Follower

Mittwoch, 27. September 2017

Bolivia


10.10. Total: 3554 km
La Paz- Desaguadero: 122 km

After a week without riding my bike, I set off today and rode 16 km uphill, which was very good warm-up. I am crossing the border from Bolivia to Peru tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to being in a different country ;-)

Outside Alto there was a lot of rubbish and next to that dump there were crops! I'm pretty sure the vegetables grown there are safe to eat :-P






Titicaca lake, in Bolivia


Titicaca lake

8.10. Total: 3432 km
La Paz, Bolivia

I haven`t cycled for almost a week now. I discovered la Paz on foot and by the Austrian cable cars ;-). On Thursday I ate something that didn't agree with my stomach and felt terrible. I had nothing but coke and toast ( dry bread) for two days. Luckily, I feel fine now. My lips and finger are healed so I am ready to set off again. I'm leaving la Paz on Tuesday and heading to Peru.
Salteñas: typical Bolivian food

Gelatina

Austrian cable car

View of La Paz from a cable car

La Paz

La Paz

La Paz

La Paz



A market in La Paz



La Paz

A market at El Alto: Sleeping and working?

Market in El Alto

El Alto

El Alto


03.10. Total: 3432 km
Patacamaya- La Paz: 110 km

Yesterday I met a Swiss couple who are also cycling and who warned me about the traffic in La Paz. They were absolutely right. Traffic in La Paz is chaotic but, luckily, slow and therefore no so dangerous. It's not as bad as the Swiss had said ;-).

The only problem is the strong smell of diesel there is in the streets. I had never experienced something like it before- not even in India or Bangladesh. The fact that La Paz is 3500 meters above sea level may be the reason for the stink.


La Paz

It's quite common to see mechanics working in the streets

La Paz




02.10. Total: 3322 km
Oruro- Patacamaya: 134 km





01.10. Total: 3187 km.
Oruro-Oruro: 8 km

Today I went on a short sightseeing tour in Oruro.



Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

A students' festival. They wore masks, played loud music and danced.


 A market in Oruro



It was really windy today. I was sitting on a bank in a square when only three metres away from where I was this branch fell from a tree. I was lucky! 





30.09. Total: 3179 km
Poopo-Oruro: 66 km

Today I met an English couple who are also cycling. We spent nearly half an hour talking about our trips and they told me that 5 days behind them there is a couple from Austria! South America is like the Danube cycle path! :-P. I've met so many cyclist this month. But, unlike me, all of them are cycling from north to south to avoid the strong north wind.

Today I arrived in Oruro, the fifth biggest city in Bolivia. More than 260, 000 people live here. After some weeks in very lonely places, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in the streets and the number of shops, most of which sell food. The streets are so narrow and the traffic so heavy that I felt a bit like in India.

Oruro

Heating my room

29.09. Total: 3112 km
Río Mulato- Poopo: 171 km

Back to civilization. There's a lot more traffic and stray dogs as well... Today I was attacked twice. Luckily I still have a wooden stick that helps a lot ;-). In three days I should be in La Paz, Bolivia, where I'm planning to stay for some days. I'm afraid I have to take care of myself. I've got bad sunburns in my lips and nose and injuries in two of my fingers. It'a all thanks to the sun, wind, low relative humidity and low temperatures.




A small church in a small village


Today I was back in Rosario, where my trip started! ;-D


28.09. Total : 2941 km
Uyuni- Rìo Mulato: 105 km

I would have stayed in Uyuni one more night but I decided to cycle a bit. I reached Río Mulato. I can't believe how cheap everything is here. A hotel room costs 3 Euros and a meal at a restaurant only 1.5 Euro.

The last time I saw the Uyuni salt plains



The road to Río Mulato was a bit boring but easy to cycle.


27.09.  Total: 2835 km
Isla Incahuasi- Uyuni: 103 km

Today I woke up at 5 am on Isla Incahuasi. At 6 when the first tourists arrived, the peace and quiet I had so much enjoyed the night before was gone. I decided not to go on the 12 minutes' hike to the top of the mountain on the island but to pay for accommodation instead. ;-)

I had already set off when I met a German cyclist who was also camping on the island. He had sold all his stuff to be able to travel for 9 years. We talked about the best way to reach Colombia and he advised me to be very careful in Bogota as he had been robbed twice there.



Uyuni salt flats

Salar hotel



There are holes in the Uyuni salt  flats. This was about 60 cms deep

Incahuasi island







26.09. Total: 2732 km.
San Juan- Isla Incahuasi: 96 km.

Today I set off at 7. At the beginning the road was quite good but again after a couple of kilometres I ended up having to push my bike along a sandy road. Getting to the Salar de Uyuni was a relief but I had expected the roads to be in better conditions. People in Bolivia are really very friendly and helpful.

a sandy road















Incahuasi Island

The Incahuasi island is very beautiful. The best thing about it is that only cyclist and motor bikers are allowed to spend the night on the island so it was very quiet in the evening. The sunset was perfect.
























Finding the city of San juan was extremely difficult as we had to follow vehicles footprints and there were so many! Luckily with the help of the locals we eventually arrived in San Juan.


San Juan

San Juan

My room with salt floor ;-)










Our camp spot last night


As Frank and Anelise are staying one more day in San Juan, I'm cycling alone tomorrow.


25.09. Total: 2636 km.

Chiguana- San Juan: 38 km.