To Chile....

The volcanoes of Park Lauca, Chile border

I did not expect the road (from La Paz, Bolivia, West to Arica, Chile) to be as scenic as it was. It was a superb ride and I passed a guy (on a heavily loaded Moto (small motorbike) coming the other way, and waved ! First time I´d seen anyone with the same plan (I suppose it was...).

Llamas

 I have to stop at one dusty little Bolivian town. There was just one guesthouse and it was closed, I had to track the owner down to the church to gain entry. I felt like Bruce Chatwin !!  picture below;

In the morning no-one is around except "Granny" and she royally rips me off on Gasolina.  I asked for 4 litres, but because the bike is at the back of the guesthouse she (mistakenly...) uses a plastic can after measuring out 4 litres with her "litre" measure. But the can is graduated in Litres !! I can see I have exactly 3 litres !!  Her "liter" measure is about 800ml and she had given me 3 and half of those !! After some argument I get about 3 and half litres and have to pay double the usual rate for 4 !

After the last border experience, crossing to Chile is a doddle. There is only one thing they really care about at the border, it´s fruit and dairy products !!  you are not allowed to bring them in and they search everything !! and scan everything. There is even a fruit sniffer dog !!

After the border I go the the tiny village of Parinacota, 3km up a dirt track and higher than 4500m, picture below;

I met some French girls who were just leaving the only hostel, they said the owner had gone to Arica and would be back shortly. Well the door was open so I made myself at home and waited. I waited til long after it was dark !!  nobody showed and I was alone and hungry. I was forced to get Supper at the next village 6km away (lucky I could, just one restaurant there) and return in the freezing cold back up the dirt track.  I stayed there overnight but the owner never showed up at all ! In the morning I had a great deal of trouble starting my bike as it´s was about -5 deg C, I had to roll it down a hill in the end, right through a herd of Llamas ! (no picture unfortunately) to start it.

I started the day at 4500m altitude and ended it at 5m !! at the coast at Arica. Great scenery all day and very curvy mountain road all the way down the valley. At the top it´s green and verdant, at the coast it´s the Atacama desert, no plantlife, and no animals either and it´s lovely and warm with a strong warm wind blowing.

The next day, in Arica, I have a "day off" and I find out that the Bolivian Potosi strikers have ended their strike, which leads to a few minutes of muttering......