Ever since crossing into Bolivia our preconceived notions of the country keep falling by the wayside. In contrast to La Quiaca on the Argentinian side, the Bolivian border town of Villazon was a hive of activity, full of Argentinians looking for a bargain. The constant changing of currencies, both physically (bills and coin) and rate of exchange, is a bit much at times and I struggle to keep apace. We shopped for some necessities but if you don’t know your way around, shopping is an ordeal. Every 3-4 M there is another store, jammed with a mishmash of things except, it invariably turns out, what you are looking for. The markets overflow with tiny stalls that spill out onto the surrounding roads and alleys. From what I can see most vendors do a marginal business, much of their typically long day spent waiting for clients. It all seems horribly inefficient and a waste of manpower. The reality is Bolivia is a poor country, the poorest in South America, and people do whatever they can to survive. As one trucker told us pointedly ‘people don’t retire in Bolivia’.
After accidentally discarding 3 hours worth of work on our last blog post, we got up early the next morning determined to get it finished, posted and out of town. Somehow it all came together. Note: Putting this blog together is a challenge with slow or nonexistent wifi the principle culprit. We justify the time and energy spent as a way of recording what our memories will not. Comments from home are most welcome and a big incentive.
The ride north was great. The road was quiet, the drivers respectful and the scenery interesting …..what more can one ask for? After a good 70+ km (at altitude ), we pulled over in the small village of Santa Rosa where neither lodging or restaurants could be found. What many small towns do have however, much to our surprise, is a covered basketball court surrounded by dilapidated classrooms (the local high school). As rain was imminent, Claire had the bright idea to ask to see if we could set up our tent on the deserted school grounds under this big roof. Of course you can, the caretaker tells us with what was in retrospect, a wry smile
We got set up and put dinner on the stove as darkness came. A light rain fell as we settled in for a quiet evening and then early to bed. And then……we hear the front gate being unlocked and before we knew it, approximately 40 youngsters, primarily teens, pour into ‘our’ space, turn on the lights and shortly after, a spirited game of basketball was underway. What the hell were we thinking? I positioned myself between our tent and the game and we settled in for what turned into a wonderful opportunity for us to witness the social life of young Bolivians in a small, out of the way village. The kids played with abandon and some skill. Girls, younger kids and even two adults (seemed a bit out of place to us) participated. There was no arguing, no complaining, just laughter and positive energy. It reminded us both of simpler times long before social media, cyber bullying and video games. As suddenly as they had arrived, they turned off the lights and were gone, probably a little earlier than usual on our account. We were soon in bed but chatted for awhile about what we had just witnessed….a simple but unique experience.
It is truly embarrassing how little planning and/or research we did prior to setting off on this trip. We meet couples our age who figure out their entire itinerary and book lodging months in advance. They know when, where, how and why they are going to any particular destination. We don’t have a clue. I’m sure there are advantages to both approaches but ours can be trying at times. We arrived in Tupiza only to discover that it is one of the starting points for the justly famous 4wd tours of the Lagunas Route and the Salar de Uyuni (the worlds largest salt flat) of which I had only the vaguest idea. The fact that we were also in the midst of the rainy season was abundantly clear and also negated any hope we had to ride the Salar…..so, in our spur of the moment way, we went ahead and booked the comprehensive four day tour starting, rain or shine, the following day. It was quite an adventure and not at all what we expected or, as it turned out, was advertised. It was also super reasonable – $250/pers, food, lodging, transport and guide included.
The night before setting out, our fellow passengers (max. 5 clients/vehicle) were confirmed, a lovely young Catalan couple from Barcelona, well educated, stoic and uncomplaining. We almost got stuck with a pushy couple of guys from an ‘unnamed’ country and as we were going to be together 24 hrs/day for 4 days this was of utmost importance.
