On the road again / La Paz to Uyuni

3/12 So after a good while off he bike, I have now begun my journey back to Santiago through northern Argentina. After I left La Paz, I headed directly to Oruro, which wasn't too much for the first day back on the bike again.

From Oruro, I was told it would take me about 5 hours to Uyuni, where I wanted to visit the Salt Flats, and see if one could get access to the Dakar track. 

I really enjoyed the first part of the route with a wide open country side of clear green and yellow fields and mountains at the horizon! I also saw scattered small mud huts, and people hearing their sheep, llamas, and cows along the way. I just sat back in the seat to totally take in the beautiful sights as I comfortably cruised by on the perfectly paved road. At times I thought about how it happens that the mountains in the distance seem to be hovering in mid air, but did not come to a scientific explanation.

I stopped on the way to eat some corn and cheese that a nice lady was selling along the road. When i explained my goal for the day, she thought i was not going to be able to make it to Uyuni that same day, which got me a little stressed. But just after I saw the 200km Uyuni sign, I thought to myself, "great! I'll be home in 2-3 hours!!" ...but just then did the road turn, and turned into a really bad dirt road.

 I had to slow down to about 25 to manage the poor condition of the road. I thought to myself"this can't seriously go on for more than a few km." but I came to realize that it was good for another 150 I'm before arrivin to Uyuni. "Alright, 150 km, not too bad ... 30 km/hr ~ 5 HOURS!!!" And 5 hr later, chased by a lightning storm, I arrive to the dessert city of Uyuni and found myself accommodation min before the rain begun.

+8 hrs driving, the real poor road conditions, and the desert sun, I feel like I just completed a Dakar race!!

My experience in the Peruvian mountains

Not more than I new about orchids before I arrived to Peru, was I aware of the actual field work ahead of me in the mountains. All the crazy jungle stories I had heard in my life came back to form this vivid idea of what I was about to encounter in the "real jungle". Although my week out in the mountains did not realize this particular fantasy (and maybe better so), I was astonished by the vivid range of plants and life in these rain forests, and the breathtaking mountains all around us. 

Just arrived at Tarapoto

The mode of transportation!

We travelled about 16 hours the first day to get deep into the mountains. From Tarapoto where we landed with the plane, we took a 1,5 hr cab ride to Moyobamba, where we changed cab and had some over-due brunch (lunch & breakfast). After the necessary brunch we were off again, and started to approach the actual mountains. The humid weather and the lunch made us all a bit sleepy, so I decided to take a little nap in the back seat, ...and turned out to not be he only one. I woke straight up when Stig announced to Saul napping in the front seat: "Saul! Saul, the driver is also sleeping!"

We stopped to allow the driver to buy some energy drink and coca-leafs to chew on. Now, as we made it up into the mountains, with killer precipices on one side, and a curvy road ahead holding but one regular vehicle, I did not sleep much for the remaining 4-5 hours drive! Not only did my heroic escape plans of how to throw myself out of the car in the case that the car would drive off the road keep me occupied, but the stunning view of the jungle covered mountains in the white fog deserved its audience. 

We decided to stick with the driver, even though we were seriously considering to swap him out, and we arrived safely to Chachabomba in the evening. I noticed I had regained my appetite after my swing with salmonella in Bolivia, and ate two entire pizzas that night! Stig became my personal food advisor, so whenever the plates arrived on the table, I looked at Stig, (with almost a puppy face) for approval before devouring the plate of food I front of me. - what got left behind was almost always lettuce and home-made sauces, which made the food we ate veery dry. Ketchup help with the fries!

Our delicious breakfast we enjoyed
every morning

We woke up at 7, ate some breakfast before Saul, without our touristic presence organized a cab for the day, as we wanted to make stops along the way to Mendoza, which were to become our HQ for the week. I was excited to get started! - In Lima they have even put up street signs to advocate a quieter traffic, but our new (very alert driver) busted the horn in each curve as we had just left the city behind us and found ourselves with steep precipices and a narrow road ahead as we continued deeper into the mountains.

Getting ready

After awhile, we arrived a little creek between two mountain sides. This were to become our first search. We put our gear on, and I was pumped to find some gorgeous orchids! I threw myself into the vegetation, fought myself up the steep slope, constantly keeping my eyes open for flowers! 

