Bolivia Off-Road

[xsrider]

What was the 98% alcohol for? Mixing with the orange soda or for mineral separation or ??

The miners drink the 98% alcohol straight!!!  They also give small offerings of alcohol to El Tio - the spirit of the mountain - for good luck and they make offerings to Pachamama - the goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes also for good luck.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamama)

Orange soda is just to drink when thirsty.

[miles]

I did see one of the shines to El Tio while in the mine.  It had many offerings left for good luck, including cigarettes, money, coca leaves, and alcohol.

And keep posting interesting facts about the areas I visit, I forget to include a lot.

I lived in Bolivia for a year and a half, so I keep having the urge to drop random info into the thread!

[sammyseaman]

JEALOUS!!!  

[xsrider]

Notes on hotels and stuff

Many of the hotels we stayed in were what I'd call rustic.  All the places we stayed were clean and had soap and shampoo, but a few places where we stayed had limited amenities.  We were, of course, out in the middle of nowher so I did not not expect to stay at the Hilton.  In town like La Higuera and Uyuni, there are no 5 star hotels, or even 3 star hotels.  When we were in bigger cities, the hotels were better equipped.  Most places I stayed had wi-fi, but I only got dial-up download speeds.  It was OK for email and reading the news, but not for video. A few places I stayed I could use Skype to call my wife at home - but you can't count on that in most places.

Let me tell you about the place we stayed in Uyuni.  My room in Uyuni was spartan with no TV or internet but it had a bathroom.  There was an electric heater on the wall for when it got cold at night.  The bathroom shower in Uyuni was the same as in all my hotels.  The bathroom sink only had a faucet for cold water.

The showers in all the hotels I stayed in use an electrically heated shower head for taking a shower.  The temperature of the water is controlled by the water flow rate, fast water equals colder water temps.  You can see in the pic below the 2 wires going into the shower head.  There was usually a circuit breaker in the bathroom connected to the shower head.  Now here's where it gets really interesting, the shower head has an electrical coil in it to heat the water.  If you reach up to the shower head while the shower is running, you get an electrical shock.  Not only that, I found that most of the showers have plastic knobs on the single faucet in the shower.  However, in one instance the shower faucet had a metal knob covered in electrical tape.  In this case, when I went to adjust the water by turning the faucet, I once again got an electrical shock!!  I was the grounding wire for the shower.  So I learned early on to be careful and not touch the shower head so I would not get shocked while taking a shower.  I also learned how to turn the water on and off in the shower so as to not get shocked.   These are important things to know while traveling in Bolivia.

One more thing about the showers, the drains in the showers all ran slow.  By the time I was finished taking a shower, I was always standing in 1/2 to 1 inch of water.  

My hotel room in Uyuni.


Shower in Uyuni - note the electrical wire going into the shower head!!  And only one faucet.  

[nevinfs327]

Awesome report and pics    I got my first ADV riding craves when in Peru a few years back.  We were warned not to cross into Bolivia at the time - guess it is better now?  Or maybe just bad near La Paz and Lake Titicaca where a lot of artifact smuggling takes place?  

Also enjoy your facts, Miles, for context  

[Orson]

I think you've outdone your Mexican trip report  

Job well done!  

[Rocky]

Wonderful adventure    

[R Doug]

Wow, what a great way to start my Thursday morning at the office over a cup of coffee!  I am going to bookmark Bolivian Motorcycle Adventures' website for future reference.

Thanks for sharing this great trip w/ us.

[xsrider]

Uyuni to Oruro

Today would be the longest day riding on the tour so far.  We had to leave a little earlier than normal because of the long day riding.  We had breakfast at about 7:30 and we were on the bikes by 8:30.  The day would have a lot of dirt road riding before hitting pavement as we neared the city of Oruro.  

We bid farewell to beautiful downtown Uyuni.


The road from Uyuni to Oruro was fairly level and straight.  However, the road was pretty mush washboard, rocks, dust and sand for many miles.  There was little traffic on the road.   Care had to be taken when crossing any railroad crossing that might cross the road.  The railroad crossing were not maintained and there could be a good sized hole in the road near the RR tracks.  The closest I came to crashing on the whole tour was when a set of crossing the railroad tracks on this road.  I nearly lost it one time when I hit a deep hole between the RR tracks where the tracks crossed the road.   I also had to keep an eye out for deep dust, that was also a challenge to keep upright in while riding.

