Bolivia IX: Copata to Patacamaya

More altiplano, great riding with a trailer

The morning was very cold, as expected when you ride in late Autumn at 3800 mts, but the sun came up quickly to warm us up.

After packing, we got moving again to our next target, Patacamaya, a relatively flat ride of 50 km. This village is reasonably big as this is the crossroads to go into Chile and to visit the Sajama, the highest peak in Bolivia.

So far we are really enjoying cycling in Bolivia. Because we are staying in the altiplano side of the country, the road is relatively flat, with only small elevations each day, and when they come, they have low gradients, which make them great to ride when you are pulling a trailer with kids.

Also, so far the roads have a wide hard-shoulder, reasonably clean, where you can ride relaxed.

And on top of that Bolivian drivers, although not particularly skilled, at least they are much more prudent than their Peruvian neighbors, so they leave you space when overtaking and they don’t drive as fast.

When we arrived in Patacamaya we looked for a place to eat. We were in the capital of charquekan, a local dish made with sundried llama meat, boiled eggs, soft cheese and potatoes, typical in the Aymara culture. It was actually quite nice, even if nobody except me liked it, which meant I got double portions, score!

Susanne was not interested in paying over the odds for a very basic roadside hotel catering for truck drivers, so we decided to put the tent in the main square, Plaza Avaroa, where they had a podium for concerts and other events.

We were of course the center of attention until it got dark, with people asking where were we coming from, where are we going,… all the usual questions.

But once it got dark it got very quiet so we could sleep well. Bolivia in this regard is also very safe, people don’t get into each other business and prefer to keep the distance.