Volks on Bikes

Segment 51: Mendoza, Argentina to Pucon, Chile (January 10 - 29, 2012)

2012-02-07T16:08:00.004-10:00

Onward from Mendoza: this segment was to be outrageous in its diversity of experience: half in Argentina, half in Chile; part in desert, part in high Andes volcanic plateau, part in forest; some on uncrowded paved highway, quite a bit on rugged rough dirt roads, some on crowded superhighway, some on crowded secondary highway; from burning sun to pouring rains...

leaving Mendoza we were invited by the Sarmiento family in Chacras de Coria for dinner and to spend the night. Muchas gracias, linda gente!

unfortunately our puncture problems continued while heading south of Mendoza

in Argentina, tire repair shops are called gomerias

at this gomeria in Tunuyán we were invited for a mid-afternoon cerveza by the guys at the shop... who also fixed our 6-7 punctures (between the two of us) without charge

this was bound to happen sooner or later: sleeping in a vineyard

vineyards backed by the snowy high Andes, a common sight along this stretch

banner seen outside an apple orchard. Citizens banded against corporate mining. Most large-scale mining is so destructive to water quality (locally, and in general) in the short and long term that the residents of this area have chosen vineyards, orchards, and livestock raising over mining.

a curious sight: mini-shrines to Difunta Correa, San Expedito, and Gauchito Gil, all together

from Pareditas we continued on Hwy. 40, which became a sandy, washboarded track for the next 160km or so

sunrise out in the remoteness

truth be told, we weren't too excited to be cycling in so much desert, still...

this crazy-looking huge bearded jackrabbit (roadkill specimen seen here) is called a vizcacho

...no traffic here, we had some fun riding moments on this remote little-travelled part of 40...

unlike north of Mendoza, these rivers actually have water, crisp cold water. we took full advantage of this to cool off.

on this day we rode 115km or more, all on rough gravel and sand, zero shade, with plenty of climbing, in high heat, and with majority stiff headwind...

Cerro Diamante in the distance

Argentina has plenty of vintage, weird cars like this one; this at one of the two or three ranches we passed along this route

we'd do anything for a break from the hot sun, here crossing the Rio Diamante

climbing up from the Rio Diamante, big sky country

hard to believe, but the famous 40 was no more than an overgrown jeep track here, complete with grass growing in the road.

without a doubt, dusk and dawn are the best moments in the Argentine precordillera

tarantula spotted in the road

we started at 6 AM, rode all day long, and having ridden the last 2 hours in the dark, we arrived at El Sosneado at 12:30 A.M., completely exhausted. All this to meet up with our next cycling guest...

Greg Altman, old university friend of Jeff's, has come to Argentina to cycle from here to Ushuiaia. Greg cycled from Ghana to Cameroun with Jeff in 2005-6, besides various other adventures over the years.

female Northern Harrier

horseflies were so bad that in this area that we hunkered down for an afternoon and hid from them

this group of Chilean guys invited us for asado and gifted us a bottle of wine

we spent a stormy night in a spare room at a friendly roadside shop, cooked dinner on alcohol stoves, and drank the bottle of wine the Chileans had given us.

Greg looking mean

here we are heading up towards Las Leñas, from which we plan to cross into Chile. We have heard that Chile is green, with water everywhere, and forests, and there are towns and people and provisions; in fact sounds like a paradise compared to the Argentine precordillera... (we had previously thought to enter Chile from Mendoza, but the highways there are very crowded and truck-heavy)

meat tourism

idyllic scene at Los Molles

(photo Greg Altman)

Well, we arrived at Las Leñas (normally a ski resort but now a summer getaway for Argentinians), only to be told that there is no road to Chile from there (never has been), even though one appears on at least 4 maps we have studied, including National Geographic and various highway maps. This is one of the hardest parts of cycling in South America: the maps are often incorrect, highway mileage signs are normally incorrect!, local people aren't always sure of the roads and often contradict each other, police and military are marginally reliable sources of information... in the end you are kind of on your own. So, we turned tail and returned to Hwy. 40, afer a 100km detour... browbeaten, tired of so much desert...

map clearly showing the non-existent road

(we later found out from an American/Chilean motorcyclist, days later and hundreds of kilometers south, that there IS in fact a way across from above Las Leñas, including two deep river fords and following numerous cattle tracks. But nobody at Las Leñas knew about this, or anybody else for that matter)

(photo Greg Altman)

at least the cycling was easy on 40, now paved again, heading towards Malargue

this sad sight was Greg's guitar. This is truly Chinese crap. It didn't last two full days on the bike, on paved roads. Too bad, because three guitars was quite nice.

leaving Malargue, this wine is earmarked for Greg's birthday the following day

dusk colors on Hwy 40 south of Malargue

this was to be the dramatic, aesthetic swan song of the guitar, Hendrix-style, up in flames in the Argentine desert on a clear starry night.

the inscrutable and inconsistent 40 here resembles a crumbling Gambian or Angolan highway

we followed this river (Rio Grande) for a good spell, asking ourselves if the desert would ever end...

Tom encountered this goat skull in a memorable campsite, named it "El espiritu del desierto" (the spirit of the desert) and attached it to his bicycle, swearing to keep it until our desert days were over (hopefully soon). Seems the desert had completely infiltrated our fragile psyches by this point, had us prisoners in fact.

only 2820 more km till the end of 40. In any case we are going to jump ship and head to Chile at first chance.

we started seeing big snowy volcanoes along here

the lack of shade was killing us, though, day after day

this culvert was the ONLY shade we found all day, so we crawled up in here for a long siesta

little by little the landscapes were changing... this lake marks a soon-arrival in the Lakes District

great late-afternoon light

flying downhill at high speeds to great sunset skies is a highlight of the precordillera

when we entered Neuquen province, it seems we had officially arrived in Patagonia (photo Greg Altman)

nearing Buta Ranquil on the way to Chos Malal

this guy is praying to Difunta Correa here, just outside of Buta Ranquil

vast low-scrub landscapes are the theme here

most of this segment south of Malargue featured these colorful parrots: Burrowing Parrots, in Spanish known as Loro Tricahue

descending down towards Chos Malal

we were hosted by the friendly firemen in Chos Malal while we rested for the better part of two days.

it seems we found our salvation in Chos Malal, an escape to Chile via Paso Picachén, a several hundred kilometer dirtroad route over the cordillera and down to Antuco, Chile.

this pass was originally opened in 1806.

late afternoon here brought some amazing lenticular clouds with iridescent fringes

opening up what must be our thousandth alfajor already... one of the world's greatest locally-found cycling snacks

beginning the long steady undulating climb towards the border, invigorated by thoughts of leaving the desert

it seems incredible, but this was Jeff's 42nd puncture in Argentina, occurring in the day's last moments of light while we still hadn't located a campspot.

steep climbing the following morning

...spectacular vistas and light shows opened up as we climbed...

just outside El Cholar, a shrine to omnnipresent Gauchito Gil

in El Cholar we went to the town park, and were immediately besieged by a group of great local kids. We invented a long myth involving Espiritu del Desierto for which they showed intense curiosity.

they played our guitars...

... taught us some Argentinian folk guitar style...

... and even brought us homemade empanadas by Grandma! Empanadas are an Argentinian staple as well, basically a smaller simpler version of an English pasty. Folded dough over a meat-based filling, fried.

