Jammin thru the Global South
Video from Bolivia: Lago Titicaca
July 22, 2010A taste of riding in Bolivia, around the immense and beautiful Lago Titicaca, the world’s highest, largest lake situated at 3,800 m (12,500 ft). This is from Copacabana, near the Peruvian border, heading to La Paz. The asphalt was perfect and the sun was shining strong with very little traffic. Fun to be…
Bolivia, Part 1: Copacabana, La Paz and Death Road
July 22 – 27, 2010Bolivia is a landlocked Andean nation, known for its breath-taking altitude and its lesser known share of the Amazon. I wanted to take a tour of the country before heading north for Brazil. However, I had a mechanical breakdown, cutting my time short in Bolivia. I got a taste for life…
Bolivia, Part 2: Salar Attempt and Return to La Paz
July 27 – August 3, 2010From La Paz, I headed south towards the Salar de Uyuni. A mechanical breakdown meant I had to return to La Paz to fix the bike.Filling up the tank on the outskirts of the city. The price of gasoline is fixed all throughout Bolivia and there’s only one grade, I…
Bolivia, Part 3: Yungas and Mud Riding
August 3 – 9, 2010I left La Paz and headed north to more remote regions of Bolivia towards the Brazilian border about a 1,000 km (625 mi) away and most of it was off-road. The road plunges from the heights of the Andes, down to the Yungas and finally onto the savanna leading to the…
Bolivia, Part 4: Hot and Dusty across the Pampas
August 9 – 13, 2010After being stuck in Rurrenabaque, in northern Bolivia, for a few days waiting on petrol, the ride was on again. North to Brazil.Eager to get back on the trail, I left Rurrenabaque around 3pm after getting petrol and packing up.I didn’t make it far before deciding to find a place to…
Bolivia II, Part 1: Tarija to Villamontes and Santa Cruz
December 2 – 10, 2010I was back in Bolivia to see parts of this geologic marvel of a country that I missed on my first visit when I came down from the north in July. I was on a tight schedule of sorts for Brazil, so I had to skip a tour of southwestern Bolivia…
Bolivia II, Part 2: Ruta del Che Guevara
December 11 – 14, 2010With sanDRina all ready for the Lagunas Route, I still had some things to source in Sucre, namely a down sleeping bag. But between here and there was the Ruta del Che, some beautiful off-road riding through small towns and villages that played host to the final days of Che Guevara.With…
Bolivia II, Part 3: Sucre thru Tupiza to Atocha
December 15 – 18, 2010I spent a few days in Sucre, getting acclimatized and making final preparations for the Lagunas Route. A prominent statue at the center of revolutionary leader Antonio José de Sucre, whom the city is named after. He was a Venezuelan general and the right-hand man of Simón Bolívar, who together orchestrated…
Bolivia II, Part 4: Salar de Uyuni
December 19 – 20, 2010The one place I really wanted to experience in South America was the Salar de Uyuni and thus I made a big detour from southern Brazil to come back to Bolivia before heading south. The timing didn’t work out on the first attempt when I came down from the north and…
Bolivia II, Part 5: The Lagunas Route | San Juan to Laguna Cañapa
December 20 – 22, 2010With the tourist attraction of the salar done with, it was time to get down to business and begin the infamous Lagunas Route (or Ruta de las Joyas Alto Andinas) through remote southwestern Bolivia across a lone, sandy, rutted track heading to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. I was dreaming…
Bolivia II, Part 6: The Lagunas Route | Laguna Honda to Laguna Colorado
December 22 – 23, 2010Continuing the Lagunas Route through southwest Bolivia from Laguna Hedionda through the Arbol de Piedra to Laguna Colorado.A few kilometers south of Cañapa is Laguna Hedionda, another endorheic salty lagoon with its own colony of flamingoes. It soon becomes apparent why this desert route is called the Lagunas Route.Click here to…
Bolivia II, Part 7: The Lagunas Route | Thermales and Geysers
December 23 – 24, 2010From Laguna Colorado, the southern third of the Lagunas Route takes you through some active geysers and hot springs before exiting at Laguna Verde and into Chile.Setting off from Laguna Colorado.A vicuña strolling by in its homeland. Good thing it has no natural predators, cause there’s nowhere to hide.A pebbly track.…
Video from Bolivia: Salar de Uyuni
December 19 – 20, 2010Here’s a video from my trippy ride across the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni in remote southwestern Bolivia, at an altitude of 3,656 meters (12,000 ft).Click here for more Videos.
Video from Bolivia: The Lagunas Route
December 20 – 24, 20106 days across remote high-altitude southwestern Bolivia in a strange Mars-like landscape. The toughest riding I’ve done with lots of deep sand and rocks for 500 kms. Epic views and camping. Average altitude was around 4,000 m (13,000 ft), peaking at 5,000 m (16,400 ft).Click here for more Videos.