Having completed the Jesuit Mission circuit I was back in Santa Cruz, hanging out with the “Quirkies”, looking for Mennonites and feeling sorry for market girls. I travel back in time to the 1940s and the Riva Palacios Mennonite Colony to visit a family, before returning to the mountains near Samaipata to hunt condors….
After Amboro, I head further east, deeper in to the Amazon, following the 1000 km Jesuit Missions circuit towards the Brazilian border. Ravaged by mosquitoes and savaged by spiders, I continue to Laguna Concepción and an interesting ranch stay before travelling on through the Mennonite colonies to reach Santa Cruz.
In Part 4 of Bolivia: After the testing Devils’ Road (from Part 3), I take it easy in laid-back Samaipata, go in search of Ernesto “Ché” Guevara during Holy Week, and then visit Amboró National Park first from the mountainous south and then across the rising rivers of the north as the rainy season begins. As usual I write far too much about far too little….
In Part 3 of Bolivia, read as the journey continues, still dropping in altitude on my way from the high cool altiplano to the lowland Amazon. From Tupiza now in the south of Bolivia, heading out east through meteor craters, down towards sea level again and the hot jungle, as well as the hottest place I’ve ever visited, before attempting a ride through this infernal green ocean north along the fiery “Devil’s Road”, one long isolated trail, 600km direct to Sucre….maybe
Continuing from Uyuni part one…..Read the continuing story from the town of Uyuni where I’d previously returned defeated – and tired – in the previous chapter. Now I try again, riding 700km in the south-west corner of Bolivia on its famous, popular and remote Lagunas Route. But the fuel issues weren’t over as I rode and continued on my way round Bolivia via ghost towns and endless high passes and volcanic lakes to finally leave the altiplano heading to geologically stupendous Tupiza in search of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid!
Some of my favourite ever riding: Leaving beloved Peru for Bolivia via the highest navigable lake in the world, at nearly 4000m Lake Titicaca, then the fantastic ride through jungly Yungas and the narrow single lanes to Coroico and the start of the infamous Road of Death! Into La Paz and then a fantastic ride through Bolivia’s exquisite altiplano region via the high volcano region of Sajama at 6542m! 120km crossing of the salt flats in Uyuni, the biggest in the world….getting lost in the process!