Southern Lapwing, very common bird in these parts

onwards from El Cholar

(photo Greg Altman)

striking colors and landscapes all through here

woodfire cooking with three pots... our fare at this point usually involves a pasta starter (to remove the insane hunger that we have after riding all day, so that we can then concentrate on really cooking dinner). Main dish tends to be brown rice, bulgur wheat, or lentil-based, usually with a veggie soup accompaniment.

our campsite at Rio Reñileuvu

funky bug, one of various sorts of bizarre insects we have encountered

male (right) and female (left) Chilean Torrent Ducks hunting in the rapids

... now really heading towards the pass...

this was really fun riding at times. We left Espiritu del Desierto here in fact, as it was becoming evident that we were poised to leave the desert...

our first encounter with a Monkey Puzzle Tree on this trip. This was a beautiful specimen. It seemed to mark our exit from the desert.

... the final climb to the pass at 2060m...

on the border

an evening storm rolled in and we were forced to camp in a scrub thicket...

it was clear the following morning, with snowy peaks in the near distance

... these two images represent a fraction of the torture Greg creates for himself, and transfers, while packing his bike...

somehow a 30-minute task evolves into a 90-minute ordeal, with a thousand-and-one plastic bags, small plastic bottles, various rags and doodads strewn across the scene, later to be meticulously returned to the bicycle.

we couldn't complain about the weather or the scenery (photo Greg Altman)

wow! (photo Greg Altman)

surreal scenes as we pass these gorgeous peaks. But have we left the desert? This whole area is a vast volcanic plateau. There is, however, lots of water about.

just after clearing Chilean customs (photo Greg Altman)

loose sandy washboard road

(photo Greg Altman)

we passed through Parque Nacional Laguna de Laja

riding through not-too-old lava flows in the park

finally! green forests, raging rivers, humid air, waterfalls! after nearly 10 weeks in the desert (since the altiplano of Bolivia in November)... (photo Greg Altman)

descending through green hills

this whole area heading towards Antuco was blanketed in tree plantations, monoculture-style.

fresh blackberries found roadside as we connect dirt roads to Santa Bárbara

leaving Santa Bárbara we crossed this giant river, the Rio Bio-Bio, which is the second-longest and the widest in Chile.

locals in Mulchén

we met these Chilean cyclists in Collipulli. The one on the left is riding a single-speed 28-inch wheel vintage bike he got in Venezuela. Called "Delfin" (Dolphin), he has been travelling 12 years around South America, mostly on bicycle.

Chile is full of nauseating promotion for agrochemicals, transgenics, what have you. Sadly, it seems the country is a vast colony of Monsanto and its cronies.

putting fresh roadside blackberries to use, in morning oatmeal

unfortunately, we were obliged to ride a 150km-or-so stretch of Chile's principal highway, Carretera 5, which runs from Arica in the north of the country to the southern city of Puerto Montt, one of the world's longest highways. It is a screaming 24/7 train of 18-wheelers and assorted vehicles, fuelling Chile's economy. Might as well be I-80 somewhere in Illinois. Not ideal riding. Thankfully it has a comfortable and safe wide shoulder. But we rode as fast as possible to get off this thing as quick as we could.

now on the road to Villarica and Pucon. Unfortunately, Chile has followed a very capitalist development strategy, which results in lots of ugly roadside advertising, like this. Very different from Argentina.

... our campsite in a forested meadow near Villarica...

hawks about

Conifer trees all around, shade, cool air. We can hardly believe it.

this road to Villarica, however, was choked with loads of holiday traffic. Chilean roads in this region are fast and crowded!

logging and timber industry near Villarica

now in Pucon, Greg prepared a fine dinner for us at The Summit Hostel, with fish and roasted vegetables. We rested in Pucon for three days, while it rained endlessly. Endlessly. (photo Greg Altman)

Around Mendoza, Argentina (January 1 - 9, 2012)

2012-01-21T05:23:00.001-10:00

We stayed 10 days in Mendoza, recovering, relaxing, hiding from the sun, going on excursions with Alicia and Greg, swimming, etc.. Unfortunately Mendoza in early January was an unexpected boiling sauna!

Alicia and Greg (photo Alicia Volk)

at Finca Adelgisa where Alicia and Greg stayed in Chacras de Corria. Here they are intercropping grapes and fruit trees such as peaches and plums.

Jason, Sonja and Jeff enjoying the fruits of Finca Adelgisa (photo Alicia Volk)

we grabbed our bikes and headed out on a 75km circuit around Mendoza wine country. That is Tupungato (6570m volcano) rising in the background.

Jeff, Sonja, Jason, Alicia and Greg

this ride had great moments (above), and not so great (below), crossing a trash dump...

some fence-crossing issues between vineyards

....arrived at Finca Decero, where we are to have lunch...

(photo Alicia Volk)

... some of Argentina's famous wines... above: Torrentes, white wine from Cafayate, below: Malbec, from Mendoza itself...

Alicia and Greg invited us for a day of white water rafting on the Rio Mendoza with Argentina Rafting. This was a welcome relief from so much desert cycling and also the heat wave suspended above Mendoza during our stay... (following pics from Argentina Rafting)

our guide was a Kiwi named Matt

the river clearly choked with lots of sediment from the mountains

...the rapids were class 2-3, we had some mouthfuls of this river...

Alicia's facial expression here is timeless (seated left rear)

this was a short trip, barely an hour... but loads of fun. Thank you Alicia and Greg!

Back in Mendoza we met up for a busking session on the pedestrian walkway of Sarmiento:

our first time playing together since La Paz (photo Alicia Volk)

(photo Alicia Volk)

this session went well into the evening... guitars, mandolin, ukelele, harmonicas, percussion all a-flyin'

Tom lost his mind after so much heat and desert, and cut off his hair. Here at the pool at LifeHouse Hostel in Mendoza.

Segment 50: Salta, Argentina to Mendoza, Argentina (December 21, 2011 - January 1, 2012

2012-01-08T10:24:00.000-10:00

We left Salta on December 21st with an imposing distance (1300km) separating us from Mendoza, where our sister Alicia was set to arrive on January 1st. Nearly all paved, mostly flat, we set out with clear goals, and long cycling days. This would be our biggest cycling push since crossing the Yucután Peninsula 19 months ago.

leaving Salta, we encountered exercise areas like this one. next to giant Jesus.

on the way towards Cafayate, our first destination/supply point along this route

we didn't realize that this apparent greenery was going to fade and disappear all the way to Mendoza

now in the Quebrada de las Conchas, a gorgeous natural reserve along the highway

Mitred Parakeet seen in the reserve

....heading up into Quebrada de las Conchas...

in the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), an incredible rock formation/amphitheatre so named for the demonic echoing that can happen here.

Tom carefully downclimbing from the top of the Devil's Throat, barefoot

that gash in the geology is the entrance to the Garganta del Diablo

...this was delightful riding...

...these cliffs are home to hundreds of...

...Burrowing Parrots!

... very Canyonlands-like scenes...

just outside Cafayate, we met up with Highway 40, the legendary longest-road in Argentina that heads down along the precordillera all the way to southern Patagonia. We are meeting it here around kilometer 4340, and we will be on it the majority of the way to Tierra del Fuego.

in Tolombon, a parched traveller's dream: a small quiet village with a pool in the center of its shady square! We were here for 5 hours or so, blissed out.

we ran into fierce headwinds along here, which reminded us more of Bolivia than the often-imagined lush Argentina that we thought we would be in. In fact, this whole stretch (1300km) is 95% scorched-earth desert. This realization settled heavily upon us.

a rare thunderstorm near Hualfín; lightning struck less than 1km from where we were riding through, enormous sky-illuminating bolts that had us shaking, and feeling very very alive.

at El Eje, we spent the night in a construction project above a service station while it rained outside

Burrowing Owl

...blooming cactus in these canyons... called cardones in argentina, they live to be hundreds of years old...

along this stretch we started seeing lots of roadside shrines like this one, slightly puzzling...

descending this canyon to Belén

we never saw one of these in Peru, but this is a Peruvian Dog (mythical rumored dog of the Incas) seen in Belén. Hairless except for its head and a tuft on its tail... it reminded us of Ren more than anything. He kind of behaved like Ren, too.

mostly-flat, easy riding, but interminable in a way, especially since we had varying-strength headwinds along this whole segment

this shrine was so ostentatious we stopped to check it out. And learned all kinds of interesting things...

