22-Jan-2010

LaPaz, Bolivia. Pretty much an uneventful day. Like there is such a thing on this kind of adventure. The pics are somewhat limited because the weather was bad most of the way. We have been riding in a lot of rain and cold. Yesterday, Nick almost hit a woman who jumped out in the road behind a van and today I almost hit a cop that did about the same thing. I'm sure I would have lost that argument. But all is well.

The border crossing into Bolivia was strange and it took about 3 hours but we made it and went into LaPaz. Nick and I both are not doing well in these big cities and are ready to leave about the time we get there. LaPaz was beautiful as we were riding into it from above. Just a huge sprawl across a large valley between many, many high peaks. Not so pretty once you are in it.

The best story of the trip we got today. It's the best story because, number 1, it just is, and number 2, because it didn't happen to us. At the Bolivian border we met this Colombian couple who were riding 2-up on a Suzuki 600. I was doing my customs paperwork with the wife and she started telling me this story. It needs a little background though.

When Nick and I first got to Cusco we were trying to figure out the best way to see Machu Picchu. We were talking to a restaurant owner and he thought we should ride the bikes up to Santa Theresa and walk in to MP from there. About a 2KM, mostly vertical trail. This appealed to me because it was different from the normal tourist thing. But, thankfully, he went a step further and called some people to check on road conditions. The answer was terrible because of so much rain and we decided to take the easy way and do the train/bus thing. It was really nice and relaxing by the way.

OK, back to the Colombian couple. They decided to do it the way we chickened out of. When they were almost there, they went through a wash that was deeper and stronger then they thought. It washed them and the bike and gear into the river. Did you see the pics of these rivers? The wife managed to stay close to the bike and shore and was able to get out. The husband got washed into the river and managed to get hold of a boulder and hang on. I can't think of a worse case here. Imagine being in Helmet, gloves, boots, and full riding gear, hanging onto a boulder in a river that you couldn't swim out of if you were naked. Some people and rope were nearby and they were able to get to him with someone on the end of a rope. He really thought he was gonna die. But they got him out. Got a tractor and rope and 10 people or so and managed to get the bike out and onto a truck. 3 days in Cusco to dry out the bike and calm the nerves and they were on their way again. I'm damned impressed with both of them. A lot of people would have said, "screw this, we're going home", after a deal like that. I hope I don't get to find out what my answer would be.

The pics are mostly around Lake Titicaca with the last 2 being in LaPaz. The lake pic with the mountains in the background are from the Bolivian side looking across the lake to the Cordillera Blanca.

We make an executive decision tonight. It is clear that we are both having some symptoms of altitude sickness. It is affecting Nick worse, probably cause he has had a cold to go along with it. But tonight I am just fatigued and feeling like hell. It is time to go down. We are going to get up early and get to the Chilean border. We will still be high but it will put us within easy reach of the coast tomorrow. I hate to bail out of Bolivia this quickly but if we don't get healthy the rest of the trip is in jeopardy. When we started this I wondered what kind if condition I would return in. I knew that it would be hard at times, and as beautiful as this part of Peru and Bolivia have been, it has been tough on us. We have spent a great deal of time cold, wet and hungry. The accommodations available have not always helped the situation either. Cold showers, hard beds, etc. I'm not whining, buy the way, just stating the facts for this decision.

This part of Peru has been a big part of the "one thing" that I talked about in the beginning. Chile is coming.