Bike travel, commuting and more

Panamericana

Bolivia VI: Batallas to El Alto

Break on the road

Plenty of peaks in the background

We made it to La Paz. And another strike!

After the long night, Simon luckily woke up fully recovered, so we got ready to reach the capital today. The route should be mostly flat, with only a slight uphill to El Alto at the end of the day.

Leaving Batallas, no idea what this sign means
Leaving Batallas, no idea what this sign means

Most people had recommended to stay in El Alto, at 4200 mts, instead of going down to La Paz, at about 3600 mts. That way, we would avoid the crazy traffic in the city, and also the difficult climb to get out of it. Also, since the instalation of an excellent cable car service in the last few years, you can reach La Paz very easily from El Alto without the stress but with all the great views.

Washing cars, blankets and clothes in the nearby river
Washing cars, blankets and clothes in the nearby river

The morning was very cold, and in the backyard of our hostal all water surfaces were frozen. Luckily it was sunny so soon it got warm enough. The owners warned us there was an strike further up and traffic was not allowed to go through. But after our positive experiences in Peru, we hoped bikes would be exempt from the strike.

A truck riding the opposite lane to search for the alternative route
A truck riding the opposite lane to search for the alternative route
Cars driving in the opposite direction
Cars driving in the opposite direction

We knew when we were approaching the location of the protest, as some cars started to leave the highway towards an alternative route on dirt tracks. Further up, some cars were even returning against the direction of the road. But we continued.

Some guys decided to stop and assess the situation from above
Some guys decided to stop and assess the situation from above

As expected, we were allowed to pass without discussion, and even with some cheers when they saw the kids cycling too.

Will they let us through?
Of course they did!
Of course they did!

The approach to El Alto was relatively stressful, as the traffic got much busier, and there were plenty of “collectivos” picking and dropping people everywhere, sometimes in front of our front wheel, without any warning.

Heavy traffic in El Alto
Heavy traffic in El Alto

We were cycling slow as it was slightly uphill, so we took it easy and cycled with extreme care.

Surrounded by collectivos
Surrounded by collectivos

When we arrived in the center of El Alto, we were quite lucky as exactly that day the huge market of Av 16 de Julio was taking place. We went to a hotel nearby that had a very reasonable price on booking.com, but upon arrival they claimed the prices were not real as they had been “hacked”. Whatever. Anyway, the quoted price was still aceptable and the location was unbeateble so we stayed, directly on top of the market.

Market 16 de Julio below our window
Market 16 de Julio below our window

Susanne and the kids stayed in the nice room and enjoyed the fancy bathroom and TV while I went down to savour the market and get stuffed on delicious street food. Tomorrow we’ll go to visit the capital.

2 Comments

  1. Katherine G

    Cual es el fin de Las protestas?? Entiendo son en contra del gobiero, pero que se Las hagan a ellos y no a nosotros mismos. Por suerte uds pasan pero el que tiene alguna urgencia o debe llegar a ese sitio? Ya veo q ha sido tendencia latina eso de cerrar carreteras ya voy a aplicar eso en casa y cerrar el accesso Al baño para cuando no quieran arreglar sus dormitories 😇 . En fin, van avanzando. Que chevere lo del cable car , de una ciudad a otra. La vista ha de ser impresionante. Saludos viajeros years disfrutar del market!

    • Comment by post author

      Creo que eran profesores protestando, pero los motivos no los conozco, si era por salarios o algún ministro no deseado… Pero estoy de acuerdo contigo que a veces las protestas no son muy inteligentes. En lugar de castigar al que toma las decisiones, las sufren el resto de ciudadanos que pierden ventas, o viajes, u otras cosas que les suponen un gran gasto y les pone en contra de la gente que quizá tenga un buen motivo para protestar…

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