At times I stopped amazed at the thriving world of plants and vines in all shapes and forms, about everywhere you looked. When you took a moment, it really started to sink in what a rich diversity and prosperity of life that existed, and how little of it you actually saw and understood. 

                                                  -

...but no orchids, none that my eyes could find. "No big deal, let's move on, gotta be around here somewhere!" So I continued to climb over tree trunks, through webs of slings, and under seas of fern! I sat again, marvelled at the rich diversity of plants, eye- hawking for orchids. At a point, I heard the small stream again and decided it was time to head back. So I grabbed a couple reliable fern and started my decent down to the stream. At times I slipped and got entirely submerged in them, and had to find a reliable foot to get my head above the surface again. 

Tired, but frilled at my first encounter with he jungle, I regrouped wih Stig and Saul. Now, this is the time when you show the rest of the group your amazing findings, and brag about your success. "But man, all I ever saw was just a bunch of leafs! I thought we were looking for flowers, orchids!!!"

The leaf bragging community! :)

I told them, "I saw a bunch of those in there, and those too!! There were so many I could take them with me!" And the truth is, there were leafs everywhere! At the next stop, Stig patiently showed me the difference between plants with leafs, and orchids with leafs. "Ahhhh, now I see! ...them everywhere." And there were orchids about everywhere I looked, but now I actually knew they were orchids! .... Now I just had to find the rare orchids! ...Great! 

"Aw what a beautiful flower! Stig! Stig! Look here! ... ah, just a regular flower eh, not a orchid. Sure, not that interesting then". As my two, professional companions ran around the woods, I decided to take some time to look around, enjoy the time, and focus on something I knew a little about, photography.

But as the days went on, I must say that I actually started to see the difference between the certain species, even though most of what I collected was immediately dismissed. "Por que sólo traés basura bo!?" - did my humorous friend Saul ask me when I joined the group again "Why did you only bring garbage!?" "...thanks Einstein!" :P

We visited new areas each day, and were specifically looking for a small number of orchids. We found 3 / 4 of the really important species during our expedition. When we got back to town and had dinner, not even what was still in me of my military discipline kept me up, even after one or two cups of coffee. The amount of orchid terms I tried to process, along with the sheer exercise made it hard to stay up till a decent hour. In the morning we all reunited for the epic breakfast before the next days adventure!  

Saul explained to me how, you can go with out food, climb a mountain, endure heavy rainfalls in search of orchids. Because, when you find them, it's all worth it! - And sure enough, although we were well fed, we fought through most obstacles and weather conditions to find the orchids. And how their faces lit up the when they found their precious species. - I could only smile and be reminded of Christmas when I was younger! 

...to be continued

A Swedish Coffee Shop in La Paz - Café del Mundo

I can't count my time here in La Paz /Bolivia as the highlight of the trip so far, and this is not to be misunderstood as criticism toward the city, the Bolivians, nor the vibrant culture. - I guess I drew the short straw, had extremely bad luck wih the food, or just experiencing the short-comings of my very delicate Swedish stomach. 

With a Swedish gingercookie house - Impressive!!

So, now recovering from yet another round of 'travellers diarrhea' and stomach pain, I have found a bright light in the darkness around. If not for the Swedish flag, I would never have discovered the Swedish "Fika" Coffee shop!! 

The atmosphere is very cozy, with the walls decorated with photos from all around the world. Elin the owner, drops in every now and then and make you feel right at home, when being very far from home. The menu includes everything from Scandinavian / American breakfast options to homemade salads and juicy hamburgers, and of course very good coffee!  

 Yeah!! So now I will update you all on the latest happenings, Peru!

The Swedish Crew - There ARE Swedish people in South America!!

Peru; & a thing or two about Orchids

Peru! What was going to be a motorbike adventure all the way up to Lima, took a temporary break in La Paz (Salmonella) and landed me on a flight to Lima a week later. In retrospect, i don´t think it was an entirely bad thing to leave the bike out of the Peruvian adventure, and heed the many warnings of driving alone in Peru. I was convinced that big city traffic, dangerous suburbs, and driving alone wouldn't be more of a problem than what I had already confronted along my way, but honestly, it was nice break from spending days on end in the drivers seat. 

