Mary and Robert Morrison at the entrance to the Salar De Uyuni, Bolivian Salt Flats

Bolivia Overland

Hi to all our friends around the world as we continue our life on the road.

We now update our news by country rather than monthly and having spent the last 107 days in Bolivia, it seems like a long time since we last wrote from Chile.

In fact we overstayed our 90 day visa (that is the maximum allowable for Bolivia in any one year) so we simply paid a fine of 20 Bs (£2) each, per day over. A simple process at the exit border and does not mean prison or any difficulties.

In the case of Bolivia where the Altoplano is typically at 4000 metres then cycling for us was impossible due to the problem of trying to breathe at such altitude. The road from Calama in Chile to Uyuni Bolivia was a climb of 3000 metres up a sandy gravel road that was the steepest we have ever known. Just walking up a slope was difficult enough so we were left with no choice but to take buses complete with our two 42kg bags full of panniers and the bikes wrapped in bubble wrap. Buses and taxi's are so cheap in Bolivia so that was a bonus. There are some who cycle but most take a bus at some stage and also with such bad roads, a mountain bike is a must, not a road bike. It is flat on the Amazonian side of the country but we prefer to see that in Brazil and Columbia. The rest of Bolivia is extremely mountainous. See the map below and the relief version inserted

Bolivia just looks and feels so different to anywhere else we have been. The people, the land, but the Spanish influence is all too familiar.

There have been more backpackers spotted in Bolivia than we have ever seen before. There is a large presence in all the towns and cities. We never expected that, however it has meant that the experience of Bolivia has been a radical departure from our normal lifestyle of travel. We have met so many backpackers from all over the world and they generally speak English so that made it easier for us as our Spanish leaves a lot to be desired.

For us, on this leg, it was not as simple as picking up your pack or bike and off you go. We had to get a station taxi (estate) to get to bus stations and hostels. It is really good to have all our cooking and entertainment gear with us though, and everything else necessary for an independant life, something that is not possible with a backpack.

It is certainly a completely different experience taking buses between cities. There is no sense of achievement so you get to another Hostel in another town and life just continues similar to the last place. It is interesting to experience the different towns but there are many similarities between them all as is the case in the UK and of course many other places. The real difference is between countries.

We have to admit that we have not had much contact with the local Bolivians other than doing the business of shopping at their small stalls or larger shops and the contact we had with Hostal management and staff. It is not only our limited Spanish because in Argentina and Chile we had a lot of contact with the populace. It's maybe that the Bolivians see so many backpackers and tourists that there is nothing special or interesting about it, however the people have been really nice and helpful and friendly so we never felt put out or uncomfortable. Partying at Loki Hostel in La Paz was great fun. We were surprised how many young people showed interest in our lifestyle as they presumably have not met older couples living on the road for life.

Once again we found the food from street vendors and market cafes to be extremely boring and tasteless. Most restaurant meals of the budget variety like the set lunches (Almuerzo) around £1.50, were soup, a meat dish with rice and potatoes and a small pudding. There were a couple of occasions when we just had to spend as much as we would in the west, to get some quality, and on those rare occasions the standard of cuisine was as good as anywhere. Cooking ourselves was mostly the answer to our needs. There were a few western type supermarkets but the range was very limited and anything imported was twice the price of the originating country. It is nice to find the likes of Tabasco and a few other favourites from the west however. Of course the markets had a fantastic range or fruit and vegetables and the cold meats and cheddar cheese were there as well.

So yes, we did have a great time, not as good as cycling, but lots of time to enjoy the endless sunshine though the nights were jolly cold. It is a fascinating country with so much to see and do but no we did not go on that crazy "World's most dangerous road" outside of La Paz as there have been so many bad accidents and deaths and also it is so expensive.

We have a six month visa for Peru so the next newsletter will be January 2014,

There will be nicer weather up north as it is winter in Bolivia and southern Peru hence the cool nights at 2000m and freezing cold ones at 4000m so beaches and swimming north of Lima is something we are looking forward to.

The photos tell the story really, so scroll down to view.

The Video Slideshows of Bolivia, Argentina and Chile at 7mins in Full HD are Here

Description of the Photos are below.....