Oruro

May 31, 2025 to June 1, 2025

Saturday the 31st of Mat 2025

We didn't feel cold when we went to sleep last night but in the hour or two before sunrise the temperature dropped.

Screenshot from Leigh's cellphone at seven o'clock this morning.

Sunrise was at about ten to seven but with us being in a shallow valley it took another three quarters of an hour before the rays of the sun touched the tent, the inside of which had a layer of frost from the condensation freezing.

The condensation from our breath froze on the inside of the tent's flywheel.

With the air being so dry there was no dew or frost on the outside of the tent. Thankfully the sun defrosted and dried the inside of the tent very quickly despite the temperature hovering around zero degrees.

Our water bottles were frozen But one 2 liter bottle not completely so which meant we could have coffee and maté with our breakfast of boiled eggs and stale bread.

We got going at about nine thirty. Once again the day started with a long and gentle climb. After twenty two kilometers of slow cycling we glided down to the town of Konani, quickly deciding that we would use the bypass and avoid the town center.

It the distance behind Leigh's head Illimani is still (barely) visible. We have been fortunate enough to have had clear views of all three of Bolivia's highest peaks.

Skipping Konani was a mistake. The road from there to Oruro turned out to be devoid of places to buy food or liquids and we hadn't had anything to eat or drink since breakfast apart from some Maria biscuits and the water we were carrying. To compound matters, it was dead straight, flat and unattractive. We put our heads down and rode hard until we reached the outskirts of Oruro where a coke revived us.

Salt pans started to appear as we neared Oruro.

We are spending two nights at the Azul Real Hotel. Clean and comfortable. Soon after we checked in an English cycle tourist traveling northwards arrived, Katherine from a village near Cambridge. She popped up to see us in our room later that evening and we had a long natter while we ate our supper of grilled chicken and rice.

Sunday the 1st of June 2025

Breakfast was good. Nice fruit salad, fresh orange juice, fried eggs, ham and cheese. Lots more sharing of route information with Katherine.

Afterwards we had a long walk through town picking up odds and sods for the journey southwards to Uyuni. In particular for Leigh a pair of warm tracksuit pants in which to sleep when we are camping.

Then a great steak lunch washed down with a bottle of wine at a parilla restaurant close by.

All in all a great rest day.

Tomorrow we head to Poopó.

Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 947 km (588 miles)

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Elspeth JarmanEnjoyed catching up with this on our rest day. Sorry you both had tummy trouble. That's my one big memory of La Paz! You have seen lots more snowy peaks than we did, looks fantastic.
Keep warm if you can, better.
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2 weeks ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Elspeth JarmanThanks Elsp. Good to see you guys are now on Hokkaido, our favourite of the Japanese islands. Great camping options, always with an onsen within walking distance.
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2 weeks ago