Stuck in La Paz

La Paz

After the Independence Day holidays are over, I go shopping !. First on the list is Camping Stuff, I know when I get to Chile and Argentina I´ll need to camp as much as possible, to save money. I´ve been told countless times, Chile and Argentina are expensive !. And I´m planning to "wild camp" in the Atacama desert, when heading South through Chile. There is almost no choice, imported stuff is very expensive, but Argentinian made "DOITE" seems OK, so I buy a tiny, but light, one man tent, a thick, synthetic, sleeping bag and inflatable mat, all for 149 pounds. The quality is about 50/50 "Millets" / "North Face" !!!, I hope it lasts !

In La Paz you don´t just get Zebra crossings, you get Zebras !!
(they help you cross the busy roads !)

I need a motorbike lock, better webbing for holding it all together, tyre levers, sewing kit and needle nose pliers. I manage to find it all, except (once again) for tyre levers. This time I get some shaped re-bars, and I hope, upon the next puncture, they will be sufficient.

I´m ready to leave La Paz, after 6 days, but fate has other plans ! There is now a serious strike in Potosi which has spread to Uyuni, the protesters have blocked all roads in the area, and all roads South. I know that there are no buses or trains, so I ask if the protesters would be sympathetic to one tourist on a motorbike ? A big NO !  They are not sympathetic to tourists at all. I´m told that tn Potosi a desperate group of tourists ("imprisoned" for 12 days) chartered a plane to escape, "lit" dynamite was thrown at the plane (they are miners, they have a lot of it !),     they seem serious ! 

Now with camping stuff !!!

Instead of leaving I did the "Death Road Cycle Ride". It´s not very deadly, just a nice, scenic day´s mountain biking, but it is a 3600m vertical drop in just a few hours !! there is no verge on the road, and it drops a sheer 400m in  places. I believe it was covered by "Top Gear" last Xmas, but they spiced it up (apparently), there are no buses or lorries now, and have not been for 4 years (there is a new road), in the past apparently 100 people a year died on it !

I received an email from a girl I met in La Paz who is now in Uyuni, she tells me there is no petrol & no electricity in Uyuni and no salt flat tours !. This clinches it for me, I´m convinced the strike will last for weeks more. So after 9 days in La Paz I decide to ride West to Chile and then South to "San Pedro de Atacama" where I can get back to Bolivia by 4x4.

The day before I go I check my bike and find the luggage rack has been completely broken off !! Asking a few questions I find that the office, under the hostel, had a BBQ and moved all the bikes out of the way. When confronted they agree to pay to have it welded back up. But I´m severly p****d off, even welded up it won´t be as strong as before, and I´m totally relying on it. They had no reason to move it without trying to contact me first, as it was properly locked up, both wheels locked (the reason they tried to lift it, not push it, and broke the rack).

Next day I manage to get all the camping stuff on the bike, it looks a bit curious but seems to be OK. After leaving La Paz I ride straight through a Peaje (toll) without stopping, this is what I´ve done countless times in Peru, as bikes don´t pay. In Bolivia a Peaje is also a police checkpoint !  little did I know. I am chased down by two angry policemen who make a big fuss !  After 15 minutes I realise they want money, so it costs me 5 pounds, and I´m allowed to continue....