so after a very long break i was back in Bolivia

there were a whole lot of new items on my gear list which you will hear about later but fist and most importantly is the new 100mm rims!

now the scariest part is that these wheels are build by me and I am really not too confident in them…

setting ghetto/duct tape tubeless was a multi day venture and after many failed attempts and about half a liter of stans wasted.. it is on!!!

it was time to leave my friends and my dog friends behind in the warm town of Mecapaca and head over somewhere colder and with more mountains.

I saved myself from the hectic (and steep!) streets of La Paz by riding the teleferico, which allows bicycles although mine had to get checked to make sure there is no motor.

the ride out of El Alto was hectic, dusty and busy. One of the new additions was Sony RX10 camera which I definitely felt hesitant waving around and especially around people. But soon enough I was out in the altiplano and i wasn’t the only one riding a bike

it was an early camp but at a spot I knew from before, giving me enough time to finish up few things with the wheels before the thunderstorms rolled in

and I just had a sneak peak at the big mountains, the plan actually… is to go north again for few days and then ride south as an experiment: last I rode to La Paz from the border I did it in two days but I wondered what I missed on the way…

packing up felt like a mess, i did not know what went where and I am saving you any photos of the kitchen sink that my cockpit currently is

I rode through few odd towns via the dirt roads

and along the highway again for a little ways

I always have mixed feelings about these overpasses, seems like the locals do too and have put few rocks so they can hop the barrier

it really felt this highways was just built out of thin air into the countryside and it was not uncommon to see carts, donkeys and people walking it like they would any other country road

soon enough I was on The Dead Dog Highway and really admired all these furry creatures and how they can have the patience to watch cars go by every day in hopes a bread or something gets thrown out the window

first chance i got to get off the pavement I took and although it was only 2pm, i set up camp. not everyday you get a view like this!

then I decided to hit the shore and sleep there which in retrospect was a much louder night (wind waves and of course the nightly downpour)

morning was bleak until the sun came out and I had just a little bit of dirt before riding the highway to the border

Yan, a cyclist who has been biking around the world for over 7 years and certainly not blogging, instagramming or snapchatting? about it caught up to me. We spent few days in La Paz with a warmshowers host Neil. We went on a little go around to avoid climbing a hill.

Bolivia was one of his favorite countries so far and a lot of his riding he did in the lower altitudes, which makes me wonder if I will ever drop down… but everynow and then he would just drop out of the conversation, due to sand!!!

after more road and a quick thunderstorm we were at Puerto Acosta and its overly friendly big dog

if you happen to pass by that border crossing in the future, dont give him bread, he doesnt like it as much as getting proper leftovers from the restaurant nearby.

Yan set up for the night at one of the covered stadiums while I ran around town trying to find some vegetables. The only store that had veggies, the lady working there said no and then talked in her native language. It was odd but I think I was just refused to be sold Onions. After such exhausting search I just went to see one of the hostels and it was $4 for a room, first floor (NO STAIRS! and also likely no stars!) and a friendly dog and it really looked like it will rain, no need to be a hero now…

just few minutes from town, the road turned to this!

and all the fluffy animals the higher altitude brought

I was way out there, remote, rugged, cold and beautiful. To my biggest surprise a giant bus drove up… Really?

He pulled over at the top of the pass and I knew that there was no way out of here with such a big ride, having ridden the other two forks six months ago. We talked for a bit and he wanted to sell me some drug that starts with an H and was really surprised I did not know about it. “Come on, you gringos all know it”. Then I kind of realized that this is the border and he may as well be smuggling that into Peru, in plain sight with a giant bus.

road was there then it wasnt. Odd, very odd. Maybe because parts of it were in peru and parts in bolivia and whoever built the road was like “Well… not my country… not going to build a road here…”

i set up early again for a good view and good wind protection

i was out during that wonderful time when the alpackas are released into the land. Such a magical feeling as they move together with a slight urgency as if the pastures may not be there when they arrive.

I passed again by this little friendly peruvian town and its one-moto bridge to bolivia. The woman at the store wasnt there but few people recognized me (or rather the bici-moto!) Sadly the little alpaca whom i had a photo with did not make it and it somehow did not come as a surprise, she was abandoned by her alpaca mom and when I told them this was so sad, a man said “wait” and ran off, came back running with a baby sheep. I decided not to handle it as I am know for dropping baby animals from my bike.

the sheep is like, “please, oh my dog, why are you putting me on a solar panel???”

it was really amazing how the whole town got together to chat and ask questions and poke the big tires of the bike. When I was off, everybody went back to playing or doing what they were before

and ahead I had Bolivia and its time to ride south again!