Butch and Sundance

Trip Start Apr 09, 2006
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Trip End Jun 09, 2007


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Flag of Bolivia  , Potosí,
Monday, March 26, 2007

Tupiza is a sleepy desert town a few hours from the Argentine border.  Set on the Rio Tupiza and surrounded by the rugged and colorful Cordillera de Chichas, the spot is a haven for hiking, biking and horseback riding.  Of course I couldn't wait around to do all these things on separate days - I scheduled the triathlon tour to do all three in one long, hot, ass-pounding day.  The area easily conjures images of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - the two are said to have finally come to their demise 40km from here after robbing a payroll train in 1908.

I scheduled the triathlon along with several of my hostel-mates the night before.  The group consisted of Brits with an Israeli thrown in for flavor.  I call our habitaciones a hostel but it was much more like a hotel than I have been used to.  I had a private room with two beds, private shower with loads of hot water and breakfast included for only 50 Bolivianos ($6USD).  PLUS there was a pool out back with great views of the painted desert scenery beyond.  Viva Bolivia...I'm diggin' it so far!

So, the crew headed out at roughly 9AM for the first leg of the triathlon - it was a 12km bike ride south of town down a dusty and dirty road.  The surroundings were stunning but were briefly interrupted from time to time by the passing of a bus or truck.  D U S T Y !!  Although at a higher altitude (2,950m) that I have been at recently, I really felt no ill effects.  The girls, however, struggled to finish the 12km, much less jeep up.  They finally pulled into a roadside rest stop and we loaded the bikes on the roof of the jeep for a little ride to our picnic location.

After a brief lunch of sandwiches and some yummy maize tamales we headed to the farm.  There I was to add a new form of transportation to my life experience - horses.  It's true, I have never been on a horse before in my life and I thought this place would be a good location to remedy that oversight.  Unfortunately, I was to find out that I am allergic to horses.  Who knew??  My nose was in constant and full-force run and the sides of my face were stained with salt from the tears.  My head pounded without end.  Even so, I didn't give up and was treated to probably the most spectacular scenery of the area.  I guess it had something to do with all that marathon training....I just couldn't dismount and walk.  Or perhaps that's just optimistic - let's face it...I'm just stubborn.

After returning to the farm we again loaded into the 4WD for our ascent high above town.  From here we would return to the bikes for a looong ride back down to town.  All in all it was an exhausting day but is sure to be one of those that sticks out in my mind!  As usual, the change in scenery and people have reinvigorated me and am having a blast.

More from the sea of salt.
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