The Wild Orchid Man

I met up with Stig at the airport in Lima. Stig, also known as the Wild Orchid Man in his community and a good friend to my family. In the car from the airport, he explained to me what in fact he is dedicating his life to. My blurred and misinformed idea of the orchid world quickly came into focus, and it started to make sense why someone would find interest and passion in collecting, and even studying this surprisingly complex plant. Orchids have actually evolved for over a 100 million of years and thrive in all parts of the world (apart from Antarctica), thus proving to be one of the most adaptable plants on our planet. 

Stig and Saul

Furthermore, there is a huge market world wide for orchids and it is quite a profitable business (especially trade with more unusual species). Stig told me something which I hadn´t paid attention to, that you´ll actually find orchids in most of the apartment windows in Sweden, and surely Sweden would not be an exception. Still, despite the world wide trade and profitability, it is of an entirely different reason that Stig and his partners head out into the jungle to look for the unique and rare plants. During my stay with Stig and his companion Saul, I witnessed a dedicated and very attentive work to the science of Orchids and the protection of new endangered species. 

There are in fact over 25,000 species of Orchids, belonging to one of +800 existing families. Still, many new species are found and "described" to the community each year. Saul explained to me that this is one of the most exciting parts of the of their work, to find something no one has ever seen before and then describe it. Still, they see it as very important to collect specimen of not yet completely described, rare or endangered species to protect them, improve the information available and increase their numbers.

It was truly a privilege to witness all the scientific work behind their passion of this perculiar plant. Saul also work in the orchid business and sell orchids around the world. Stig, now retired, travel around the work to dedicate his time to he study and protection of orchids.  

And heads up! - For those of you driving in and around Lima on motorbikes, the traffic is truly chaotic, uncompromising, and without mercy. A perfect spot for someone to relieve you of your belongings in heavy traffic. 

How to avoid food poisoning and what to od when you get it

Food poison is the least thing you would want to deal with when you are off travelling far from home, enjoying breathtaking scenery, exploring new places and cultures, and being away from your old work-routines. But avoiding "traveller´s diarrhea" is not straight-forward, and least of all a certain science. I was clearly not well informed when I arrived to Bolivia and Peru. Fortunately, there are some straight-forward steps you can take to significantly reduce the risk of becoming affected. 

Even though street food is often a rewarding step into the culture and life-styles of the native people, there is absolutely no guarantee of decent hygiene levels nor basic food safety in the preparation or preservation of the food. In Bolivia, it is highly recommended to avoid food from street vendors, but also keep in mind that meat is generally poorly treated hence making it a good host for bad bacteria.  

In Peru, my friends warned me about eating lettuce, explaining that it can often be washed with unclean water, thus carrying bad bacteria with it. Home-made mayonnaise and other sauces are also items to be cautions about, as there is no guarantee how long they have been left out. During my 10-days stay in Peru, I ate mainly chicken with french-fries, with exception for the lasagna and pizza that were occasionally offered! 

Here are some steps to avoid food poisoning:

1) Do not drink tap water! - Stay true to bottled / boiled water! Hence, avoid food that can have been washed or in contact with dirty water; (ex. ice).

2) Do not eat fruit or veggies that cannot be peeled. Especially not leafy veggies like lettuce or spinach.

3) Ensure that your food is thoroughly and recently cooked, served right-out-of-the-oven so to speak. Thus, avoid buffets, ice cream bars, home-made sauces (although sealed packages are mostly safe).

To sum it up: "Cook it, wash it, peel it or forget it".

What to do if you get food poisoning:

I was told by a doctor in Sweden that antibiotics is usually not needed in the "western" world, as you will start to recover within a few days. However, it is not a bad option when travelling in Asia or Central / South America. 

Hydration:

The most important thing to keep in mind is to stay hydrated. On my very laborious trips outside my bed room, I bought bread, bananas, and 2 lt bottles of water in which I  added a good amount with salt and sugar from the cafeteria. Furthermore, "white food", like rice, white bread, banana is recommended to eat, and the salt and sugar from the water will keep you replenished on salt and your energy level a little higher.

Private bathroom:

Not only is it convenient to have a toilet close by, but for the safety of the people around you, it is highly recommended to not share the bathroom with others. This will reduce the likelihood of spreading the bacteria to others. For this reason, it is vital that you are extremely tentative with your hygiene. (Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, with soap!) 