The first day was a marathon, 13.5 hrs on a single lane dirt track that was literally being washed away as we drove. We had to dig our way past one small landslide and crossed at least 30, fast moving, muddy streams, which kept growing as a light rain fell all day. The road never dipped below 4000 M and repeatedly climbed to +/- 4800 M. The road had no ditches, culverts or any allowance for run off. Thank God we teamed up with another 4wd (95% of which are Land Cruisers) as conditions were so sketchy. We crossed paths with maybe 3 other vehicles during the whole day and went through four, tiny, forlorn villages. The countryside was vast, empty, treeless and beautiful.
On the second to last river crossing, which we thought was the much anticipated final obstacle, the truck stalled in deep water but managed to cough and sputter its way to dry land. Our relief was palpable but just around the corner was another river, maybe 2 km from our destination. The light was failing and the rain stronger. A vehicle on the far side of the sprawling, fast moving but shallow river, maybe 100 M distant and presumably expecting us, signalled with its lights the best place to cross. Without hesitation Wilber, our driver, went for it. 25 M in we hit a hole and…..we were stuck! The following 30-40 minutes were very intense. It was now dark and cold with only the lights of the accompanying Land Cruiser on the riverbank behind us, to light the scene. The four of us and our cook Adriana were essentially stuck, helpless in the vehicle. I’ve never felt so useless and, quite frankly, was preparing to abandon ship. The water started coming in over the floorboards and all the while, Wilber was making the super human effort to attach the ‘miraculous’ winch from the other truck to the submerged frame of ours. The water was frigid and dark and he was just keeping his head above water as he frantically tried to make the connection. I would have been hyperthermic in minutes. He was in the water forever! Somehow the connection was made and very slowly we were winched back to dry land. The truck’s distributor was soaking wet and running terribly but after only a few minutes of revving the engine he chose another path and back into the river we went. We just barely sputtered across only to get stuck in the mud on the far side. Once again the winch saved the day and with, a now almost catatonic Wilber still at the wheel we drove to the very rustic, unheated ‘hotel’ we were to call home for the night.
I don’t know if the wad of coca he’d been chewing most of the afternoon played into it but Wilbur’s effort was an incredible display of strength and determination. Bolivians are one tough lot! Adriana got some soup into him and the owner found a propane heater to plunk in front of him and he slowly came around. Claire thinks he was somewhat traumatized by the experience. All I know is that we awoke to falling snow and continued on our way without our saviour vehicle of the previous day. We start to climb and before long the snow was 20 cm deep and we go off the road and get stuck. We manage to extricate ourselves by digging and stuffing shrubbery under the wheels (at which point we now know the 4wd isn’t working….don’t even ask!) We are in running shoes quite unprepared for the conditions. We continue to climb. The snow is now 30 cms deep, we are following the quickly fading tracks of probably the only other vehicle that day. It is now a full on white out. Wilber can barely see (he doesn’t have sunglasses!). Adriana, in the passenger seat, acts as guide telling him “a little to the left….a little to the right’. He’s doing maybe 25 km/hr as we, the clients, are all quietly freaking out in the backseats as we recall the cliffs and dangerous road of the day before – not knowing that Wilber knew he was on a straight stretch. It was all a bit much!
We eventually descended, came to a junction, some more tracks, the weather cleared and our tension subsided. That afternoon and the following two days were filled with wonderful sights, less stressful adventures and general awesomeness! Hopefully our pictures can tell some of the story. Clearly, I’ve gone on too long!
OVER THE HILL AND BEYOND 
Wonderful post! The salt flats and the rock formations and the sunsets are all amazing. Thank you for sharing with us
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Thanks Denise. We appreciate the feedback and are happy you and others are enjoying reading the posts. Jim puts quite an effort in writing them.
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Ah, beautiful pictures! What contrasts. Especially the red rocks and greenery down in the little valleys between.
Are the 4×4 tours a relatively new thing in Bolivia? Because I should hope if it’s new but growing they will eventually have some better roads– because yikes, that looked rough at times.
As for planning, and not feeling prepared — I felt that so much in NZ! Always feeling like I should have had so much more prepared in advance, but even when I did have things prepared then I missed out on other opportunities due to a rigid schedule. I think you guys are nailing it so far. So just keep doing what your doing 🙂
Missing you always and sending you lots of love!
