From Potosi to Uyuni
was easy. There's brand spanking new blacktop, snooker table smooth
all but 10km of the way. So new that they haven't finished painting
the white lines. A twisty road that made me wish I'd brought a
sports bike, until the dirt of course. I got stuck on fresh topsoil
that they're using to make the road and had to get one of the workmen
to push me out.
Altitude still killing
me, and the bike. I can't light a fag or walk up a flight of stairs
without having to sit down for 10 minutes. The bike is somewhat
anaemic. Coughing and spluttering worse than me. Can't raise any
power at all but fortunately there's enough torque at low RPM to pull
through most things.
Uyuni is a complete
tourist trap. Bus loads of backpackers off for a three day tour. I
was most disappointed to find the Salar covered with water and
although some folk were riding it, I decided not to risk the bike.
Fortunately there were a huge number of westernised restaurants so I
could use up my Bolivanos on a cocktail or two.
I made the decision to
head for the Chilean border. To come down from the altiplano and
knock this altitude thing on the head.
The road to Ollague was
good, most of the way until I took a wrong turn (there aren't exactly
comprehensive sign posts in this part of the world) and went the
wrong way round the Salar de Chiguana. The road went from bad to
worse and I fell off several times in sand, salt and mud. It's some
effort picking up the bike at altitude and it struck me at the time
that I hadn't seen a single person for over 2 hours.
The Bolivian border
post was deserted. There was a locked gate that I rode around and I
failed to collect an exit stamp. The Chilean border was easy and I
found a guest house just on the Chilean side. I had to spend an hour
riding round the village knocking on doors to find someone who would
sell me petrol. The nice lady also had wine for sale.
Next morning, south to
Calama. Another 220km of dirt. Much sand and salt but fortunately I
didn't fall off. Andes and Salar giving way slowly to desert, I
stopped at the side of the road to take a picture of some volcanoes
and the bike wouldn't start. Much faffing and stripping the bike
down, quite conscious that I was alone in the Atacama desert it
turned out that a bolt had fallen off the battery leaving the bike
completely without electricity. I replaced the bolt and made the
decision not to go so far into the wilderness alone again.
Blacktop started 50km
before Calama, stopped at a cashpoint and then for petrol and headed
west towards the coast.
150km later I hit
Tocopilla. A port town exporting minerals dug locally. Not much
here but found a good hotel that's out of my price range and taking
it easy for the night.
North tomorrow, still
deciding whether to go up the coast or up the PanAm. Peru in a
couple of days.
|
End of the blacktop |
|
Uyuni |
|
Salt hotel |
|
Basrelief. Salt hotel. |
|
Riders avoiding the water |
|
Water on the Salar de Uyuni |
|
Memorial. Salar de Uyuni, |
|
Coca leaves |
|
Uyuni |
|
Salt flat |
|
Off piste near the Salar de Chiguana |
|
Train line. Salar de Ascotan |
|
Flamingos and Volcanos |
|
Volcan de San Pedro |
|
Volcan Poruna |
|
Volcan de San Pedro |
|
After 400km of dirt, this is the most beautiful sight in the world. |
|
|
|
|
Pan Am |
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