Almost a restday in Uyuni ...

Hola!

Short update, today we had a time trial, a 7 kilometer race on the salt plane. I ended up at place 11, together with Axel, who was number 10. We had to start at 9 in the morning, so still cold and sleepy... It will take me at least 2 hours before I am warm, and cycling is going well, so this is not a god start in the morning. Doesn´t matter, it was very nice to do the time trial, and we had a lot of fun. Rob van der G ended, as expected, up to be the winner, and Eric was second ... Jasper was also very fast, he started a minute after me, but passed me at the end.

After the time trial we went to Uyuni, where we stay now in a nice small hostal. Restday is waiting, so relax ... 4 more tough days, and we are in Argentina, where the god life starts ...

Today we had the restday, we visited the train cemetry, a place outside town where they parked lots of trains, old steam trains, so nice to see. I also uploaded some stories, but the internet is extreamly slow here, so pictures will follow later...

Tomorrow we will have a bushcamp again, and I have no idea when I can give another update, but I will do my best to keep you updated about this great trip !!!

Three more tough days, and we are done with the cold and we will go down to about 1500 meter, and Argentina !! I can´t wait !!

Adios

Salar de Uyuni !!! Finally cycling on the big salt lake !!

Today one of the high lights of the trip, cycling on the Salar de Uyuni. It is almost unreal, as far as you can see, salt, salt and more salt ... only tracks of cars on the salt, that you follow, because you have no idea where to go without a compass or GPS navigation. First we went to a small island in the middle, where we had lunch, it was 40 kilometers out of the ´coast´. After that we followed the truck to the salt hotel. The island, Isla Pescado, was nice, there were lots of old cacti, and when you are at the top of the island, you had a great view, 360 degrees of the Solar. Under the salt there is a liquid, that contains lots of Lithium, and they are busy finding out how to extract this from the liquid. Maybe in 10 years the salt plane is just a big Lithium factory, and the great wide open views are gone, would be sad, because it is a great experience to be there, and cycle in the middle of nothing but salt.

When we arived at the hotel, we had a nice dinner, sitting on salt chairs, tables and even the beds were made of salt. It was a great day, great experience, and something that many of us will never forget !!

Adios !!

Great ride today ... but also again a big accident ... :-(

BuenosDias !!

Today we had a magnificent ride to the edge of the salt plane. It was about 70 kilometers long, and we went first to Salinas, about 36 kilometers from bushcamp. Everything went fine, and I was flying over the unpaved road. I was ahead of everybody, but had no idea how far I was ahead, so just keep paddeling and see how far I could stay ahead. When I arrived in the village I followed the directions on the map, that leaded me out of town. We should gather on the plaza, Wilbert told us that this morning, but I forgot about that. After searching for 5 minutes and going back to town, I arrived at the plaza. Still thinking that I arrived first at the plaza I almost bought a bottle of rum, to celibrate the 2^nd victory ... But .... I arrived at the plaza, and Peter B was there ... what the hell !!!! ... how was that possible ... nobody in sight and suddenly Peter was there ... just got of his bike, so if I just remembered what was told that morning I was there first ... Anyway that is life, next time better luck ... I decided to buy a bottle of rum anyway, to celibrate that I had a good day.

After everybody arrived at the plaza, we went as a group to the edge of the solar de Uyuni. The ride was great, very nice views of the vulcano, the road was unpaved, lots of rocks and stones on the road, so it was a challange not to fall and stay on the bike. Unfortunately English Rob fell off his bike, and got pretty bad injured, and broke his collar-bone. We arranged a car to pick him up, and they took him to a local hospital. Next morning Didier and Rob went to Uyuni, to make some X-ray pictures. Later it was clear that it was broken on 2 places, and that probably his trip was over. Only a few kilometers away from the solar, and something like this happenes to Rob ... :-( ... It is still dangerous going downhill on unpaved roads, with big rocks and loose sand and stones.

After a few kilometers we reached the edge of the Solar de Uyuni, and had a glimpse of the inmense salt-lake, the biggest in the world, about 10.000 square kilometers, at an altitude of about 3700 meters. Perfectly flat, used by satelites to calibrate their altitude equipment. Bushcamp was on the edge, and next day we will bicylce about 100 kilometers on this salt plane to reach the salt-hotel, near Uyuni. The day was great, but overshadowed by the accident from Rob ... Hope he is ok ... but it looks like that his trip is over ...

Adios ...

Bushcamp - Meteoor crater ... what a day !!

Hola !!