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It was great to talk to you last night sweetie and yes those green valleys filled with lamas surrounded by rocks were very special. We could have spent much more time there. The 4×4 tours have been going on a long time but doing ours in the rainy season made things a lot harder . Nevertheless we had a great tour.
Yes we agree, we have been nailing it, in our own fashion
Much love
Dad
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Apparently, Olivia economy is rising. It would appear that tourism is helping it. People are opening hostels or renting rooms. Restaurants are adjusting their menus to foreign palates… so indeed there is hope they will continue to build their roads. Cuz even with 4×4, we felt it was hard on the vehicles. Cheers.
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You’ve got fantastic photos! What a great adventure 🙂
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Thanks Marc.
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WOW quelle belle expédition. Stressante mais unique. Votre périple est unique. Peu de gens peuvent se vanter de connaitre les paysages comme vous deux. Rencontrer des gens tout au long de la route est merveilleux. L’humain, peu importe son pays, est toujours intéressant. Bonne continuation à vous deux et je continues de vous suivre assise tranquille devant l’ordi. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Mercia Linda, on apprécie beaucoup les commentaires puisque ça nous garde en contact avec vous tous et ça nous encourage. Bisous.
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Guys that is amazing! TK and I rode that same route out of Tupiza and was the best riding of our entire trip until she crashed and tore her ACL, effectively ending our trip. We never made it to Uyuni so now have to go back…Thankfully we were there in late April – start of the dry. The scenery and isolation around there is truly mindblowing.
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Look forward to hearing about your trip someday Mark. It truly is stunning scenery and yes if you missed the Salar (wet or dry) you will have to go back
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Those rock formations look amazing! The bald spare tire on the back of that Landy looks amazing too!
I think the chinchilla’s you saw may have been viscachas. Got to be one of the cutest animals ever!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscacha
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You are probably right Roland but they are of the same Family and the locals kept confusing us as to which is which. Whatever, we saw many in the coolest environments, all of which was a treat!
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That looks awesome you guys, I hope it is as fun as it is harrowing. We travel the same way, without an agenda or reservations and it can be difficult at times, but so far we have only done so in “soft” countries. Hats off to you guys for braving the 3rd world like that. Be safe, I can’t wait to read more of your adventures. Gregg
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Thanks Gregg
Great to hear from you. All our best to Tammy and the boys
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Wow. That was both amazing and mind boggling. It was like reading a novel when you don’t know how it’s going to end – even tho I knew how because you were writing it. Don’t fall into the schedule and research trap, you’re going to have so many adventures because you’re open to it.
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Thanks Gary, probably not much different than your trip across Asia, knowing the type of things you get up to!
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I seem to get to my comment a day after the others who have all said what I’d like to say: Wow! Excellent pictures and an extraordinary voyage. Can’t believe how difficult it’s been. My difficulties with the Indian bureaucracy (pre-trip planning – booking trains etc) pale in comparison!! Loved the reflection pictures. Seems you are at about the halfway mark. Congratulations. Mom gets a bit confused (somedays) and thinks I’m off to South America and you are living in Korea!! Guess it’s Dave going to India.
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Comments, early or later, are always welcome. One would think that Indian bureaucracy is getting a lot better in the Internet age…..I guess not. Riding above 3000 M is proving difficult.
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Allo vos deux, vous etes en feu. Quelles périples vous vivez, incroyable. On dirait une emission des routes impossibles. Vraiment beau le paysage, les roches , puis la neige c’est fou. C’est pauvre mais les gens ont l’air gentil. Tout une expérience que vous vivez. Ca prends du nerd 🤓. Ghis s’est achete un velo fatbike qu’il pratique dnas les pistes pres de chez nous. Il s’amuse beaucoup. Nous allons faire du ski dnas le maine a sanday river. Toujours interessant de vous suivre. Ici la temperAture n’est pas facile. Froid,
chaud,froid,chaud des ecarts vraiment importantes -24 neige, le lendemain +4pluie. Pas le fun. A bientot.xxxMartine et Ghis
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Oui c’est une belle aventure et on est très heureux de pouvoir le faire. On est maintenant at 4,000 et on arrive à faire du vélo. Fatbike hein! Oui c’est ce qu’il a besoin en hiver. On a souvent pensé qu’un fatbike serait bien mieux sur les routes de terre!! Mais pas sur toutes les montées. Désolés pour votre mauvais hiver, c’est pas chouette. Bisous.
