The riders had a three and a half day rest in Cusco. This gave them enough time to take an overnight trip to Machu Picchu as well as time left to explore the many Inca ruins and the lovely streets and squares of Cusco.

Machu Picchu´s breathtaking beauty with its high views and steep climbs were appreciated but truth be told that so many days of riding through high ranges of up and down remote terrains with peaks as high as 4,300m where few tourists reach is the norm for our riders. All the places we ride through may not be famous or well traveled but we are overwhelmed by the striking views and real life scenes of local people working, tilling and planting their quino, potato and corn fields with the help of their children and animals.

The group has embarked on another stretch of bush camp days that will, no doubt, take them past more pristine lakes and villages and as always...just off the beaten track. Only six riding days to Lima.

  -- Ruth Schonblum

I left La Paz feeling I hadnt given it a chance! A large sprawling city built in a valley at 3600m with 2mil inhabitants, it is the highest capital city in the world. As we wandered through the cobbled steep streets, to coin a phrase, "it was an assault to the senses" - one can be overcome by the diesel fumes, sewerage and human excrement smells, but also by the crumbling Spanish colonial architecture, the traditionally dressed women selling everything from llama foetuses (good housewarming present), to snickers to fake North Face jackets, not to mention the llama wool jerseys, bright textiles and internet cafes! We were stayiung near "Gringo Alley" so plenty of opportunity to book a tour (jungle, trek, bike the worlds most dangerous road), find a hostal, restaurant or decide on which souveneir to buy (all the stalls sold the same jerseys, bags, toys, jewellery etc). Finding something unique was difficult and came with a hefty price tag!

From a cultural perspecitve, I did manage a visit to the Coca Museum - quite fascinating history and basic exhibitions of the story of the coca leaf and the only musuem open on Sun arvie!

In pursuit of quieter time and to get back in touch with nature, I decided to take a side trip to Coroico, 100kms from La Paz, set in lush tropical mountainous area - advertised for its tranquility and so I had set my mind on a relaxing day by the pool at a quiet hostel with beautiful gardens. On arrival in Coroico, I was pleasantly surprised by annual festival in main plaza with several bands, dancing with men, women and children in traditional colourful costume and copious amounts of beer being consumed!




As a storm and ominous sky was threatening my lazing by the pool, I opted for a cheapy hotel and settled into sheltered ringside seats of procession at pizzeria on plaza and joined in the celebration with several ice cold beers! The festivities ground to a halt when torrential downpours started but I was quite comfortable and dry. A little rain wasnt goint to sopt the party, once the rain dissipated, the bands and dancing resumed. Bolivians sure know how to party!

I had decided to take some time out from the cycle group and set off on a 3 day Jungle tour which entailed cruising down a number of rivers including the Beni river whcih feeds into Amazon basin, walks in rain forest and camping on the banks of the river. We were a small international group of 11 gringos and 7 Bolivian staff. We first started with a long drive along a continuation of the "Death Highway" with stunning scenery and dizzying heights. The boat was a long boat with wooden planks as seats but quite comfortable for appreciating the flora, fauna and birdlife along the river banks and suitable for the shallow sections of the river and odd rapid!




We enjoyed several walks in the rain forest, cooled off with swims in river and waterfall and a highlight was a canopy zip line tour that was exhilirating once I overcame my fear of heights suspended on platforms 200m above ground, the scenery looking over the forest canopy was spectacular! We cruised along Madidi National Park where there are puma, jaguar, wild boar, armiadillo, etc but unfortunately they did not appear for us, only tarantula, capybarra (large rodent like creatures), butterflies, frogs and plenty of birds. Waking up to the sounds of the rainforest was amazing....reminded me of relaxation tapes one hears enjoying a massage / bliss, but no masseur on tour!



We ended in Rurrenabaque where we stayed one night and enjoyed a night with new friends all of which were heading for Pamapas tours in Amazon basin whilst I caught an early morning flight on a 19 seater plant - a surprisingly smooth ride back up to La Paz. I had a few hours to spare and managed to enjoy some more sights, squares and museums (Ethnology a highlight) before catching bus for 7 hr trip to Puno, Peru to join up with cycle group.

I was feeling quite sad to leave Bolivia, a beautiful country with friendly people and stunning scenery and still somewhat untouchedby mass tourism and therefore cheap!


Posted By Natasha Barker

Our riders have been on the hsores of this maginficent lake for a few days now with stops along the shore in Bolivia (which is where 40 percent of the lake lies) and now Peru (with the rest of the lake sitting there). There are many islands in Titicaca and indiginous people have been living on these islands for many many generations.