Here are some good reads of how to avoid what non of want to go through while travelling:

http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Having-Diarrhea-During-Travel

http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/safety-and-health/food-safety-how-to-avoid-getting-sick-while-traveling

http://blog.sitata.com/how-to-avoid-food-poisoning-what-to-do-if-you-get-sick/

La Paz

I was immediately amazed by La Paz in ways other than the hectic traffic, and I really wanted to stay for a longer time to get to know the city (I had once so anxiously wanted to leave behind) and its different culture. This cultural difference is evident in which ever direction you look in, and I could only marvel at the laborious, yet familiar life style of the natives. I was hoping that my stay would answer some of my questions regarding the Bolivian culture and life style.

   

My Bolivian friend in La Paz had recommended me to visit the fish market to enjoy some Bolivian food for breakfast. So in the morning I set off up the highly inclined streets asking around for the fish market. Along the way, I could not stop staring at the women sitting surrounded by their products in the middle of their neatly organized stands (till the end of the day), the waves of micros (small vans/buses) loudly announcing their destinations, and the very traditional dresses that the people were wearing. I still found the whole atmosphere surprisingly peaceful, despite its very disorganized traffic of pedestrians and micros. I finally found the fish market and entered one of the restaurants, asking for a traditional Bolivian plate.  

There is unfortunately a very limited amount of work possibilities in La Paz, even for those with higher education. Thus, most people go great lengths to earn their living. Yet, the burden is shared among other workers when sitting down to enjoy a good meal. I see women sitting in the streets surrounded by their big pots, out of which they serve their customers who sit down around the constellation. And, there is little of no waste as the plates are washed when handed back. At the end of the day, the pots are stored back into a typical blanket, which the women use to carry things along with them, and brought back home to prepare food for yet another day.  

I quickly learned (the hard way) the tough consequences of not being cautions with the food you eat. Especially food from the street, which can be very poorly treated before / after being cooked, hence carrying a lot of bad bacteria (especially meat!). Not even a half week into my stay in La Paz I got pretty bad case of diarrhea, which after a few days had left my body completely exhausted and dehydrated. Fortunately my friend´s friend, who is a doctor, not only diagnosed it as Salmonella and thankfully gave me some antibiotics to cure it. - I had some of my worst days since my military service, with nausea, headaches, stomach pain, and back / leg cramps! :/ Just had live it through and stay hydrated. It is worth reading up the matter before visiting Bolivia and Peru, because it is not worth it being careless! Here is my blog:
http://motorbiketoursa.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-avoid-food-poisoning-and-what-to.html

Could not believe my eyes, but I guess it makes sense to install a ...ski-lift! :)

La Paz is also famous for the numerous outdoor stores that sell camping gear and North Face jackets for a real cheap buck. You can find most of the along the street: Illampu. This is also the very touristic area with countless souvenir and Bolivian handcraft stores, where you definitely will find yourself a Llama t-shirt, a Bolivian poncho, a guitar with a colorful casing, and  much more.

Accommodation: I recommend El Lobo Hostal, which offer rooms from only US$4-5 per night, or next door which has a more of a party atmosphere. Direction: Illampu # 807

Restaurant: Due to my bad experiences with the food in La Paz, I frequently visited these two amazing pizzerias! Martini Pizza and Gladys, both making delicious thin crust pizzas with quality ingredients.

Although I wanted to stay in La Paz for a some time, I did not imagine it this way. Still, as I was recovering my strength and energy, it was about time to leave Bolivia for a short visit to the Peruvian mountains. Even if I am still left with many questions about the Bolivian culture, I will continue to explore as I later make my way across the country. 

Arriving at La Paz & the cultural shock

The "highway" toward La Paz was mostly under construction and the 130km took me around 2-3 hours. I was confused to see so many brick houses unfinished, so many parts of the road under construction but with no workers, and bridge projects merely started, but seemingly left unfinished. Also along the way, I saw many women working in the fields, families moving their animals to / from the fields, a life style that requires a completely different approach and attitude than what I think most "westerners" are used to.

When I arrived at the outside neighbourhoods of La Paz, I noticed a significant increase in cars, pedestrians, and unfinished brick houses. When I had arrived to what seemed as a market, I almost started to panic as a cultural shock of the (to me) poor condition of the people, all the unfinished brick buildings around, and a over-swelled road  with traffic and pedestrians that concerned themselves with nothing but their own business. I obviously had given no thought to how Bolivia could be different from Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, but here it caught me right up front. - I patiently dealt with it as well as I could till I arrived to La Paz.

