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
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