...the shrine is to Gauchito Gil, and the faithful leave offerings of beer bottles, wine, coca leaves, money, car and motorcycle parts, cigarrettes, etc. etc.. In a way it reminds us of the shrines to Santa Muerte in Mexico and San Simon in Guatemala, as well as the figure-less ones all over Colombia along roadways and high passes.

wWe found this book at the shrine, which explains the cult of Gauchito Gil. As the story goes, in the second half of the 19th century, when there were cruel civil wars occurring all over the country, he was a young gaucho (cowboy) from the province of Corrientes who deserted the army (he didn't believe in the fighting) and began robbing the rich landowners and helping the poor (Robin Hood-style). He was later captured and murdered unceremoniously by the army, who slit his throat and hung him in a mesquite tree along a road.

The classic image of Gauchito Gil. The cross represents his cruel death (Jesus-like), the blue shirt represents his love for Argentina, the red neckerchief symbolizes the manner of his death, and the metal balls on the string are the tool he used to steal cattle. His shrines are almost always found beneath mesquite trees.

an example of a thank-you note from a follower, it reads "thank you Gauchito Gil for keeping me healthy". According to the legend, Gil told his executioner at the moment of his death that when he (the executioner) returned home, he would find his young son terminally ill, but that his son would miraculously recover. This is in fact what happened, and when the news spread, Gil was nearly immediately a pagan saint. His cult continues growing. He is known as the protector of the open road, of travellers, the benevolent outlaw who helps the less fortunate.

our campsite in a wash. There were so many thorns here that Jeff had 5 punctures to fix in the morning.

Perhaps inevitable, but a prayer was made to Gauchito Gil, this on Xmas Day. After 11 punctures since entering Argentina, not to mention an exploded valve and some broken spokes (all suffered by Jeff), we figured it might do some good to beseech Gil...

the prayer is made by lighting a candle in the shrine, and asking Gil for the specific assistance you need.

more Burrowing Parrots, seen near San Blas

they get their name from the nests they burrow out of cliffsides and mudbanks

As if the Gauchito Gil cult wasn't enough, we found another one on this route, as extensive as the Gil cult! This one is to Difunta Correa. Her shrines typically feature lots of full and empty water bottles strewn about, in addition to car tires, amongst other things.

admittedly, we were puzzled when we saw this inside the shrine, the figures of Difunta Correa. A dead chaste-looking woman with an arm stretched out as if in desperate supplication, and always accompanied by a young boy who is feeding at her breast...

flag expressing thanks to Difunta Correa for a supposed intermediation between the supplicator and God. As the story of Difunta Correa goes (year 1835), she was a young woman (22y.o.) living in San Juan, Argentina, married and with a young son. The police commisioner took a fancy to her, and deported her husband to La Rioja, a city some 500km away. Although she refused the commissioner's advances, he made life miserable for her, and she fled to go join her husband. Unfortunately, the journey to La Rioja in that time (and today too, we swear) was a perilous one in endless desert, and she ran out of water. She climbed a small hill near Vallecito, and there she made a desperate final prayer to God that when she died her infant son could continue feeding (from her breast) and survive. Some time later, two muledrivers saw vultures circling in the air and assumed one of their animals had died. Instead, they found Difunta Correa lying there dead with her infant son sucking at her breast, alive. This "miracle" story soon spread all over the region and she instantly became a pagan saint.

city-block-like burial vaults seen at Pituil

more of the same cemetary

this more like a bread oven than a coffin

another shrine, to another saint (this one canonized at least, if not controversially): San Expedito. By this point, it has become clear that Argentina is full of saints and cults. And its true, there are many more even besides the three shown on this page.

his shrines seem to be accompanied by flower pots

San Expedito himself. It seems that he is the saint of rapidity, invoked for urgent causes, especially for dealers, sailors and students. His cult goes back to the middle ages, apparently.

our campsite for the night of December 25th

Tom showing off his sunburn

we drank some wine and played guitar for hours to celebrate

sunrise the following morning

en route to Chilecito

in Chilecito, we were hosted for an afternoon by Benito, owner of Hostal Paiman. Very friendly, he offered us showers, mate, a place to rest, and the opportunity to pick all the ripe plums we wanted from his plum tree:

leaving Chilecito at night, we encountered this sign ominously announcing the distance to our final destination, 4000km.

called criollos, we found these in a bread shop in Nonogasta. They are little pie-like pastries with quince filling. Delicious.

this species sang for us nearly this whole segment of the trip

In Sañogasta, we rested for the entire day in the park, where Jeff rebuilt his back wheel, tossing aside the one purchased in Colombia in June. This due to a completely unreasonable spate of broken spokes of late .

...entering Cuesta de Miranda, a beautiful canyon climb and pass...

... the most scenic riding since we descended towards Salta...

this area reminded us more of Utah than of Argentina

more desert; bullet holes in the kilometer marker

in Villa Union, the town square has a monument to grape-pickers, since vineyards seem to be the number one economic scene along this whole stretch

...another shrine to Difunta Correa, set on sandstone...

that´s a bike frame that a devotee has offered in the foreground. Her death due to thirst is the explanation for all the water bottles her followers leave.

these figurines as always evoke a morbid and puzzling emotion

...riding to great afternoon skyscapes...

sunrise between Guandacol and Chilecito

only 312 km more to Mendoza. Too bad the photo can't evoke the 45-Celcius (113F) temps we are riding through.

... great dusk colors...

in San Juan, we rested in a public plaza, happy to find a refuge with water and no thorns

the last stretch into Mendoza: flat, and with a headwind

finally, Mendoza, in the Plaza de Independencia. Here we had a reunion of sorts... with Jason (not seen since La Paz 7 weeks previous), and older sister Alicia (2.5 years since last seen, the entire trip)! Alicia has come down to Argentina for a 2-week vacation with her boyfriend Greg and we will be doing some excursions around Mendoza in the following days...

Segment 49: Calama, Chile to Salta, Argentina (December 7- 20, 2011)

2012-01-05T06:37:00.002-10:00

Calama was something of a disaster for us. First, we spent $100 each in three days, just on food and lodging. Chile can be prohibitively expensive, especially in the north, which is a wasteland of mining operations of all sorts. Calama owes its existence to this. Unfortunately, we arrived sick and exhausted, and needed to hole up for a few days. Flat, ugly, poorly-planned, overrun with crackheads and alcoholics, there is not much to recommend it. However, we did find some amazing lunch offers here:

sopa marinera (seafood stew) in Calama. Loaded with clams, mussels, calamares, etc.. Hands down, best soup we have encountered in the whole voyage. One of the best parts of Chile is its seafood cuisine; the country is so narrow you are never far from the sea.

