Sucre , Potosi, La Paz, Putre, Iquique, San Pedro De Atacama

Sucre 

The day before Christmas in Sucre Bolivia ,some of the local bussniess and the Government give out gifts to the local Indian people , this line  was about 200mts long 

Sucre is still the nices city I have been too so far  on this trip   

Christmas Dinner in Sucre , the 4 of us , a Dutch couple and an Aussie girl  

After Christmas it was back to La Paz via Potosi  to get Daves new Passport , it was a trip none of us were looking foward to . The road back is quite boring ( approx 630 kms ) and a being a two day trip via Potosi.  The traffic to get back into La Paz was the least to look forward too .

A bit of off roading on the way back to Potosi 

Potosi 

The Mountain in the back ground is called the Mountain that Eats People . Over  8 million people died when the Spanish mined it for Silver  back in 1500s . They also say that the Spanish got enough silver out of the Mountain to have built a bridge from Potosi to Spain  in Silver. Today  they still mine the Mountain for Lead , Tin , and some remaining Silver . 

Today the average life span for a miner is only 35years old ,. most die of lung deases from all the dust 

We had lunch with this guy on the road , he had half my Snickers bar 

We spent 2 nights in La Paz while Dave got his new Passport , we also we run into the 2 Aussie guys (Phil and Wade) that I rode with up in Colombia in La Paz . 

The morning we left started  good , Dave and I went off to get his new Customs Docs , which was only about 5 mins by bike (and very easy to get there ) . But the way back , was a nightmare , it took us 40 mins to get back to the hotel . All the roads that we took to get to the Customs office were closed when we tried to get back . 

What happens is all the Country people come into town to sell there wares and I mean thousands of them , they just cover all the streets with there goods , there is no way we could get through.  

Anyway after going up one way streets the wrong way (and getting a lot waves from the drivers coming the right way ) we made it back to the hotel . 

The trip to the Border  was about 290kms , then another 190kms to the coast , so no problems for us . We are on the road by 10.30 am and all is  looking good , for a good day in the saddle .

After about 1 hr it started to rain and got really cold ,  we were climbing up in Altitude again  . Just before the border we reached approx 4700mts . 

Above some  scenery not far from the border its great , but  bloody cold . About 10kms from the border we run into snow all over the road and quite thick . The Tiger got a bit of as slide on but nothing to bad , so it was a very slow ride up to the Border 

After reaching the Border we had to clear Customs , which was an hours stand in the rain and sleat .

Next it was Immigration and Customs on the Chile side, well it was a mess . The building was built for 20 people but there was about 100 people waiting to get  cleared  inside. Then a bus arrives with the bus drivers tring to get all there lot up front to go first . You can imagine the trouble this caues , people started to push and shove , yell and swear , I thought there was going to be a riot . Just before I was about to get to the counter a guy came pushing his way to the front , I turned and told him a thing or too . But to no avail he just kept coming so I grabed him by the scruff of the neck and pushed him againest the wall and told him to wait his turn . Just then a young girl who spoke English said leave him he is a Police man who is helping an old lady . Shit I said sorry very quickly and then helped him get the old lady  out . 

After about 3 hrs at the border we were finally on our way and now it is getting dark , but we thought at least we are going to get to the coast and warm weather . 

About 20kms down the road we come to  Road Works , we are stopped and have to wait and wait and wait for about an other hour or more .  Then we are let go , but 1 km down the road the road is completly block with trucks , both ways , They are bumper to bumper all going to Bolivia and not a chance of us to get through . It took a guy with a gun about another 1hr to try and get all the trucks to manuvour and make a track through , so traffic could start to move again . By now it is completely dark , very dark and rainning . Well the road works went for another 23kms , they were the worst road works I have ever been over , mud , sand , pot holes, huge pot holes full of water . We had to follow a Pilot car to show us the way through .

Finally we get through and now it is 10.30pm , about 40kms down the road there was a small town called Putre . We called in to hopefully  find somewhere to stay , luck was on our side  . What a day , we had rain , wind , snow , hail , mud . pot holes big enough to just about to swomp the Tiger , and to boot we had to ride in the pitch black of night , with trucks coming at us from everywhere . 

Just before the Chilian Border control 

Pink Flamingos in a high Mountain Lake about 2kms from the Border

The next day in the little town of Putre 

Putre

On the way down to sea level and warmer weather 

These are called 100 year old Cacti

On our way to Iquique for new year 

On our way , we are really in Desert Lands now 

Before we got to Iquique we came across these in the desert 

Good Pic 

Me and the roads which just go for ever and ever with not a turn in site

Sand and sand 

A bit of Desert riding 

Then there was the dust storm which went on for about 100kms , at one stage we could hardy see our hand in front of our faces 

Finally Iquique 

It was a really nice seaside town , not unlike the Mount  Maunganui where I come from in New Zealand 

Arriving in Chile was like coming home really and we were all very happy to be there .Where every thing looks and feels like home . Also not being told to bugger off at the petrol stations ,  also getting good petrol now is great , the Tiger loves it  

New Years Eve in Iquique 

The little guy in the middle is Jimmy from Bolivia .

Well he forced us to drink his Vodka straight out of the bottle (2 bottles of it ) ,shit we all hated him the next day (little prick , how could he do that to us  ) . We got to bed about 3.30am ( far to late for us old buggers) . We were to have gone on down to San Pedro De Atacama the next day ,but we never got up until 11.00am (all with very sort heads, and feeling sorry for ourselves, bloody Jimmy ) .

Look at Dave in da pic hes loving it , but I tell you ,the next day he was hating it big time .

Walking around Iquique looking for something to drink the next day (water or lemonade anything would do , but every thing is closed ) above and below some of the wild life around town 

Iquique

Beach at Iquique 

Next we are off for San Pedro De Atacama , it was a bueatiful ride for the first 200kms along the coast . Then it was desert riding again and long straight roads with nothing but sand  

da Tiger 

More big roads and lots of sand 

Just before we arrived in San Pedro De Atacama , more sand and pretty rocks 

Below San Pedro De Atacama 

San Pedro De Atacama is a little town in the middle of nowhere , its just a little  tourist town in  the Desert .

It only rains about 2 times a year and guess what , it bloody rained when we were there . We were having dinner in a resturant when  it bucketed down .Because it never rains that much or that hard they dont have roofs that are water proof . We were sitting there and next thing we are covered in dirty brown water , not a good look for a resturant .

The next day we were off up in the mountains for a ride to some very beautiful lakes , but that is for the next blog .

As for the bike 

The Tiger will not Idle at altitude at all above 2500mts above sea level , at sea level , its not so bad  . Other than that I just love it , it is great in the dirt and just so comfortable on long rides . 

As for being near misses  

I have been hit twice by Taxis and once by a bus , all three not enough to have knocked me down but very close . All have been in heavy traffic or very narrow roads . 

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