Bike travel, commuting and more

Panamericana

Bolivia X: Patacamaya to Konani

Sajama

We got to see the Sajama

More altiplano, more gentle riding

Following our pattern, our next destination was Konani, another 50 km away, which seems to be our happy distance between our current fitness and the easy going riding of the altiplano.

Breakfast in the park
Breakfast, again in the sun to fight the temperatures

To be honest, there was nothing much to report on today’s ride.

Climb out of Patacamaya
Long but easy-going climb out of Patacamaya
My bike on a break
Gratuitous picture of my bike on a break

More gentle up and down riding, more generous hard-shoulder to cycle, more villages with funky names on the way like Sica Sica, Calacala o Ayamaya,…

Undulating roads in Bolivia
More undulating roads for today

When we arrived in Konani they had temporarily closed the road as the local school was celebrating some kind of anniversary, with the kids playing instruments and dancing. These Bolivians are always partying for any excuse!

Riding the altiplano
Cruising on midday

We then had to choose accommodation and the three options available were not great according to the tips on the iOverlander app. We chose the first one on the left, where we could keep the bikes inside the shop at the basement.

Harvest blown away
The wind has blown away the harvest left to dry
Toll under construction
Another toll under construction, this road will soon get expensive!

However, the deal included hot shower only for 2 people, which we managed to haggle to include the kids as well. The problem is that the heater was not powerful enough and was so far from the actual shower that, when working, it was only producing water at 26°C, enough not to freeze but by no means warm. We complained but the guy said this is all he could do, and people would come and pay to have a “warm shower” here. Poor people if this is the best they know! With all the sun they get in the altiplano a few solar panels would do a lot of good around here!

Cold room in Konani hotel
Maybe the tent is not so bad after all

Our room was also not warm, as heating is a foreign term for most people and the houses have a very poor concept of insulation, but since we all had to sleep in the same bed, we managed to give each other enough warmth to have a decent sleep.

Electric car in Konani
The kids loved it because there was an electric car (not working)

2 Comments

  1. Katherine

    Como cambia la geografia. Me has hecho apreciar mas mis parajes andinos….. multicolores o bien verdes. El altiplano Boliviano o el desierto peruano… si no fuera por el cielo azul y los dias soleados seria muy deprimente:(

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