The riders have taken the opportunity to visit these places.Well deserved calm boat rides and enjoyable stimulation after well done days of riding up the hills of the surrounding terrain.

The Uros islands just off of Puno are man made out of reeds and float. These floating islands house whole communities and feel like walking on a water bed! The homes and boats and lookout towers are al made of reeds that grow in the lake. On the way out there we see these reeds growing and there they are the home to many types of birds.

Well, sightseeing day is over and it is time to pack up and don our cycling clothes again! A few days of bush camp and I am sure more beautiful rides and friendly locals and soon we will be in Cusco-and trips out to Machu Pichu!


  -- Ruth Schonblum

Winding up high round mountains overlooking Lake Titicaca and the flat areas of agricultural communities in existence since ancient times we, are speechless and breathless. The beauty is overwhelming. Women and men are shepherds are caring for whole flocks of sheep, llamas, cows, all grazing on the high slopes of the powerful curved mountains.

We are now at an altitude of over 4,000mt and feel that the few clouds are just within arms´reach. We look down and see the huge expanse of the sacred Lake Titicaca that is the source of life for all the living beings that have been settled in this area for many generations. The lake is home to many smaller and larger islands, some of which have Inca and pre Inca temples and other ruims and relics still standing to inspire and bewilder us.

To get to the calm, colourful city of Copacabana today, se had to take a barge like water vessel across a narrow area of the huge lake. Some say that the ancient legend city of Atlantis is sunk somewhere in this vast lake. Years ago many divers including the famous Jaques Cousteau searched of it but did not find it. Interestingly, these deep sea searches were not in vain as many archeological treasures were found instead.

In the middle of the lake are two islands that are still visited frequently for the Inca and Tiwanaca structures and artifacts ( a Sun Gate, a Labrynth, polished stone roads etc.) that still stand there. Some of the riders are spending their rest time today researching and


  -- Ruth Schonblum
investigating this fabulous spot.

We had a feeling something was up when the road uphill from La Paz was swarmng with mob control cops all decked out in helmets and vests full of cannisters of tear gas. Seems this is a common occurance as people in the area are known for protesting and setting up road blocks with big and small boulders to block traffic. Just so happened that was our day to leave La Paz through the neighbouring city of El Alto that is up the climb form the valley that La Paz is in and at an altitude of 4,150 (hence the name) and has a population of over a million people.

With all the cyclists and their bikes packed into the big yellow bus and the small red lunch truck trying to keep together as we tried to navigate an alternate route out of the area and avoid all the protests and blocks we rode around dirt and rock roads for quite a while trying to find a safe and practical spot to let the riders off so they could get on their way to our camp site on Lake Titicaca not very far from Copacabana (a stunningly beautiful city in Bolivia where we now are).

Finally, after paying off the kids who were "manning" the four road blocks that we did manage to get through our brave leaders decided to pay a local man at one of the blocks to join us in the truck and guide us out through back roads and get us out of that area and on to the highway we needed to be on. Through dry stone riverbeds and up craggy slopes we crawled on in our trucks.

After half a day of high adventure and some stunning back road scenes that we would never have otherwise been privy to, we were all set to let the riders begin their day of cycling. All arrived safely and soundly to our bush camp in a big soccer field surrounded by potato fields on the banks of sacred and stunning Lake Titicaca (with the mountains of Peru looming just across the lake).

  - Ruth Schonblum

10 things you’ll find travelling in Bolivia
1.    Very friendly people.
2.    The Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat.
3.    A fresh squeazed cup of warm donkey milk, in front of the bus station in Oruro.
4.    Tihuanako, one of the most significant, pre-Incan archaeological sites.
5.    The Death Hwy, a 60km, 3500m descent of hairy switchbacks tacked to 800m cliffs and no guardrails. (above)
6.    Pachamama
7.    A dried llama fetus from the Witches Market in La Paz, take it home and bury it under your house for good luck
8.    The best value for tour operators in South America to arrange a trip into the headwaters of the Amazon.
9.    Copacabana? Are we back in Rio?
10.    Americans need a visa.

We had some really tough days out of San Pedro de Atacama heading to Bolivia border, involving some significant elevation gains and as is common in desert conditions, some strong winds!