View of La Paz 

La Paz did not seem to improve things in my mind, and I must admit I was considering just passing through (if I could ever have found the exit). When I approached the city from above the valley, I witnessed a sea of brick buildings covering the entire valley up to the rim of the neighbouring mountain tops. The seemingly unstructured and enormous city harboured a traffic flow acting similarly to a stream as it evades rocks, cuts turns, ever seeking the shortest route along its path. Very luckily I found storage for my bike and accommodation for myself, so that I could begin to deeper discover this new world I had arrived at. 

La Paz

I must speak out to fellow motorbike travellers, unless you are already familiar or comfortable driving in "chaotic" cities such as Lima (Peru) and La Paz, take caution, or arrange a different way of visiting these cities (ex. store your bike in a nearby city, and take the bus).  

Bolivia 1st Day

At the border

Crossing the border from Lauca park was not a problem (on the motorbike). After passing the huuge lineup of trucks, and some running around at the border control confused as to how and in what order to pick up and fill out papers, I was able to continue toward the Bolivian side of the border, through the no-man´s-land. 

At this point the rain had caught up with me, and did not only wet bags and myself, but caused a short blackout at two offices that I had to visit, thus leaving my bike and my bags out in the rain for longer. At the end though, I past the border and left the rain behind (even if I saw it following me in the side mirror for the next 200 km. 

Rain rain rain!!

Happy camper!

But, these 200 km exhibited some of the most stunning landscapes I have seen! I was amazed by the variety and sharply distinct landscapes that I enjoyed along the road. Unfortunately most of it did not make for good photos, so I can only highly recommend entering / exiting Bolivia along the Bolivian 4-route, through Lauca Park in Chile. I definitely noticed the change of country, as I passed by small clay / brick huts along the main road, many of them with a broken roof. I had so many questions about Bolivia, and the different culture and life styles when I drove on toward La Paz.

Patacamaya

Patacamaya was the first "town" where I felt I had a decent chance to find accommodation, and I quickly checked in at a truck-hostal, for a mere $5 /night, a lot better than the $15 / night I paid in Chile! And at this point the rain had caught up.

Due to the rain and some thunder, the city had (as normal) temporary lost its electricity, which meant that I could not change money, nor put gas in the tank. After asking around, I found a store where the owner both changed money (at a higher rate) and sold me some litres of gas. More than what most people could bargain for. And with my accommodation paid for and gas in the tank, I set off for La Paz, knowing very little of what I was getting myself into...

Perú

I have just landed in Peru, and was picked up by a good friend to my family. Tomorrow morning we will be flying out to Tarapoto to spend about a week out in the jungle doing some research of the flora there. When I get back to La Paz on the 18th again, I will try to upload my adventures from Bolivia as well as from this trip in Peru!

Talk to you soon! - Rasmus

Daily routine - travel time / distance

To give you some hits from my experiences so far when it comes to travel time / distance and routine. When I read up about this myself, I found most people recommending a 350 km / day, even though it is not impossible at all to push for +500 km. I have come to realize that, although you may be able to push yourself farther for some days, it all catches up with you in the end. Here we go:

I think 350 km / day is a good calculation to use when preparing for a trip. But it is also important to include days of rest to recover both your body and mind. I have seen people use a 80 - 20% to set aside time to rest. I`d recommend anything from 20-30% of your days travelling should be allocated to rest. Even on the road, I usually ride for 50 min, and then take a 10 min break. Don`t forget to set aside 30-60 min lunch too.

Now it does not seem like much to ride just 3-4 hours a day, but for a novice rider like myself, I have learned not to push myself much farther than that. And here is where the routine comes in, which is really what saves you time in the end! To get up in the morning, to pack up your things and get the motorbike ready, and to have breakfast. On the road, it will be your breaks that really determine how fast you will arrive at your destinations, rarely your actual speed on the road. So do not push your bike or your speed limit to make up for "lost time", work on your routine.


I just have to say a word or two about Patience, maybe the most improtant / rewarding concept on your trip. Never rush yourself on the road! Never stress yourself to get somewhere before a certain time / date! Being stressed, irritated, or even tired on the road, can have fatal consequences. Instead, give yourself ample time, so you can enjoy the ride, make stops to take photos, and arrive in time to look for accomodation 2-3 hours before sunset. Also, keep in mind to check air pressure, gas station situation, and how well your luggage is tied down!

Any questions or comments, put them in the comment "box" por favor! :) - Enjoy the ride!!