a self-supported bicycle tour through South America

So morning came and we awoke somewhat later than expected but that was due to the fact it was only about 4°C inside the tent. Outside, the pot of water we left from the previous night was frozen, and the tent and bikes all had frost on them. 

So like lizards we slowly moved and got our arses into gear as the sun rose over the mountain to the east. It took much longer than usual partly due to the cold and also due to the fact that my knee was really hurting even with a full nights rest behind it. I was extremely concerned about the knee given that the previous day it had come from nowhere, and now it was hurting just to walk around on it; this could spell disaster but we’d have to see how it held up.

Sure enough the moment I got back on the bike the pain started, barely able to pedal I decided to unclip my right leg and pedal with the left, which worked for a while, but only as the wind was behind us (for a change) and that it was flat.

We managed to cycle into Challapata without too much drama (with the exception of a puncture, the first of the trip on Jen’s rear wheel) which was further than we thought (24km) and discovered a town that was not what we needed. No hotels, or any real services to speak of, nothing that we needed in order to rest my knee and hopefully continue in a couple of days time.

The decision of what to do ensued, we had options of trying to get to Uyuni 200km to the south, the main hub from where all the salt lake tours across the Salar operate from, or head to the once richest city in the world, Potosi, 178km to the south-east way off our route.

Given that we were uncertain of how long I’d be resting because of the knee, it sounded like Uyuni was a mere frontier town with limited services and resources, therefore we chose to head for Potosi. We had tried to get on one of the coaches that went to Potosi from Challapata, but for some reason they really weren’t helpful at all. Shortly after fixing Jen’s second puncture on the rear wheel, the first coach rocked up told us to wait for the next as he was full, the second coach just drove past Jen!

We felt really screwed, the weather seemed to be deteriorating, and the outlook was grim. Very demoralised, we headed back to a cafe we had stopped in earlier on, and spoke with the daughter about our situation. Wonderfully, she and her mother managed to organise for a taxi to take us with all our equipment direct to Potosi.

After a manic session of frustration with language barrier, we managed to get everything sorted and ended up in the taxi on our way to Potosi, having agreed the cost. The taxi was somewhat of a bone shaker, I don’t think anything in that taxi had ever been balanced in its’ life.

The journey itself took about 5hrs, although initially we thought it was only going to take 3hrs; that was down to the fact that, yes you guessed it, the taxi broke down. It didn’t take long for the hill climbing in the journey to take its toll. The engine overheated, we stopped, flipped the lid and sure enough, this local taxi was certainly not a long distance runner. The radiator has 2" crack along the top of it. We coasted down the hill to a village where we managed to get some water from the village tap to fill up the radiator. Out came the gaffa-tape and an impromptu repair was performed. With the engine now at normal temperature, we set off with only about 50km to go.

Along the way we repeated a cycle of stopping and filling up the radiator with more water, and applying more tape to the crack. What was happening was the radiator was working but because the electric fan wasn’t the water eventually heated up so much it vapourised and escaped through the crack. Ultimately all the water disappeared and we’d have to fill it up again.

We hobbled into Potosi and then had to drive around aimlessly looking for our hotel. Unfortunately, the driver was pretty useless and somewhat countrified as it turned out, not to mention that every time  we stopped and asked for directions, within minutes he was lost again. We now think that his Spanish was as limited as ours, and that he was speaking Quechua; talk about the blind leading the blind!

So, after arriving at the intended hotel only to find that they had no room, and discovering that Jen’s bike had developed yet another puncture (for the third time that day, but during the taxi ride!), we marched up the hill to another hotel, where there was room. This was our final resting place, thank God, to see closure on the worst day of the trip so far.

So we’re not really sure of what to do now, the most sensible plan seems to get a coach to Uyuni (to get back to our route) in a few days and complete the Salar largely as we’d expected, after all, this is the highlight of the whole trip! Then, if my knee problem does come back, we might have to re-think the whole schedule and possibly cancel the trip to avoid more permanent damage or invoke a longer recuperation period, we’ll have to wait and see!

On the brighter side of things, the scenery to Potosi again moved the wow barrier yet further. It looks as though someone has simply pulled the land apart, with great gorges and ravines that look more impressive in my mind that the Grand Canyon. The colours are amazing, with brilliant reds and greens that make this landscape so impressive, surely a must see on anyone’s list. The Altiplano is just truly amazing the vast vistas spanning way beyond the horizon with so many dust-devils (mini-tornados) that add to its uniqueness. However, the Salar de Uyuni will quite simply be breathtaking by all accounts, so hopefully not long now!