I´m now relaxing in Oruro after 230 km in two and a bit days. Oruro is not a spectacular city but nice enough, and a good place to relax. Today I had a PROPER SHOWER, which was amazing.
I started off on Wednesday from La Paz, and the climb out was a bit of a challenge. La Paz is situated 400m below the "altiplano", the high flat region between two ranges of mountains which is for the most part around 4000m high. The combination of a trailer with tent etc, altitude, and ancient Dodge buses spewing out pollution made the climb a challenge. I did go up the hairpined "autopista", which made the gradient a bit less, rather than going straight up the side which would have been shorter, but at 20% gradient there was no way I was going to try that.
Eventually I got up to El Alto, a city in its own right, an Aymara city full of immigrants from the countryside. I passed La Paz Internarional Airport and continued into the countryside. It was FLAT! I did wonder why the sun was in the wrong position, I seemes to be going the wrong way out of La Paz, even though I was right according to the map and the 6500m high Mt Illimani was on the correct side. Then I realised that I was in the Southern Hemisphere where the sun spends the middle of the day to the north!
I heard what must have been Aymara for the first time when I stopped for lunch, I hadn´t heard it in La Paz.
I spent the night in a cheap hotel, and managed 95 km for the first day. Some of the uphills were long, not too steep but certainly difficult due to the luggage and the crap bike I have. For a new bike it quickly developed a collection of problems, maladjusted gears, handbars which don´t do up properly, wheel coming off (fortunately when I was just pulling off, not when I was actually cycling).
The second day I started off early in the morning, and the altiplano gave some very fine views this early. The sun made some very nice shadows on the hills. The morning´s cycling was tough and mainly uphill, but fortunately the afternoon was a bit easier. I gave up about 3.30 after about 95km, about 40km short of Oruro. One bloke rode next to me on his motorbike and had a chat for about 5 min, he told me that I should buy a motorbike instead. It did seem tempting.....
Stopped off at an "alojemento" a small B and B type place. It advertised a shower, but I asked if it was hot. He said, of course its hot, what do you expect? It was hot as promised but unfortunately only a dribble.
This morning I set off early and got to Oruro about 10am. The road was flat and had one small bend in about 40km. I realised too how far one can see up here, I looked back and saw the snow covered peaks surrounding La Paz, about 100 miles away at least.
Been relaxing here all day, I´m going to start my journey to Potosi tomorrow! Hopefully a three day ride, maybe four....
I started off on Wednesday from La Paz, and the climb out was a bit of a challenge. La Paz is situated 400m below the "altiplano", the high flat region between two ranges of mountains which is for the most part around 4000m high. The combination of a trailer with tent etc, altitude, and ancient Dodge buses spewing out pollution made the climb a challenge. I did go up the hairpined "autopista", which made the gradient a bit less, rather than going straight up the side which would have been shorter, but at 20% gradient there was no way I was going to try that.
Eventually I got up to El Alto, a city in its own right, an Aymara city full of immigrants from the countryside. I passed La Paz Internarional Airport and continued into the countryside. It was FLAT! I did wonder why the sun was in the wrong position, I seemes to be going the wrong way out of La Paz, even though I was right according to the map and the 6500m high Mt Illimani was on the correct side. Then I realised that I was in the Southern Hemisphere where the sun spends the middle of the day to the north!
I heard what must have been Aymara for the first time when I stopped for lunch, I hadn´t heard it in La Paz.
I spent the night in a cheap hotel, and managed 95 km for the first day. Some of the uphills were long, not too steep but certainly difficult due to the luggage and the crap bike I have. For a new bike it quickly developed a collection of problems, maladjusted gears, handbars which don´t do up properly, wheel coming off (fortunately when I was just pulling off, not when I was actually cycling).
The second day I started off early in the morning, and the altiplano gave some very fine views this early. The sun made some very nice shadows on the hills. The morning´s cycling was tough and mainly uphill, but fortunately the afternoon was a bit easier. I gave up about 3.30 after about 95km, about 40km short of Oruro. One bloke rode next to me on his motorbike and had a chat for about 5 min, he told me that I should buy a motorbike instead. It did seem tempting.....
Stopped off at an "alojemento" a small B and B type place. It advertised a shower, but I asked if it was hot. He said, of course its hot, what do you expect? It was hot as promised but unfortunately only a dribble.
This morning I set off early and got to Oruro about 10am. The road was flat and had one small bend in about 40km. I realised too how far one can see up here, I looked back and saw the snow covered peaks surrounding La Paz, about 100 miles away at least.
Been relaxing here all day, I´m going to start my journey to Potosi tomorrow! Hopefully a three day ride, maybe four....
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