I can break the first day´s 130kms into 4 sections – 1st section involved a climb at 8km point and then a further climb from 15km to 35km, which was slow but rewarding, reaching an altitude of 3450m, and taking about 3 hours! 2nd section was an exhilarating downhill and long flat of 30km, taking only 1 hour to lunch. 3rd section after lunch was a straight 30km into a head wind, tough and I managed to stick it out as the 4th section we made an about turn and had the wind behind us for the remaining kms to camp, a quiet road passing the largest open pit copper mine in the world!
The second day broke me…the wind stayed with us and was a steady uphill from camp (at 2500m) with a blinding headwind practically the whole way to lunch at 65kms and 3500m altitude. As I reached the 50km mark, I knew I didn’t have the energy or inclination to finish the day, but lunch was not far, and at 60km we cruised downhill and enjoyed lunch at the foothills of a smoking volcano (San Pedro Volcano). An enjoyable drive, with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, and then descending into Salar de Ascatan, where the winds blew salt and dust from all directions. We camped that night in the shelter of some ruins next to a lake on the Salar with mountains silhouetted in the water, flamingos feeding on algae and the odd vicuna in the vicinity! A freezing cold night at 3500m and relentless winds!




So far in Bolivia, I am loving the beauty of the landscape, the friendliness of the people and the fact that there is significant evidence of traditional dress and ways! Still more to come... Challapata, Oruro, La Paz and Lake Titicaca, until then Adios!

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Posted By Natasha Barker

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Posted By Natasha Barker

If one is a small child, or pretends to think with a small child’s mind, or at worst or perhaps best depending on perspective possesses a small child’s mind despite being plenty old enough to be considered an adult, one may come upon an experience or sight that leaves them overcome with a sense of newness so grand that a detachment from the earth ensues, and one feels to be distant in space and time from the immediately preceding moment, and in some particular way, they have stepped foot on a far away planet.  (Of course there is much in the way of religious terminology to describe such experiences, but we’ll ignore these)  

There are myriad opportunities for such a feeling to arrive, and joining the latest commercial space flight along with bored/narcissist celebrities need not be the ticket.  For the truly enlightened, simply staring at a porcelain toilet bowl or such could perhaps lead to an interstellar event, but for those somewhat more grounded a trip to one of the world’s geographical oddities is certain to increase the likelihood of losing oneself in space.

 

The Salar de Uyuni, a salt flat in the Bolivian highlands, once experienced, is an example of a place on earth which sings out to be dreamt of.  The desolation and loneliness (if you can avoid the lumbering Land cruisers zooming this way and that) startles the imagination, and yes, allows one to escape. 

 

Now these are thoughts of one standing on the brink of the salt flat, looking out as the sun sinks, and frigid morphing clouds stain darker and darker.  The cyclists of our South American expedition appear as black dots on the white surface of the largest, flattest surface on earth.  At first their sight is met with humor, as if they represent lost punctuation marks on a crisp sheet of paper, but as the appearance of 2 wheels and the human form appear clearer, a feeling of great respect for such a physical achievement grows.  Practically all of our expedition participants cycled the breadth of the Salar. It was a daunting goal, and a splendid, if exhausting success.

 

How many of them left the earth, if only momentarily, during their human powered crossing of the Salar de Uyuni?  Well, it is difficult to tell, as being spaced out is a rather common state during trans-continental cycle expeditions, but personally, I would say all of the bicycle riders finished the day with windswept smiles of those who’ve travelled further than they could have ever imagined.

Flying flamingoes in pink flocks were overhead as the riders crossed the Uyuni Salar, the solid blinding white mass of flat hard salt in Bolivia. In this place lonely salty place on earth it is essential that you not only slather sunscreen on all exposed skin but that you remember to cover the bottom of your nose in between your nostrils too as the reflection can cause a mighty bad burn!

The daily bike tracks are taking us into village and town areas of Bolivia and on the outskirts we are sure to encounter a few llamas, vicuñias, goats, pigs and even some sheep.
The roads are challenging so these sweet diversions are a welcome uplift on a long ride.

We camped in slaty desert area right near a salt lake and a flock of standing flamingoes...they were standing and walking all over in the afternoon but early in the freezing (literally, the non salt water we had was ice) they were all huddled together as one mass of pink and salmon coloured feathers in the middle of the small lake, keeping each other warm.

One highlight of the week was our lunch stop at the foot of a steaming volcano. Volcan San Pedro which did not let us down and kept spewing white clouds of smoke right out of the top into the clear blue sky. As we climb higher and acclimatise to the high levels of altitude (we are in 3,500 to 4,000 for a while now) we often see stunning mountains and volcanoes all around us.

   - Ruth Schonblum