...desert and uniquely-eroded rock formations entering San Pedro de Atacama...

leaving San Pedro de Atacama, the perfect volcanic cone of Licancabur (5900m) to the left at dusk

30km beyond San Pedro, we camped in what was something of a forest, with full moon rising

skirting the enormous Salar de Atacama, truly desolate

climbing now, the salar in the background

roadside colors

yes!!

more yes!!

our camp amidst some windbreaks

... San Pedro, Chile to Salta, Argentina via Paso Sico: 600km of primarily dirt roads, and one of the best routes of the whole trip (little-to-no traffic, extraordinary landscapes, fun and challenging riding)...

feeling like we are getting closer to Argentina now, for real

that's Tom crawled up in the culvert, only shade we found all day long

... scenes like this are why this route is so worth it... warning: no supplies available along the majority of this route, which we would pay for dearly, as we nearly ran out of food while still on the Chilean side...

late afternoon at Laguna Tuyaito

we couldn't tell if we were hallucinating or not, but these thin clouds were the first we had seen in weeks and weeks

our fantastic camp situated just above Laguna Tuyaito

vicuñas

enjoying every moment of this

the mining post of El Laco, 28km from the border. We were mostly out of food at this point, and when the custodian offered us white bread, Wonder-style, which of course isn't food at all, we ate the whole loaf in one sitting. Strong evidence of what disasters can ensue if you start running out of food at 4000m far from anything.

passing the Salar El Laco

simply mindblowing riding here

... the surreal landscapes just before the border of Paso Sico...

nearing the border, these are our immediate destinations in Argentina

... a classic moment: while attempting a timed photo at the border (this was take two), Jeff slipped while running (cycling clips on gravel!) and went face first into the ground, while Tom died laughing and a huge gust of wind blew the camera off its perch, all at the same time.

take three was the charm. We are more than elated to cross the border... Argentina has loomed as our destiny for so long its hardly believable at this point. The million-and-one times we've been asked "Para donde van?" (Where are you going?) and have answered "Argentina", and now we are finally here.

the first cumulus clouds we have seen in AGES

we were fortunate to witness one of the best sunsets of the whole trip our first evening in Argentina:

as we weren't gonna reach Catua (the first town on the Argentina side) before night, we found this abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere amidst high winds. The winds shifted completely three times, so that we ended up camping on three distinct sides of the cabin throughout the night.

at dawn

... here in Catua, a mining village approx. 25km from the border, we encountered a municipal party to celebrate the elections of new local officials. They invited us to lunch with them... where we found ourselves seated with the border police who had stamped our arrival the previous day, and all the important people in Catua... unfortunately, we had no money (and therefore couldn't buy any food and continue!), and the only person who could change money for us in Catua just happened to be the most important guy in town, who was tied up with MC duties all day at the party. We were delayed 5 hours in Catua just to change money!

this lunch featured a wheat-based soup, and a heaping portion of beef, chicken, sausage and potato. Very Argentinian.

...the colorful folks of Catua...

...llamas are found in Argentina (in the north), but these are the last we would see...

after several months in llama-land, its clear that llamas are mystified and made curious by the bicycles. They almost always stop what they are doing and stare at us with soft eyes, as if wanting to ask about our trip.

after an exhausting climb out of Catua

this was a wild descent: fast, steep, gravelly and long, with sudden sandy patches thrown in there just for kicks and to test our reflexes

approaching the Salar de Caucharí with incredible late-afternoon light

entering the salar

dusk colors over the salar

unforgettable sunset beyond the Salar de Caucharí

in the last moments of twilight, we were saved in the nick of time when this abandoned house presented itself in Caucharí.

this newspaper feature was glued to the wall of the room... it is from 1945! and is about Argentinian football champions from the 1930's

the abandoned house

near Olacapato, fresh snow in the cordillera

the mining town of Olacapato, flat and sprawling and somewhat destitute as all these mining towns seem to be

we found this guy hanging out in Olacapato

this mule didn't fare so well

some Andean geese, they let us get pretty close

climbing again

near the end of this climb, can't complain about the setting

this is the highest we will be the rest of the trip. 4560m, or over 14,500ft. we have to admit, we are ready to come down after so much continuous time above 3000 meters (pretty much since Cusco, 6 weeks previous)

...super-fun dirt descent here through great landscapes...

arrived in San Antonio de Los Cobres, first real town since San Pedro de Atacama

we had a great welcome at the municipal building in San Antonio... they offered us a place to stay in the newly-built artesanal market, and invited us for tea and coffee a couple times

Bolivian influence reaching into Argentina

this is no more and no less than an alfajor, which is an Argentine specialty (even though we first encountered them in Bolivia). A biscuit-sized layered cake with alternating layers of cookie/cake and caramel, often chocolate-flavored or chocolate-dipped. In just a short time in Argentina we are already alfajor connoisseurs and absolute addicts.

looks splendid, but we had really stiff headwinds on this climb

our last pass on this rugged crossing of the cordillera

...descending from the pass with great scenery...

...dry canyons with cactus everywhere...

interesting badlands on the descent

we knew we were out of the desert finally when we saw leaf cutter ants about

things started getting greener on the lower part of the descent towards Salta, which in all was 128km long, part paved, part dirt, and a net drop of 3400m (11000 feet).

in Salta this couple (José and Maria Santijan) approached us while we were busking and offered us an apartment in their house. Also seen here are their three charismatic dogs.

... views of Salta from the gondola...

we had a free entrance since José is the lead technician there

an added benefit to busking: girls coming to pose for photos with us. Is that Tom or Gunnar Nelson?

Segment 48: Salinas de Garcia Mendoza, Bolivia to Calama, Chile (November 27, 2011 to December 9, 2011)

2011-12-26T14:00:00.001-10:00

vicuñas seen on the mud flats while leaving Salinas

Tom on the mud flats with Volcán Tunupa in the background. We are heading to climb this one.

this is the nearly-abandoned village where we stopped to climb Tunupa (on its north side), looking pretty sorry... we wandered around for 20 minutes before we actually found a human being (there were actually two around at the time).

like much of Bolivia, totally Mad Max style. Post-apocalyptic: abandoned houses, ghost towns, empty villages, old trucks and motors everywhere, the world run down. This is the yard where we left our bikes to go climb Tunupa.

...dusk scenes on the lower slopes of Tunupa...

the beautiful summit area of Tunupa (5432m, or about 17,800ft), early morning, seen from the north side

... bizarre bright green lichens smothering entire boulders...

the lichens seen up close

yes, that is Tom (sideways) giving himself a nice challenge. This whole climb - very steep, no trail, at times talus and others scrambling - featured an array of fun, but was extremely tough, physically-speaking.

the view from near the top. We didnt reach the true summit as the last approx. 75 meters up featured some seriously exposed rock, which was also flaky and of terrible quality for those without climbing gear, like us.

the views up here were surreal with the Salar de Uyuni opening up on all sides

Tom and Jeff backed by the Salar de Uyuni, which we would cycle across the following day

... beautiful cactus seen on the descent...

near Jirira in the evening, we ran into this herd of llamas, which completely pulverized our road with their hooves and forced us to push thru sand...

the unmistakeable Tunupa the following morning, seen from the south side, while about to enter the Salar de Uyuni

the famous surface, early morning, of the Salar de Uyuni, largest salt flat in the world. This honeycomb salt formation is nearly unique to the Salar de Uyuni, amazing.