The road leaving Uyuni on the way to Oruro


The road to Oruro - note sheep and llamas in the distance near the road


Careful on those dusty curves




On the way to Oruro, we passed through the town of Challapata - the center of Illegal vehicle trade in Bolivia.  As we approached Challapata, there was a strong military police presence.  As we passed through the town, I noticed places in the street where it looked like tires had been burning, but now it had been clean up.  The town was pretty quiet except for the military police all over the place.  As we got to the other side of town there was a road block manned by more military police.  At the road block they asked for our papers and i showed my passport and international drivers license to the very nice officer - he was nice, I'm not joking.  Anyway, he asked where we were going and where we came from.  When we told him we were from Uyuni, he was impressed - it's a long hard road to Uyuni.  

After a short stop to have our papers checked, we were bid good luck by the commander and we were sent on our way.  Just past the road block were more troops in riot gear - helmets and shields - and an army tank, complete with canon pointing towards the town.  Just so the towns folk would know who's in charge.  

I learned later on that 2 people had been killed  by the police in Challapata  a day or 2 before we went through the town.  The dead guys had been part of a car smuggling ring.  After the killing of the 2 guys, there was a big demonstration by the locals.  The demonstration (maybe riot) had to be put down by the military police.  Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the troops, taking pictures didn't seem like a good idea at the time.

A town we passed through on the way to Oruro.  It seemed like most of the small towns we rode through were nearly deserted.  There were people there, they just were not out on the streets.


Typical street scene in downtown Oruro.


The central square or Plaza in Oruro

[xsrider]

Oruro the Cochabamba

Today's ride would be all paved, but not without excitement.  After leaving Oruro at 12,200 feet, we will head up into the mountains and go over a pass at about 15,000 feet.  The road over the mountains were well paved and wide.  Going over the pass would require a lot of passing of trucks and buses.  Double yellow lines on the road are there mainly as a caution and we passed many vehicles on our way over the pass.  

Leaving Oruno there was no traffic to speak of.  We rode through rolling hills with broad sweeping curves.  Approaching the pass the road got steeper and the temperature dropped.  Surprisingly, there were people living up near the summit.   There's not much vegetation above 14,000 feet.

Nearing the pass on the way to Cochabamba


People living up near the pass, we stopped here to put no some warmer gear.  


Just pass the summit, looking back.


The road on the way down from the pass.   The red dirt of the mountains were really spectacular to see!


On the ride down after going over tha pass, we came across a bus accident.  One bus had rear ended another bus on the road down the mountain.  We also saw a third bus broken down on the side of the road.   It was not a good day to be in a bus.

The highway down the mountains on the way to Cochabamba.  If you closely you can see trucks and buses on the road.


Truck stop on the way to Cochabamba




Downtown Cochabamba


Arriving in Cocabamba I was warned to stay close and not get lost.  Cochabamba is a city of about 1 million people.  If I lost the guide, it would be hard to find him again - not impossible because I had the address and phone number of the hotel, but it would be a PITA to find the place by myself.  Traffic was crazy in Cochabamba.  We were splitting lanes and passing cars and trucks on the right.  I'm OK splitting lanes, but when passing on the right you really have to focus  in case someone in front decide to make a right turn.   Also, traffic lights were mainly cautionary - meaning people ran red lights - and the lines were not obeyed all the time.  

Cochabamba was quite a bit lower altitude (9,300 feet ) and warmer than the towns we had been in previously.  It was hot negotiating the stop and go traffic in the city center.  

Traffic in Cochabamba


We spent 2 nights in Cochabamba with 2 planned activities, stopping by the local market and visiting the largest "Cristo" sculpture of South America. At 33 meters and 30 cm, the Cristo de Cochabamba is 30 cm taller then the famous "Cristo de Rio de Janeiro"

The market in Cochabamba - note the 3 people on the scooter on the left - helmets? - they don't need no sticking helmets.  0r any gear for that matter.


To get to the Cristo statue there is a gondola you can take for the trip up and down.  It was a hot day and the gondola ride was a nice way to get there.  Once at the top, you could go inside the statue and walk up to about has high as the arms.  There were some small windows in the statue where you could look out.

[miles]

I lived in Cochabamba way back when.  It's a lot bigger now, by the looks of it.

Our own beloved Shah spent a year in Cochabamba as an exchange student, too...

