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Tupiza,
Bolivia
Monday, August 20, 2007
Finally, the sun came up over the hill at 7am. the coffee and furnace got cranked up right away to chase away the frost. Even the propane didn't light right away, the tank required 1/2 an hour of exposure to sunshine first
Dressed up in fleece and toques, we went outside and stood in the sun with our coffee.
On cold nights, we don't pop the roof, so it was little prep to be ready for the road. Once the 1/4 inch of ice was cleared from the windscreen we were good to go. We would have loved to stay another day here, but the thought of another night up here chilled that idea.
After only 3km, it became apparent that the rad was frozen up. I had completely forgotten about the antifreeze situation..... Remember back in Colombia when we had a coolant pipe issue? remember that they looked at me funny when I asked for "antifreeze"? Who's aunty? Well, here's when you remember these things.
Thankfully, I had bought new antifreeze a few days ago, but hadn't installed it yet. Here's the chance.
After only a little while sitting in the sun, the situation was thawed, and away we bounced down the "highway" again.
Soon, the scenery changed drastically from desert and mines to the look of the old wild west that you see in the movies about train robbers. Speaking of which, here is the spot that Butch Cassidy and ths Sundance Kid would up shot. A strange place for American desperadoes to finish their stint. But there they were, robbing trains on the line that we had followed down from Potosi, until they got shot.
As we neared Tupiza, the strange rainbow hued rock formations and odd shaped outcrops kept the camera clocking, as one corner brought new wonders into view.
We reached Tupiza, and toured the town for a while, and found the Hostel in town that welcomed all 3 of us. It was good to get a hot shower to remove the layers of road dust that so quickly acumulate here.
That evening we met up with the Kumuka folks and a French couple we had met in Huanchaco, Peru for supper, Argentinian style!
Poor Eve is so dusty now that it's hard to tell her colour at all. She's sitting safely in a garage now, resting up with a new tire in her belly.
We are staying another day here, enjoying hot sunny days, and not so cold nights, courtesy of the lowered elevation of 2900 meters. It's not a bad town, and will be the last Bolivian town we see, as tomorrow we head to Argentina.