... arrived at Isla Incahuasi after a 40km-or-so ride across the salar. This time we avoided the midday heat and relaxed all day here...

the island is famous for its thousands of cacti

surreal scene on the salar. this is the water truck coming to Incahuasi.

salt slab table

some more cactus

ancient coral fossils on Incahuasi

Tom plucks ukelele while tour driver describes road ahead and old lady (has lived here 25 years on Incahuasi in the middle of salt flats in temperature extremes that are unbelievable) eagerly hangs around.

this plate has a slab of llama meat on it

leaving Incahuasi (midground) in the early evening with Tunupa now far in the distance

...we were treated to this kind of evening colors...

swallowed up by the salt flat immensity (that is a bicycle seen lower center right)

waning moon rising over the salar as we prepare to camp in the middle of all of this!

breaking up our camp at dawn

interesting salt formations as we are exiting the salar

heading to San Juan we hit some horrible deep sand, moderate pushing here

arrived at San Juan well after dark

Jeff's lower lip not showing much healing progress while resting in San Juan. Aside from the lips/ dry skin/ sunburn, both of us fell sick during this whole stretch (2-3 weeks), with dry coughs, sore throats, runny noses, fatigue, light fevers, lost voice, etc.. This complicated the riding horribly, as we couldn't ever properly rest in such desert conditions and high altitudes. We did go to the Centro de Salud in San Juan, where they sold us some antibiotics which later didn't work at all!

vicuña tracks leaving San Juan

... more great riding as we approach the Salar de Ciguana...

a tough climb on loose, sandy, pebbly and steep surfaces up out of Ciguana

our campsite behind a windbreak (too bad photos can't depict wind because it nearly never stops out here, wreaking havoc on your pedaling and on your camping as well, really no rest at all)

llamas backed by high volcano

checking out Volcán Ollague

fun stuff in between sandy stretches

drop the bikes, get on the rocks!

we had to carry a lot of water out here

minor eruptions on Volcán Ollague

morbid llama remains at a roadside abandoned house

a live one nearby

sunset on the altiplano, invisible wind ripping like mad

...the road as we head towards the famous lagunas of southwest Bolivia...

... flamingoes at Laguna Cañapa, the first of a series of salt lakes along this stretch...

nearly arrived at Laguna Hedionda, beautiful landscapes in total wilderness, but this is actually terrible cycling with a stiff headwind and in loose sand. When crosswind gusts would come they would push us off our narrow lane and into deep sand, over and over and over. Torture, really.

...Laguna Hedionda...

...flamingoes abound here as well...

more tough cycling around Hedionda. We ran out of water here and drank from the laguna, not recommended, as we ended up with serious apathy and nausea for several days! This on top of our pre-existing illnesses...

another look at Laguna Hedionda (4150m) at dusk, ringed by numerous high volcanoes all over 5500m or so

...we stayed in the ruins of a hotel bordering the laguna, but as ever, the days are scorching and the nights are freezing. we would awake with our water bottles frozen... and then hide from the sun all day...

our somewhat comfortable lodging

leaving Hedionda and heading south towards Laguna Colorada

unfortunately after 32,000km Jeff's saddle rail snapped out here in the middle of nowhere on terrible washboard roads. Tough decision, but seeing that we are still quite far from L. Colorada (with the roads supposedly in even worse shape) and further still Laguna Verde and the descent to Chile, and sick as dogs on top of it all, we decide to turn around and head to Chile via Ollague. Torture as well, since we would have to repeat this tough stretch back out of the hinterlands.

... two haggard riders at the moment of turning back, beaten mercilessly by the wind, dehydrated, hungry...

roadside house (inhabited) where we stayed en route towards the border of Bolivia/Chile

... fascinating construction techniques utilizing mud-based roofs...

...this house raises llamas for fur and meat, there were literally hundreds about...

the dark side of llama raising... tons of llama shit everywhere

this is Volcán Ollague again, from the northwest side. This mountain dominates the whole area.

nearing the border

the Bolivian border post is hardly mentionable; here we are still in Bolivia but this is true no-man's-land and armageddon

arrived in Chile at Ollague, a very small town. The border police housed us, fed us, and aided us innumerably, all the more so as it was Jeff's birthday (December 5) and we arrived dirty, hungry, browbeaten, desperate and without money! The first thing they did in fact, was start giving us apples, bananas, peaches, coffee and tea, etc. etc.. Incredible after so much rugged desert wilderness.

Note: we went to the paramedics here in Ollague, and were told that the antibiotics that they had sold us in San Juan, Bolivia were actually for stomach ailments!! (Just one more anecdote from the mystifying and puzzling world of Bolivia). Then we were diagnosed with pharo-laryngitis (complete torture in high altitude desert wilderness, trust us! Jeff lost his voice for over two weeks.) and provided with different antibiotics altogether.

unfortunately, there is nowhere to get money at either border. We arrived with NOTHING, and facing 190km of pure desert riding with no food and no way to get any without money (big dilemma), not to mention the broken saddle and no replacements available in Ollague, we were forced to hitch with these trucks to Calama and the nearest bank machines. (Note: had we been able to complete the lagunas route, we would have had enough money and food to reach San Pedro de Atacama, Chile without a problem). Those are our bikes in the cargo hold above the oil tanks, one on each truck. The border police arranged these rides for us, thank you!!!

Segment 47: La Paz, Bolivia to Salinas de Garcia Mendoza, Bolivia (November 12 - 26, 2011)

2011-12-20T13:35:00.001-10:00

the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, seen on a billboard while leaving La Paz. The first indigenous president of Bolivia, he is known for socialist leanings.

not everyone is happy with Evo

on the way to Oruro, we witnessed a growing moon

this is a somewhat typical Bolivian highway-side town

long stretches of flat riding, seems like a dream after so much climbing and dropping for so many months

getting closer to Oruro

roadside vicuñas, camelid relatives of llamas and alpacas, but not domesticated

the outskirts of Oruro

Oruro as seen from some cliffs above the city

wild sunset above Oruro

The sign says: "Long live Oruro and its general strike!". Yes, we had the dismal luck to be in Oruro during a 72 hour-plus general strike. This is particular to Bolivia it seems... its called "paro", and local communities do this as political statements. Everything shuts down, all roads are blockaded, the streets are empty,and you can barely find enough food to eat. A cyclist's nightmare, really.

demonic painting seen in Oruro's main church

Oruro returns to life after the strike, thankfully, as we have to buy various provisions for the long desert stretches ahead of us...

... buying coca leaves, known to remove effects of altitude sickness, fatigue, and hunger...

buying grain alcohol (stove fuel) in bulk. Apparently Bolivians just drink this stuff.

we discovered this armadillo-back chirongo (!) while guitar shopping in Oruro

this would tax anyone's problem solving abilities. How to get all this onto a bicycle?

fresh-squeezed orange juice vendor

Tom and Jeff ready for battle

the route we would follow from Oruro to Salinas

ominous omen leaving Oruro, there is a dead dog in this pile of garbage. Bolivia seems to have its fair share of scenes like this one.

hitting the open road again, with an absurdly heavy bike

...shortly out of Oruro we ran into flamingoes...

of course the flamingoes only add to the surreal nature of this journey

... surely one of the best parts of cycling in Bolivia is its abundance of abandoned houses, leaving you to wonder where everyone went (answer: mass migration to cities, which explains their hygienic problems and overall chaos). These "casas abandonadas" make for great camping, with windbreaks and often walls and roofs as well. This one came with firewood in the yard, too.

... our digs for an evening and a morning...

...Toledo, which should be a decent town, but instead resembles a ghost town...

this sign, at the entrance to a nearby village, reads: "Warning: all thieves will be burned!"

a hailstorm forced us off the road at this ghost town, whose only inhabitant seemed to be this guy (turns out a few people do live here)

... we didnt realize at this moment that this would be the last green we would see for about a month

... some roadside llamas...

mixed paved/dirt riding towards the cordillera

an enormous herd of llamas backed by snowy peaks

arrvied at Huachacalla, but everything is closed (Sunday). This is typical of Bolivia: either you cycle hours upon hours thinking you will arrive somewhere with some kind of service (lunch, shop, shade, etc.) but more often than not its a ghost town, or a populated town that is deserted and closed up anyway.

friendly local in Huachacalla

a local man in Huachacalla told us we could sleep in his "casa abandonada" up the hill, so we arrived here in late afternoon and spent the night.

