (thanks Lisa R.!) had some kick a$$ paniers in her basement and kindly lent them to me & I had some REI front paniers in my gear attic.

4. I had almost everything else I needed from years of expedition racing but did need a liquid fuel stove for the high altitudes, a sleeping mat, solo cooking gear. Of course i used the trip as an excuse to buy some new technical clothing :)

What I have to do (HEAPS) :

There is a LOT of important work to do...I need to finalize the following:

1. First Aid Kit - I'll be in remote areas for extended times so its got to be extensive.

2. Bike tools and spare parts - I've got to careful not to forget something critical but also watch for excessive weight!

3. $$$ and documents - I've got sort out how I'll not get ripped off and get stranded without cash...Arrhhh!

4. Book accomodations for the first night(s) in La Paz...its nice to arrive with a place to go!

5. Make sure my company and dog Trooper (see pic) will be happy while I'm gone - ETG won't miss me too much BUT I will miss Trooper, especially during the cold nights!

6. Test the bike (will everything fit in the panniers?!?!) and a test ride (can i climb when the bike is fully loaded?!?!)

So much more that i haven't even thought of yet! Yep, Bloody HEAPS! :)

Cheers,
Neal