From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

We didn’t get out of Tupiza as early as we would have liked. We still had about 90 km left in Bolivia, and we thought we would spread it over 2 days, to prolong our Bolivian experience a little longer.

We had been worried about Bolivia, and planning for it had been tough. But in the end we enjoyed the culture and people more than in Peru, and the roads weren’t as bad as we were expecting. We came into the country more than a month behind in our itinerary, but we’re leaving only three days behind. So we’re a little sad to be leaving, even as we struggle along the gravel road. It’s under construction, about to be paved. There’s lots of equipment along the way, and detours too, but on the bikes we can weave around the worst of the sand piles and signs. We get to see the torn-up ground, waiting patiently to be covered over in asphalt. Since leaving Tupiza, we’ve had lots of encouragement: the whole construction team knows that there are two cyclists struggling along. While we were taking a break, there was a huge explosion. Apparently, in their surprise at seeing us, the workers had forgotten to mention that they were about to blow up the mountain. A little bit of dynamite and a whole piece of mountain fell onto the road, where we had passed only minutes before. Hearts pounding, and thanking our lucky stars that it hadn’t been a few minutes earlier, we hurried away from the explosion.

After about 40 km, we decided to pitch the tent. Getting back to biking after a week of rest was harder than we thought. The workers had a good laugh when they asked us if we were really going to spend the night here. Well, yeah! And, we’re even going to cook – pasta with tomato sauce.

The next day we had 50 km to go. We were a little choked up: we were about to go into Argentina, where, according to other travelers, you can find everything from good grocery stores to excellent steak and wine. But there was still a long road ahead of us and we wouldn’t be crossing the border until 4:00 pm.

Actually leaving Bolivia didn’t take very long. As they flipped through our passports looking for the Bolivian stamps, the customs officers were astounded at the number of other recent stamps we had!

Just as we crossed over the imaginary border, a customs officer waved us over to the immigration line. We lined up, but after 15 minutes we hadn’t moved at all! That’s when a different officer came over to us and asked us what we were waiting for. Well, customs. Duh. He told us we were in the wrong line, and followed by Sébastien, he took our passports and gave them his colleague in a different office. They asked us all the regular questions, and the two officers were totally incredulous when we told them our story, even though we know that there are lots of cyclo-tourists that cross the border here. They stamped our passports and sent us on our way, happy to have avoided that crazy line!

Next was the health inspection. Well actually, the bikes had to pass the inspection, and then we would be able to relax a little, knowing that we’d been through the most difficult countries, like Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The customs officer asked us to wait…. And then we realized that we had peanuts and apples, neither of which we’re allowed to bring into the country. But then a man came up to us and waved to his colleague that everything was ok, and they let us through.

The sign said only 5121 km to Ushuaia! Our final destination is in sight! Although that is the direct route along Route 40, not going into Chile. It seems like we have only a few more hours left to go!

We celebrated our entry into Argentina with a good steak and the “vino de la casa” in La Quiaca, a town just inside the Argentine border. The steak was great and the wine was strong, especially at 3400 metres in altitude and after two days of biking under a hot sun.

Today was an easy day, 75 km of flat road with a favourable wind. We discovered Argentina, straight roads and light winds, and drivers who wave and flick their lights at us for encouragement. They at least have figured out that deafening us with their horns isn’t helpful at all, not like their Peruvian counterparts. We ended up in Abra Pampa, an unattractive little village on the plains. We found a little “residencial,” a low end hostel. We avoided them as much as possible in Bolivia since the sheets were never clean, there was no shower, no water, and the bathrooms were at the other end of the lot. Juan opened the door to the courtyard, and we weren’t impressed, but I went to see a room anyway. It was all new, very clean, and there was a shower with hot water, a sink and a bidet. There was even wifi… although temperamental.

In two days we’ll head down from the plains, going down 1000 metres each day, and ending up in Jujuy, only 1200 m above sea level. That will be the end of the altiplano for us, with its cold temperatures and glacial winds. No more llamas watching us from afar, and that will be the end of the native culture here, so mysterious to our European eyes.

Sara