... this cat witnessed some serious guitar playing from the window...

this is Sajama, highest peak in Bolivia at 6500m-plus

great wide-open landscapes here

more llamas

Sabaya, our last hope for supplies before hitting the salares (salt flats)

of course, ghost townish as ever. We do however, manage to find bread, water, and some vegetables (turnips and carrots) in Sabaya, as well as bananas (like gold out here)

llamas on the highway

now on dirt, surface of fate for the next several weeks (along with sand)... this is our first view of the Salar de Coipasa

Villa Vitalina as seen from the salt flats

this is truly extraordinary riding, on the surface of bedded pure salt, meters and meters deep everywhere the eye can see

locals gathering salt to sell

on the way to Coipasa village, we ran into deep sand, not the only time we will be seeing this

curious kids in Coipasa

amazing salt crystal formations on the Salar de Coipasa

... we found a cave just at dusk not far from Coipasa village and made ourselves at home...

sunrise above the salar

the cave seen from the salar

riding on in the morning... goal to be off the salar before the sun is too high (we failed)

you gotta try this to believe it

not all smooth-grooving here. These rough salt crystals made for slow going and delayed our progess

also, wet salt made for tricky navigation

Jeff's bottom bracket area while exiting the salar

... arrived in Tauca, by now no surprise that its a ghost town as well, Tom collapses...

actually, Tauca does have a few residents, and they grow lots of quinoa in the lands about

getting water in Luca

... some nice riding here on the way to Salinas...

... cactus blooming, with Salinas in the background below...

we did a lot of resting in Salinas during our two-night stay at the Hostal Ecológico, highly recommended.

this guy, the young son of the owners, would run to the kitchen and bring us back french fries, unbeknownst to his mother. An angel of sorts, hungry cyclist's best friend. We made sure he got his share of candy for these good deeds.

Jeff's sorry bottom lip after the reflective UV on the salar had fried us a few days back

Around La Paz, Bolivia (November 1 - 11, 2011)

2011-11-18T09:43:00.001-10:00

In La Paz we met up with Arnaud Lavelaye, last seen in Cusco, and together we formed a plan to climb Huayna Potosí, famous towering peak above La Paz. For this climb we went with an agency, mostly for the great deal they offered: $100 includes all food, gear, transport, night in refuge, and guide service. Probably some of the cheapest mountaineering on the planet.

we had the fortune to be in the same climbing group as three Spanish folks. Pictured here are Ines (Zaragoza), Marta (Madrid), Xavi (Sevilla), Tom, Jeff and Arnaud. (photo: Ines )

approaching Huayna Potosí we had rain and foreboding weather (photo: Ines )

we started up in light snowfall

Tom chewing coca leaves, proven medicine for altitude sickness, hunger, and lots of other things (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

we moved up the right side of this glacier

the sky started clearing as we got nearer to the refuge

sublime scenery (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

(photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

a great group chilling in the refuge

Xavi and Tom trying to rest (photo: Ines )

gull seen on slopes of Huayna Potosí, no doubt due to the proximity of Lake Titicaca (photo: Ines )

... dusk scenes from the refuge area...

Marta clearly elated at the gorgeous weather and landscapes

after a nearly sleepless night at 5200m in the refuge, our team started up the mountain at 2:30 AM or so. Jeff with our guide, Renato. (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Arnaud and Jeff at daybreak, somewhere around 5700m

dawn views with several climbers coming up below

sunrise (photo: Ines )

spectacular colors during sunrise (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Renato and Jeff nearing the final push (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

looking down from the knife-edge summit ridge (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Renato and Jeff on the knife edge, the drop to the right steep and thousands of meters long (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

view from the summit (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Tom and his rope team several meters from the summit

we all made it up. The summit of Huayna Potosí at 6088m. (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

(photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

breathtaking summit ridge of Huayna Potosí, looming in the background is Illimani (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Tom at the summit of his first major climb. This is also Jeff's first time over 6000m.

the following link provides an amazing short video from the summit, by Arnaud:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr1Lxu1fO14&feature=youtu.be

starting down the knife edge (photo: Ines )

looking into a striking icicled crevasse (photo: Ines)

Jeff jumping across this crevasse (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

sublime descent with perfect weather (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

Dalí-like glacier landscapes (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

stunning (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

our rope team descending: Arnaud, Jeff, and Renato (photo: Arnaud de Lavelaye)

... Xavi was so tired he descended with his pants falling down, and Marta collapsed over her soup back at the refuge... (photos Ines )

back in La Paz, we stayed at the Casa de Ciclistas, run by a Swiss/Bolivian couple.

Near the Plaza del Estudiante, we took advantage of the great ambience to busk:

... this session featured an interview by La Paz's main TV station...

... these are stillborn llamas, seen hanging in doorways and shop stalls in La Paz's Mercado de Brujo. Apparently, the llamas are used to bless any number of things, from new houses to weddings and funerals...

A banner evening. With the help of Brian Reale, friend of Jeff's from university last seen in Colombia in May, we arranged a 90-minute performance in the Adventure Brew Hostel's Sky Bar in La Paz.

The Sky Bar. Our first indoor venue since Open Mic in El Tunco, El Salvador... 11 months earlier.

Luckily, the Sky Bar has great acoustics. We played folk, blues, and bluegrass, and several originals.

our percussion session: Sonja, Brian, and Tom (also doubling on ukelele)

Spoke-N-Strings Band

Craig was on fire this evening, and had some memorable solos on mandolin and guitar

we didn't get paid, but we received dinner, several jugs of microbrew, and the tips jar. Great fun, great ambience. Playing in bars to be continued in Argentina...

Segment 46: Cusco, Perú to La Paz, Bolivia (October 17 - October 31, 2011)

2011-11-14T14:37:00.001-10:00

We ended up staying about 10 days in Cusco, mostly relaxing. Sonja, Tom and Craig went to Macchu Picchu; Jeff and Jason (having already been on previous trips) chose to avoid this increasingly overexploited and expensive tourist area. Cusco turned out to be excellent for live music, with a couple of bands playing reggae and reggae/ska/Andean fusion. Best live music site we have visited since San Cristóbal, Chiapas and Antigua, Guatemala, over one year ago.

Jason jamming at Hostel Delcy with other travellers

on a day trip above Saqsayhuayman; this group formed from Chilean, Argentinians, Brazilian, Spanish, American, and Peruvians

Argentinians are so passionate about mate (national beverage, a tea made from the yerba mate bush) that they will go to extreme lengths to prepare it (especially when outside of Argentina).

a panorama of Cusco at dusk

in the narrow alleys of San Blas (Cusco) at dusk

Plaza de Armas in twilight

Jeff and Tom left Cusco ahead of the others. Our first campsite next to a river made for some excellent guitar playing.

wow! bike awareness in Peru, who would have thought??? note the relative flatness of the terrain, first we've seen since northern Colombia!

... the landscapes heading east from Cusco...

... this stop, 175km from Cusco and locally known as Aguas Calientes, is a cyclist's dream. 24-hour, nearly-free (3 soles/$1.25 per person) thermal baths. Incredible. We also talked them into letting us sleep in an empty room in the hostal for free. We soaked for hours in the evening and again in the morning before heading on...

... nearing Abra La Raya, fighting huge headwinds, we encountered a huge herd of alpacas, recently shorn...

... alpacas are much smaller and lighter than their llama cousins...

Tom approaching Abra La Raya (4300m) with magnificent scenery

church seen at Abra La Raya

descending, but with a strong headwind we had to pedal alot

Tom entertains local kids in Santa Rosa

dusk riding brought us onto the altiplano, huge spreading plateau lands at nearly 4000m

we camped next to the railway on the altiplano, a freezing cold night, coldest on the bike since northern Mexico in January 2010. Awoke with frozen water bottles.

remoteness is the norm on the altiplano

we opted for a dirt road cutoff that took us through Lampa. Amazing riding here.

modest local homes

... we had to climb a bit on this stretch of dirt, but the ensuing descent was great...

dusk between Lampa and Juliaca

we camped in the yard of an abandoned house outside of Juliaca

entering Juliaca, the scene was reminiscent of Armageddon... ugly, trash everywhere, construction projects abandoned and in heaps, flat, smelling of refuse and sewage; on the whole: disturbing.

