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Christmas and New Year, from La Paz to Cuzco
Jan. 6th | 0 comments
Tuesday, December 10. We moved in the “casa de ciclistas” of La Paz : a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and, upstairs, empty rooms ready to welcome inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags… All this at the disposal of any cycling tourists stopping by, for as little as 20 Bolivianos (about 2 euros) per night. We immediately felt like home… So much that we eventually stayed there 2 weeks! 🙂
Comfort was yet not solely responsible for our settlement. We first had to rest and recover from our 3 last and tiring weeks on the road. We did well at the beginning: high-protein meals (easy: 3/4 of the restaurants in La Paz are “pollerias”, chicken fast-food restaurants!), not too much bustle in the day and sleep in the night. But this diet did not last long. Each day more English cyclotourists moved in the casa de ciclistas, and 4 days after our arrival, a fine team had formed: David, Pete, Sam, Jen (all English) and us. Our nightlife then became way more active… and our physical remission went on in proportion 😉
The team!
Bolivia, from the Laguna Route to the Salar de Uyuni
Dec. 20th | 1 comments
Thursday, November 28. 6 am. When our alarm clock rings, our eyes are already wide open. In Bolivia, dawn does not exist. A dazzling light has already flooded our dormitory. Our mind is immediately operational and an hour later, we’re ready…
It is 7 am. We are in front of the refuge. Eyes towards the Laguna Road. The handlebar between our hands. One foot on the ground, the other on the pedal. In a few moments, we will launch ourselves!.. “We will launch ourselves?” Say rather that in a few moments, we will try to set in motion the 65kg which we use as mean of transport. Never before our bikes have been so heavy… and still without battery! (in addition to the two weeks of food, we have now 9 L of water, so 6 more than usual, for 2 days of self-sufficiency) And never before we have riden on such a difficult path as the one that is waiting for us. During the next 10 days, the asphalt will remain the attribute of dreams…
The challenge is electrifying. And especially as we will certainly ride in the most beautiful landscapes we’ve ever seen until then. So beautiful that they will suffice to justify all our efforts? There is no more time to waste, it is only by throwing ourselves in the adventure that we will have the answer…
VAMOS!
The first turns of the pedals are amply rewarded: 2 km away from the shelter, we are greeted by the Laguna Blanca… We are facing THE most beautiful panorama of the trip! And if this is only the beginning, what does the next kilometers hold for us?
Our last 400km in Argentina
Dec. 16th | 0 comments
Here we are again on the Argentine roads! Or should we rather AN argentine road, la ruta 9, that we will follow for 150 km to Purmamarca and its famous mountain of 7 colors…
Salta – Caldera – El Carmen – San El Salvador of Jujuy
San El Salvador of Jujuy, capital of the province of Jujuy… and last urban island before a 1000 km-ride in the remotest regions of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. Last connection to internet, last money withdrawal, and especially last grocery shopping. We need to bring enough food for 2 weeks. We will find enough food and water as we go along until the Bolivian border, 400km away. Then will begin the laguna road, crossing the South Lipez of the Bolivia… And will disappear any point of substantial supplies for the following 300km. At least, this is what we think. 300 km that we should ride within ten days. So, to be prepared of any slowdowns, we’ve decided to carry enough food for 2 weeks:
– 3kg of oatmeal
– 4kg of rice
– 3kg of pasta
– 1 kg of polenta
– 10 cans of tuna (2.5 kg)
– 2L of tomato sauce
– 2kg of biscuits
– 1 kg of dried fruits
– 800g of powdered milk
– powdered syrup
– powdered soup
– stock cubes
(+ 2 litres of gasoline to cook everything)
Tadaaa! Suddenly, our bikes became 10kg heavier… and each now weighs 60kg, this is a new record! (and it will inevitably rise when we will have to fill all our water bottles in the laguna road…)
Goodbye Argentina … Hello Bolivia !
Nov. 18th | 1 comments
Monday 18th of November. For three weeks, a vicious fight opposed us to the infamous Customs of Buenos Aires, which were holding the batteries of our bikes at the airport. We were stuck in Salta, but received help from our sponsor VELOSCOOT, and our Argentinian friends in Buenos Aires. Phone calls streamed between us, the Customs and our carrier TNT. But the information came in dribs and drabs, and despite our good faith (No, we do not want to sell them!) the situation got bogged down …
Juan, our friend and informant in Buenos Aires, sent us one of his creations. It’s a sour laughter but the smile is here: we better take this ridiculous matter with humor. Gracias !
