Sunshine and Switchbacks: Oruro to Vila Vila

Thursday, February 11: 18km, Oruro to wild camp near Cala Cala. 

We departed Oruro in the late afternoon, stopping on the way out for last minute food shopping and a final visit to the best ice cream shop in Bolivia (that we've found...). We were soon out of the city bounds and onto rolling hills, the atiplano breaking down.

We found an excellent wild camping spot looking over a wide valley, with Oruro just visible in the distance.

Oruro visible top right

After 10 days living a very lazy life in the city, it felt good to get back on the bikes.

Friday, February 12th: 37km, Cala Cala to wild camp near Bolivar

The next morning we followed a surprisingly hilly, curvy road westward.

We spent the night in another solid campsite, although the views were not quite those of the evening before.

Saturday, February 13th: 58km, near Bolivar to Sacaca

Curvy roads continued, with cool rocks and occasional small villages.

After Bolivar we climbed up and the landscape changed. Bigger views, less green.

Looking down from above.

We pulled into Sacaca around 5pm and discovered it was their Carnival! Within five minutes we had each been offered and drunk two tutumas (gourd cups) of chicha (the local home-brew alcohol, similar to kombucha, but more alcoholic) and a shot of something from a sprite bottle. We had also been told where the only hostel in town was, and then, instead, offered beds by a very friendly drunk old man. We followed him back to his little house, were introduced to his wife and daughter, put our bikes in the living room, and were told to get back out there. 

We were then beckoned into a parade of people singing and doing a shuffling sort of dance. The column was led by kids dancing with 12ft tall cloth and papier mâché puppet costumes on. We danced around the main streets of the town until all of a sudden were ushered into a stranger's house as a massive hailstorm hit the town. About a dozen of us filed into a storage room of sorts, where the dancing and singing and drinking continued until the storm blew over. Then it was back out for more parading! When it got dark and cold, we ducked out of the parse and ate a big dinner then tried to sleep, although the continuing festivities made the little town quite noisy. 

Sunday, February 14th: 12km, Sacaca to wild camp near Vila Vila

In the morning, we were fed breakfast by our hosts, a traditional local dish of boiled potatoes and very runny soft boiled eggs. We then went to the town's hospital, and spent a couple of hours procuring more antibiotics for Adie, who's stomach problems had returned shortly after finishing the first prescription. This time, double the dose, and 10 days not a week. The doctor also weighed me (Adie) and I have lost 25lbs. I haven't weighed this little since high school. We had been weighed by the doctor in Oruro but hadn't believed his scale (where could I have lost 25lbs from?), but this confirmed something else too: Lucy has also lost 25lbs, which is proportionally much more for her than me. It's unclear how much of this is due to huge amounts of exercise, bad quality food that makes it hard to eat enough, or stomach illness. And, in Adie's case, atrophy of the arm muscles due to drastic reduction in use! 

We had to fight to get out of Sacaca, as we had been befriended by another drunk old man. He gave us a tour of his house, while telling us most of his life story, the only perk of which was that meanwhile we ate a couple of incredibly delicious apples from his backyard apple tree! 

Upon leaving town we discovered plenty of climbing and unfortunately, cobbled road. We spent a while debating whether cobbles or washboard was worse, but were unable to come to a definitive conclusion. 

Thankfully the view from the cobbles was decent.

We pitched the tent on a warm sunny evening, not far from a small town. We felt a bit awkward camping so close to the village. Turned out it was the last day of their carnival too, and later in the evening, the whole village appeared on the hillside next to our camp, singing and playing music. A delegation of youths came over, and we chatted about the journey and were asked if we needed water or anything. 

We have been enjoying the greater availability of fruit and veg here, off the altiplano. Here is Lucy with our new favorite veggie, zapayo, a pumpkin-sized squash which you can buy slices of by the kilo. It cooks quickly and tastes great.