...exiting Juliaca... what has to be the ugliest and most blasted area we have seen on the whole trip, topping Fairbanks, AK; Fort Nelson, B.C., Grand Prairie, Alberta, etc....

lots of traffic on this bit, not our preference

as we near Puno, this sign reads: "Ollanta, Puno rejects you, you are a Chavista" (socialist dictator in the mold of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez). Actually, Ollanta has only been in office for a few months and his politics are as yet undetermined, according to Peruvians we have spoken with.

potato farming on the far edges of Lake Titicaca, which separates Peru and Bolivia

Puno, while seemingly anti-Ollanta, is pro-Keiko from the looks of things. Keiko Fujimori lost the recent elections. Curiously enough, she is the daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, currently in prison for stealing lots of money from the Peruvian treasury.

Keiko

... more political voting symbols, from Inka above to pan flutes below...

... shovels (labor) above and coca leaves below...

... Puno seen from above at the entrance to the city, sitting on the edge of enormous Lake Titicaca...

indigenous lady seen at park above Puno

dusk in the flatlands heading east from Puno

... the following day we followed the south edge of Titicaca, with perfect weather and gorgeous panoramas...

trout weirs in Lake Titicaca

lakeside duck

... the Titicaca region is fascinating for its campesino culture and lifestyle... the area is far from remotely populated, as there are countless villages and towns all along the lake...

these sheep are being taken to market, tied to the roof West Africa-style

trout encountered at Pomata. Fresh, local, huge, cheap (8 soles, or less than 3 dollars) and delicious. This fish was served with a huge bed of potatoes, chuño (dried black potatoes), and fava beans. One of our best meals in Peru.

... market day not far from Pomata. We were the only foreigners around, the place was swollen with brightly-dressed indigenous women. Below is the animal market, where the women tried to convince us to buy and carry sheep on our bikes....

taking a break on the way to the Bolivian border

these boys were interested in Tom's guitar playing

burning the fields, just entered Bolivia

... artwork on the walls of Hostel Mariela in touristy Copacabana, where a night costs 8 Bolivianos (just over a dollar)...

"Live Today"

in Copacabana, Jeff and Tom met up with Stephane, a French/Mallorcan friend of ours first encountered in Panamá and later in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Together we hopped a boat over to nearby (2 hours) Isla del Sol in the middle of Lake Titicaca.

Isla de la Luna, backed by many snowy peaks, seen while arriving at Isla del Sol

the south end of Isla del Sol

we hiked the footpath from the south end to the north end of the island, about 3 hours walking

Jeff, Stephane, Tom in late afternoon

surreal, magical views of the Cordillera Real from Isla del Sol

dusk from the north end of the island. This was to be a magical night, as we camped in archaeological ruins here, finding a small room with low wind. We watched the crescent moon rise right in the head of the constellation Scorpio, then stargazed for hours and played music in the ruins.

the ruins in the morning. Incan ruins from the 15th-16th century. The Incans believed the Isla del Sol to be the birthplace of their sun god, making it one of the most spiritually-important places in their universe.

... guitars are out on a beautiful morning: Jeff above, Tom below...

... yoga on the beach, crazy Englishman above, crazier Frenchman below, trying to outdo the Englishman and impress the girls...

sunset from north end of Isla del Sol

amazing storm just next to the sunset

a look back at Copacabana while heading out

at Tiquina, the main highway to La Paz is broken here by a narrow strait of Lake Titicaca. In lieu of a bridge, the solution here is a fleet of barges plying the strait, transporting all vehicles across for a small fee:

we rode across with this colorful bus

Titicaca: Sacred Lake. Largest lake in South America.

on the way to La Paz now, we followed the shore of Titicaca for a long ways, snowy peaks of the Cordillera Real rising in the background

sunset colors on Titicaca

improvised sailboat plying the waters of the lake

... this whole stretch, altiplano at nearly 4000m, featured lots of wind...

classic altiplano landscapes, dominating much of western Bolivia

now on the outskirts of La Paz, the not-so-pretty sprawl of the capital

Jeff takes a breather

18km from La Paz, crossing El Alto, Jeff's seatpost cracked off. It lasted 31000km or so, but this led to a hair-raising all-standing 400m descent down into La Paz.

...La Paz, capital of Bolivia, spreading mythically down and across this broad valley... the nearby peak above is Huayna Potosí, which we aim to climb in the next few days...

Segment 45: Ayacucho, Perú to Cusco, Perú (October 1 - 16, 2011)

2011-10-27T15:41:00.002-10:00

Plaza de Armas in the colonial city of Ayacucho

Ayacucho is marked by its various pedestrian walkways, coincidentally excellent places for us to busk

in this wild scene, Jason, Jeff and Craig attempted to busk in the Plaza de Armas, within 5 minutes had drawn a crowd of over 130 people, and were forced to stop by the police. The crowd reacted negatively, claiming that artists and musicians had a natural right to express themselves and that the people likewise had the right to watch and listen. This of course is true democracy! It all ended with an interesting compromise: the police made us move a block over and agreed to let us play in front of a church along a pedestrian walkway.

...here is our spot in front of the church...

we played for over 6 hours on this Sunday, generating high energy throughout, and it would end up being our second most successful day (after Quito, Ecuador) ever.

colonial arch in Ayacucho

the juice stands in the Ayacucho market

a daunting visual: this is our route (more or less) from Ayacucho to Cusco: more like a rollercoaster ride than a bike ride. In all, 5 major climbs, several to over 4000m, and a similar number of descents, several down to below 2000m. It is probably the hardest section of the whole trip, which is saying alot.

purple hills at dusk climbing away from Ayacucho

looking back down on a nocturnal Ayacucho

our first big climb featured some rolling hills along the way

... interesting Peru voting symbols: "Mark the football"

or the vicuña

or, one of our favorites, the Strongman

long steady climbing

campesino house

some propaganda for Martinelli, coincidentally the same family that helped feed us and house us when we were in Ayacucho

looking back from near the top of this climb

... seemingly a herd of mustangs up here at 4000m...

the view from the top

the snow-capped range in the distance, inviting and mystical, lies ahead on the route to Cusco

...fantastic descent...

with countless curves and hairpins

we spent the night at the health center in Occros, then continued this descent the following morning...

looking down on Chumbes

... this descent was to be some 2400m in total, down to this river:

climbing up again, towards Chincheros

Uripa in late afternoon

this second big climb was marred by road construction projects

the top section was paved, and we were caught in thick fog and rain for this bit

a curious herd of alpacas at 4200m

the bald rolling landscapes at the top

descending we ran into Sonja and Tom (who had left Ayacucho a day ahead of us) in Nueva Esperanza. This is Tom Lawton (England), whom we had met surfing in El Salvador in November 2010, and who decided to join us here in Perú (starting from Huancayo).

the indigenous women love Tom, ogling at his blond locks, and giggling everywhere he goes

... in Andahuaylas the firemen hosted us...

this plate is a Peruvian streetfood gem: "papas con yuyu", or what could be called potatoes with wild spinach; found in the Andahuaylas market

on the other hand, what we have here is FRESH FROG EXTRACT. The sign says that it can be used to treat headaches, fatigue, anemia, dizziness, anxiety, and problems related to menopause.

the only problem is, the frogs are live, and the frog extract is obtained by throwing whole live frogs in the blender, and drinking the juice!!!!!!!!!! Yes, truth be told, we left the Andahuaylas market a little disturbed.