Woke up this morning with lots of clouds, there was not much wind, and we packed our stuff. In the beginning the wind was in the back. After about 10 kilometers the road begin to be unpaved, and it probably would be like this for the rest of the day. They are busy with road construction 2 years ago, but that is no guarantee that it is already finished. After a small climb into the village Quillacas, where there was nothing to do or see, just a pile of dust and a bad steep road going into town, I lost the rest of the group, the fast guys are faster climbers then I am, and I was not sure where to go. The instructions were not very clear, mainly because the infrastructure has been changed, and I had to make a discission where to go. Nobody in sight, only a empty long troad that dissappeared at the horizon. After a few kilometers I spotted some locals, and asked them if they had seen some gringos con biciclettas, Si Si Si was their answer, so I knew I was on the right road and going the right direction. The wind started to pick up, and after lunch we ended up in a sandstorm. Not really nice, but part of the game, and challange. Unpaved, washboard roads, loose sand on the road, impossible to cycle, and the strong wind that was pushing sand in your mouth, ears nose and eyes. Finally I reached Bushcamp next to a church and the Meteoor crater, and I was happy that I made it there. What seemed tro be a nice quiet trip, resulted in a nice windy and dusty challange that day. Ewald managed to squieeze through a little window to open the church, so we could sit inside and have dinner without the cold wind that was gusting over the Alti Plano. It has been a nice, but a verytough day ...

Happy that we arrived at the bushcamp at the Meteoor Crater

Oruro - Bushcamp

HolaAmigos !!

Today we will bushcamp again, after a few days hotel it is nice to camp again. It will probably be cold, but I should have enough clothes with me to keep myself warm. Yesterday I bought a pair of Lama legwarmers, just in case, costed me only 10 Bobjes, so that is about 1 euro, pretty cheap. When we left the hotel it was cold and a bit rainy, so with about 5 layers of clothes I left direction south, Potosi. Getting out of the city was busy again with b usses and taxi´s. We managed to stay on the bike and started our trip, 80 kilometers to lunch, located at a Thermal Bath place.. The thermal baths we have seen beforde were so so, you can´t compare them witth the ones in Taiwan. Quality is so so, a bit dirty, so I expected this one to be the same. I haven´t seen them, I continued the trip after lunch with Ruud. Only 65 kilometers to go, wind in the back, so we arrived early at bushcamp, nice place, in the middle of now where again. I put up my tent in a little house, a bit shelter from the wind that mighte be cold tonight. I visited three memorial signs or graves of people that were killed at a bus accident on the oposit of the road. Impressive, it reminds you how short life can be.... anyway, we continue tomorrow towards the salt-planers. Another bushcamp at a meteoor crater, should also be nice... hope that the night is not that cold and that I can sleep tonight...

Adios

Next 3 days Bushcamp ... at 4000 meter ... Brrr

Hola !!

I am in Oruru now, and everything is ok. The next 3 days will be Bushcamping, on the Alti plano, which means we will stay ay about 4000 meters altitude, so it will be cold at night, probably ice in the tent when you wake up ... we will see ...

I hope I will be online again in a couple of days !!

Adios Amigos !!

ECO Hostal - Oruro

Hola !!

Yesterday night we had a very nice dinner, prepared by the woman of the hotel. Some vegatables, rice, different kind of potatoes and meat balls, which were very nice... I also managed to find a bed in stead of sleeping on the floor, so I had a good sleep. We left the hotel, and from there is was one long boring road to Oruru. We did pass some small villages, but that was basicly nothing, some bends in the road, but for the rest, straight on... bit up and down. Around 10 we had some lunch, and before 12 we were in the hotel. City was nice, some shops, nice plaza´s and lots of people on the street, after the siesta, so life basically continues after that. I also took a nap, and at 4 went back on the street and visited some markets and local shops. Dinner was a dry pizza, and tasteless spaghetti. Tomorrow another long day, about 145 kilometer, probably boring roads, but we are almost at the salt planes ... looking forward to that, I think we all do ...

After the restday in La Paz... I won today !!!

Hola !!

After the restday in La Paz, it is time to move on again, bad thing is that we have to climb out of the city. It is the same road that we came into La Paz, that was a very nice downhill, so the way out is a very nice climb, about 10 kilometers long, and 500 meters climb, so an avarage of 5%. After the climb there were a lot of busses on the street that were blocking our way. After finding my way between all these busses, the road continued for the next 135 kilometers, very boaring road, especially when you are out of town. It was a long road, lunch was about 60 kilometers. Everything went fine, legs feel good, and I was pretty fast, also during the uphill. At lunch I decided to leave early again, the wind was in the back, and before it changed I wanted to make use of it as much as possible. The racers were still there, and I expected that they will get to me after some kilometers, but still after 40 kilometers, nothing ... so .... I was under the impression that I even might win this stage, but there were still 35 kilometers to go, so a long way ... Just keep cycling, and see where it will ends. Things were still going very well, and the speed and the legs were still ok. After 135 kilometers I saw the truck parked on the left side of the road. I made it, number 1 position, so it will cost me a bottle of rum, no problem. It will probably the one and only time that I win, so I have no problem with this. We are sitting now in a kind of ECO hostel, very nice and quiet place. I will sleep inside on the matrass, that is still leak, I tried to fix it today, but couldn´t found the leak, so next swimming pool I will use to have another search. See what will happen toningt, probably nothing. Tomorrow it will be relaxed day.

Adios...