biking at 4,000 m

so, you probably haven´t biked at 4,000 m. so let me tell you a few things about it. breathing is a good thing. and doesn´t come easy. each day i wake up and stretch, i am out of breath halfway through the first stretch. we´ve seen people arrive up here in buses or airplanes needing to be immediately escorted to an oxygen machine to keep them going.

our lips. are dry. and then we put cream on them. and they`re still dry. stefan´s lips have cracked over so many times i think you can probably see 5 layers of dead skin by now.

there are still mountains. up here. peaks of 6,000. those are the ones with snow on them. the ones that haven´t lost snow already due to global warming.

the people. are incredible. bolivia has some of the most incredible people we´ve met on this trip. and they sport some excellent winter clothing made of alpaca. the food made of alpaca is another subject.

this is one of the most fascinating places we´ve been for the entire trip. and boy do we have stories….

Fun times in the Altiplano

Well it has been just a lovely week for us out here in the Bolivian altiplano.  From washboards to mud to many rivers without bridges, we have truly experienced bike touring as a way to get places where even heavy trucks can´t make it.  To whit:

Now if only my camera was waterproof, you could also see the glory of the two of us huddled beneath a tarp strung between our bikes for an afternoon as Pachamama dumped a freezing rain upon us.  Cheers!  🙂

beard trim!

friends in the amazon!

row-off on lake titicaca

practicing for fiesta de la candelaria

the blessing of cars in copacabana, bolivia

the peace

fooooooooood

progressive español-ing

up and down in the andes in the south of ecuador, we had some grueling riding and some incredible scenery.  after spending days of climbing and going up two incredibly high ridges, thinking we had crossed the worst, we settled into a nice valley.  at the end of the valley, we stumbled upon a small hut that advertised cane sugar drinks.

being that the valley was comprised mostly of huts made of wood and tin, and copious about of cane sugar, i figured this might be a good place to stop.  i signalled to stefan to hold back his steed and we pulled up to the cane sugar drink shack.  1 man escorted us around, and about 10 others followed. 

i told him about our trip, as we walked into a room with about 4 jugs of different liquids.  i was hoping for some sweet cane sugar type of refreshment.  he pulled out a small dixie cup, put it under the tap.  poured it half full of some light brown liquid.  i drank and was reminded immediately of brown sugar, moonshine and a slight aftertaste of rubbing alcohol. 

we found a moonshine palace.  we tried the wares, tried hard not to wince too badly and had a nice little chat before getting on our bikes again.  the chat was mostly me and the lead man, surrounded by about 10 others, who, in wild western style were saddled up to the side of the hut, with some horses and other critters mozying behind them.

so where did you come from?

cancun, de mexico 

cancun?¿      —  at this, the group of men looked back up the dusty road from whence we came as if it led directly to mexico

si.

¿on a  bicycle?!  – this was said with a disbelief and a nod towards our bikes 

si.

and now you are riding through the andes mountains?  on a bicycle?

si.

this is the spine of the andes mountains.  up there you about to cross it.  on a bicycle.  are you sure you´re going to do that?

si.  it´s  a lot of up from here?   —  here i look at stefan like, ah, geez i thought we were done.  stefan looks back like ´what are we going to do about it?´

all of the men laugh.             yes, it goes up and up and up.  — and here he gestures with his and, swerving in the air, simulating a snakey, road, which winds on down to his arm, to accentuate the snakiness.  then he starts making noises of going up and wooshing air. 

so you´re riding over the spine of andes on a bicycle?   he asks one more time

si.