this freshly skinned and gutted cuy (guinea pig) added to the macabre scene at the Andahuaylas market

leaving Andahuaylas, we headed up our third huge climb, passing through serious potato farming lands

Sonja in mid-afternoon

potato fields

another look at the extense of potato farming in the area

... we camped at 3600m in this grassy meadow next to a stream, making a fire and playing plenty of music

Tom practicing ukelele. He also plays guitar and percussion, so he is a more-than-welcome addition to our group.

once again we had cold wet weather at the top

cycling in these mountains is a dream

a good group of five now, beginning a muddy descent

late afternoon landscapes

Sonja got a flat at dusk

amazing riding here

along the descent we spent the night in a storehouse for fertilizers

this is Abancay, still over 1000 meters below us, backed by a snowy peak

continuing the descent the following morning

again, amazing dirt road, lots of curves and hairpins, down into the canyon

Tom enjoying the ride

at the bottom we ran into the main paved highway from Lima to Cusco, and we switched to skinny road tires here

Abancay was to be the last stop before Cusco

tarantula seen on road leaving Abancay

roadside cemetary

we camped at a bend in the highway halfway up the fourth big climb of this segment.

local house

climbing still the following morning, backed by the huge valley of Abancay

view from the top, 3800m or so

Tom fell sick (terrible diarrhea and fatigue) on this stretch and hitched on a truck to Curahuasi

the health clinic in Curahuasi somehow thought it a good idea to put him in the hospital for 24 hours

While Tom was in the hospital, Jeff went for a dayhike up to the miradors of Captain Rumi and San Cristóbal near Curahuasi.

one of the deepest canyons in the world, that is the Apurímac River down below.

above the canyon are snow-capped peaks, including Salkantay at over 6300m

company of goats near the mirador

another look at the Apurímac Canyon. Apparently Andean condors pass by here routinely, but none on this day.

... heading out of Curahuasi, Jeff´s turn to be ill. He was stricken with food poisoning from the previous evening´s plate of street food. Vomiting, nausea, and severe dizziness...

heading down into the Apurímac Canyon, lots of curves once again.

we camped at the bridge at the bottom, where the insidious black flies did a number on Tom overnight.

the Apurímac River

parrot sighted on the climb out

looking back down from halfway up the fifth climb

lots of snowy mountains in the distance approaching the pass

...near Anta...

Jeff was bit by another dog (second in Peru) just after Anta. This was a huge mean dog, and punishment of death was not out of the question, but the dog hid in a nearby house after being pelted by a rock thrown at high speed.

entering Cusco in late afternoon

we regrouped in Cusco and hit the streets for some wandering music jams

here our friend Kiko (Madrid) is entertaining a bunch of adolescents in a Cusco pedestrian area

wandering the atmospheric Cusco at night with its preserved Incan walls

Jason and Kiko discussing kung fu

perfect Incan joints

at Hostal Delcy near mercado San Pedro, keeping up the music vibes with other travellers

Segment 44: Huaraz, Peru to Ayacucho, Peru (September 19 - 30, 2011)

2011-10-18T13:03:00.002-10:00

After several weeks in Huaraz, it was time to ride again... this stretch to Ayacucho turned out to be shocking for its scenery and challenging and rewarding riding:

Arnaud, now without his trailer (he rode Alaska to Quito with a trailer)... it turned out to be too much trouble on the rough dirt roads

At Pachacoto, shortly after Catac, we turned off the main road and headed up this gravel road into the Cordillera Blanca.

as you can see it started off pretty well

low traffic on this route, this comby van has a number of sheep tied to the roof, West-Africa-style

... these fantastic plants are Puna Raymondi, a unique high-Andes species found along this road in a few patches.

... the route keeps getting better...

rock paintings

at over 4500m (nearly 15,000 feet) here, we are beginning to be hit by an afternoon storm - COLD!!!

our campsite just below 4800m, the following morning after the storm. This was to be one of our favorite cycling days in our lives.

... we started by coming over the pass at 4800m near Nevado Pastoruri, and then continued along these gorgeous mountains heading towards a second pass at 4900m...

Arnaud just beyond the second pass at 4900m (16076 feet), the highest either of us have ever been on a bicycle

a view of the Cordillera Huayhuash to the south. A stretch of this road winds along a ridge that is between the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash, truly extraordinary riding...

... surreal geological features...

... stunning beyond words... to the extent that this route has become our FAVORITE of all time, the second time this has happened in Peru.

descending now back down to earth, here we are riding with a German couple who are on the same route...

... these kids came to check us out at some hot springs just below La Unión

the scene heading towards El Tingo

a view towards the east face of the Cordillera Huayhuash

in Llicllatambo

... a big climb out of Llicllatambo brought us to Punta Unión (4010m) and this descent...

in Huancapallac we stayed the night in the civic ballroom

out of Huánuco (2000m), we climbed and climbed (over 90km) up to Cerro de Pasco cutoff, at 4300 meters. It was cold here.

this is a huge herd of llamas found near the Cerro de Pasco cutoff, just off the highway

Colquijirca where we had lunch. this was a surreal mining town

with a surreal new-age plaza

up on the high basin between Cerro de Pasco and Junín... this was truly cold riding.

especially when the storm hit: cold, windy, rainy, a headwind blowing slicing rain into our eyes, no shelter anywhere. Here we are beginning a 55km dirt detour into Junín (passing through Vicco and Ondores).

this was a beautiful stretch of dirt

a late afternoon run-in with a herd of alpaca!...

a blissful sight for any dirt-road tourist

... we were hosted in Ondores by a friendly family who gave us a room and looked after us properly after a freezing day...

contouring around Lake Junín the following morning. Second-biggest lake in Peru after Titicaca.

flamingoes spotted here. Other than in Cuba we haven't seen them on this trip

Sunday morning religious parade in Junín

... the bizarre mining town of La Oroya...

... dry mined-over landscapes here

Jeff was selected to pose with this baby near San Francisco, heading towards Huancayo now

climbing out of Huancayo

Jeff bit by an aggressive bastard dog after being chased by a small pack on this climb. Not to worry, no rabies contracted, and Jeff made sure this dog suffered by pegging him with a big rock in the head as hard as he could throw. In fact, this incident led to a small change in philosophy, one from kicking an aggressive dog in the face with cycling shoes whenever possible to that of dropping the bike, grabbing the nearest adequate rock, and aiming to hurt the bastard as much as possible.

... agricultural scenes near the top of this pass...

now, descending, first on pavement for a LLLONNG time...

... the town of Izcuchaca where the friendly Padre put us up for the night...

... the road turned to dirt just after Izcuchaca...

we followed the Mantaro River down forever it seemed... note the water color here (a bit silty)

the huge Tablachaca Dam on the Mantaro River

now emerald water color

these trucks brave narrow lanes, knife-edge ledges, landslides, no guardrails, and mudholes to navigate this road

our campsite just before Anco

... this fantastic ride continued the following morning...

but now the river is red???

we had some good muddy fun here in a few places. This road, the Mantaro River Road, has become another favorite ride of the whole trip, and the second on this segment alone.

Arnaud didn't escape without incident... this is his broken crank, which happened just before Málloc

... in Málloc we witnessed the festival of the virgen of Málloc...

great bottom-land scenery outside Málloc (river now mostly clear)

... we were hosted in Huanta by El Maestro, a local bike aficionado,mechanic, and head of local cycling club who has cycled extensively in Peru... (he helped Arnaud get some new cranks as well)

... the local kids are all about it too...

Jeff repairing broken spokes numbers 5 and 6 on this segment! Last task before Ayacucho.

(all photos this post: Arnaud de Lavelaye)