The market XS visited is called "La Cancha", which translates as "the playing field".  When I lived there back in the early '80s it was the largest market in South America.  I don't know if it still holds that title.


About Oruro- it's a mining town, and very working-class.  The mines mainly extract tin, and very little of the money stays in Oruro.  The one thing they do have that's trulu incredible is the festival of Carnaval.  It's the traditional Pre-Lenten festival celebrated in New Orleans, Rio De Janeiro, Venice, and so on, but with a strange local twist.
Like the Carnaval in Rio or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, there are 'schools' that put huge dance and costume parades together, each trying to win the prizes of being the best that year. 

There are traditional themes, such as 'Diablitos' (Little Devils): Link, because the picture is huge
Which are always followed by the angel Michael:


Another traditional theme are the Caporales, or slave drivers:  Link to huge picture

Anyway, google Oruro carnaval images for tons more.  If you ever find yourself with nothing to do in the last part of February, check out Oruro's Carnaval for a different than typical good time.

[jetapumper]

Wow. Just     Wow! Of all the obscure places to go riding, Bolivia wouldn't be at the top of the list. Very, very cool.

How were you received as an American? Any Problems?


Again. Wow!      

[xsrider]

Cochabamba to Samaipata

This would be my last day of riding.  It would also be the most scenic, as far as I was concerned.  We left Cochabamba early and were able to get out of the city without much trouble from the traffic.  Once out of the city we rode through the suburbs - more like farming areas and not really suburbs.  As we got farther from the city, the scenery opened up to rolling hills with large farming areas.  The roads were wide with sweeping curves.







After about 100 miles of riding, the pavement ended in a small village where we stopped across the street from the Hilton Hotel to grab a coke and a bite to eat.


The next 100 miles would be on dirt.  First we would ride through villages and over mountain passes.  Eventually we would go through an area called La Siberia.  La Siberia is an area where it's cold and wet almost all year.  This is an area where the moist tropical air from the Bolivian lowlands is pushed up against the mountains and a cloud forest is formed along the mountain passes.  I was warned in advance that we go through foggy areas where we'd only have about 50 feet of visibility.  

The road to La Siberia



Panoramas of the road we took from Cochabamba to La Siberia.  You can just see the dirt road on the right and then going over the pass in the distance.


The road where it  followed a ridge line on the way to La Siberia


On my way to La Siberia, I had a close encounter with a rooster.  We were passing through a very small village with a lot of chickens walking around.  As I rode through, a rooster decided to cross in front of me.  As I got close, the rooster decided to jump or fly in front of me and the rooster hit me in the shoulder as I rode by.  Not a hard impact, but memorable.  As I looked in the mirror after the impact, the rooster was again walking on the street.  Apparently no harm done to either of us.  

The fog and cloud forest of La Siberia can be seen in the distance




Sure enough, when we got up to the pass and La Siberia, it was quite cold and foggy.  Luckily the dirt road was dry so we did not have to ride in the mud.  As promised, the visibility was about 50 feet in places, so we rode very slowly to make sure we did not ride off the side of the mountain.  There were also quite a few animals, cattle and horses along the road and slightly hidden by the fog.  

Once over the pass and through La Siberia, we descended rapidly to much drier, warmer weather.  Actually, the terrain we followed after going through La Siberia turned almost desert like.


The road also became paved for the last 40-50 miles as we continued on to Samaipata and the end of the tour.  

I stayed one more night in Samaipata before being driven to Santa Cruz for a tour of the city and a farewell dinner before catching an early flight home.  

[DogBoy]

My uncle is a priest and he spent 20 years in Bolivia serving remote villages by motorcycle. It was really cool to see so much of the countryside after hearing about it all my life. Thanks so much for the report and photos.  

[rodri_ogri]

Hi, I'm a Bolivian rider, my name is Rodrigo. I'm pleased to see all these pictures of my beautiful country. I know it's not as developed as your country, but I'm sure its the ultimate challenge for the serious motorcyclist.

I encourage everyone to visit La Paz, the bolivian administrative capital. I think it has a lot of roads you would love. One of them is the Titicaca Lake road, which is mainly asphalted but it has the most beautiful sights: the highest lake of the world.
Also there is the La Paz-Yungas road, in fact its name suggests its nature: "the death road", it is a mainly dirt one filled with cliffs and precipices. One one car at a time. simply beautiful.

Well. Congrats! you've done Bolivia so far.
regards.