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I really admire your resilience guys and the incredible experiences. I honestly couldn’t endure some of the challenges you have faced. One thing you have not mentioned much are the possible technical challenges to you bikes, ie flats and repairs through the rough terrain.
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Good to hear from you Ray. One flat and a few tweaks hear and there plus a paid for drive train cleaning in Santiago and the bikes have been performing awesome! We however are just hanging in there at times. The last two days have been long with big climbs all above 3000 M. Claire was wasted yesterday and I am a bit of a zombie today. We use an app called MapOut that previews the distance and elevation. We are going over 4000 M tomorrow and stay there for the 2 days it will take to get to Potosí……yikes!
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I love reading your stories! It gives me itchy feet though…
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Well, now that you are also retired Cathy…. and Congrats by the way… the sky is the limit. You also have the right companion to take off with. Hope to do more hiking with you guys when we return. Cheers
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The pictures of the salt flats are so beautiful!
Love you guys, it’s Manouane by the way, not sure why Sean is on there..hahaha.
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The salt flats were somewhat surreal. Wish we could have spent more time there. Much love to you and Sean.
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The epitome of adventure. From perilous landcruiser escapades to gorgeous sunset pictures on the Salar. We are very much enjoying the photos and stories as we sip whiskey by the fire in our comfy chairs. Our adventures have been local hikes to chase frozen waterfalls. We are content with our tame exploits, while vicariously experiencing South America through you two wild ones. You are so brave and admirably spontaneous . We love the Llamas, flamingos and sandstone formation photos.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers to your safety and continued discoveries of fabulous places and great people.
Jill and Brian
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Thanks for the encouraging comments guys. I’m not too sure about the “so brave” comment. It is just the way we are used to traveling. BTW loved your shot of a frozen Shannon Falls. Surprised it was not covered in climbers. Please have a sip of good single malt for us. All the best
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What an incredible post! One of the best I have ever read. And the photos are wonderful. I am looking at retiring to Bolivia in the next year or two.
Thanks so much for this!
Mark
https://minimalistlifestyle.wordpress.com/
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Thanks for the encouraging words Mark. Enjoy your retirement in Bolivia. It is a very interesting country but could possibly go through some political turmoil in the near future
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Yes I have been reading that as well. A bit disappointing but I may still head down next December for a few months to at least check it out. Thanks for the reply.
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I feel exhausted just reading your blog! You two are amazing. Thanks for sharing that wonderful scenery and the chinchilla on the rock. So cute. Hearing your adventures takes us away from our usual political scandals, pipeline debates and Trump tragedies. Thanks!
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Thanks guys. Hope things are all well in the cul-de-sac. Our first day in Peru, still struggling with the elevation but it has to get easier someday…….no?
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Wow…what an adventure you two! We are enjoying following along! Safe travels and big hugs to you both. xo
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Thanks guys
Hugs from us
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What an epic trip through spectacular country. And the photos. Magnificent. When I look at them I can’t help but think of an Led Zeppelin song ( Achilles Last Stand ) with the lyrics “Wandering & wandering, What place to rest the search
The mighty arms of Atlas, Hold the heavens from the earth “. Be safe and keep it going. I will think of you after a sunny and hopefully warm ride as I sip my whiskey.
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Thanks Brian and thanks for the lyrics.
Just finished today a 5 day hike into Machu Picchu. Yesterday we did a 3 hour descent and the whole time I was wishing I was on my mountain bike !
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