Argentina / Bolivia / Brazil / Chile / Colombia / Counting / Cycling / Ecuador / Paraguay / Peru / Uruguay
South America redux
click here for a larger version of the map Continents 1 Countries 9 Nights 408 Days of cycling 186 Distance 15,297.62km Climb 148,577m 100km days 49 Punctures 23 Broken spokes 4 Chains 5 Touring cyclists encountered 66 Passport stamps accumulated 56 Bottles of sunscreen used 8 Socks lost 3 Headphones broken 5 Hospitals & medical...
Parish notices, April 2014
In the unlikely event that you haven’t read enough ill-informed articles by us about South America, there are now a couple more elsewhere on the internet. We’ve recently contributed a pair of short pieces on Latin American football to Libero, a splendid new digital football travel guide run by our old friend, colleague and football...
Month 9
10 March – 9 April 2014 Countries Bolivia & Peru (total 7) Distance 828.12km (total 9,725.28km) Climb 5,448m (total 69,383m) Longest day 138.77km, Sicuani to Cusco in Peru (longest so far: 160.11km) Top speed 66kmh Punctures 1 (total 17; Will leads 12-5) Touring cyclists encountered 5 (total 41) Boats 4 (total 25) Planes 1 (total...
Snaps – March 2014
Another month’s worth of pictures from the road. For previous instalments, click here. In the small towns and villages of southern Peru, we’ve regularly encountered eye-catching posters promoting shows by regional bands. These publicity stills generally show an unnecessarily large cluster of men wearing matching outfits and making, with a degree of uniformity,...
The Voice of the Bolivian Andes | Listening in
Two nights spent listening to music in La Paz. The banner in the lobby shows a young man: tie pulled tight, face scrubbed clean, topped with a quiff and lit up by a Saturday-night smile. The look, Roy Orbison stripped of his sunglasses, is archaic; so, too, is the photograph, tinted by hand and probably...
Month 7
10 January – 9 February 2014 Countries Argentina, Bolivia (on foot) & Chile (total 6) Distance 1,565.9km (total 8,131.52km) Climb 14,168m (total 54,843m) Longest day 160.11km, La Quiaca to Humahuaca in Argentina (our first 100-mile day on this trip, though it took a couple of unnecessary spins around the block at the Humahuaca end to...
Snaps – January 2014
Another month’s worth of photographs that didn’t seem to fit elsewhere in our scattershot narrative. For past months, click here. Linking Cafayate and Salta, RN68 runs through the Quebrada de las Conchas, and its southern stretch makes for a spectacular ride. Various pull-ins direct tourists to features that are both impressive and (more...
Here’s that rainy day
After threatening for a few days, the thick clouds above the tourist honeypot of Cafayate broke on the second night of the year, soaking a town that spends much of January braced for the worst. Both the main roads north from Cafayate run through valleys; when heavy rain hits the hills and mountains on either...
Snaps – October 2013
We’re ending each month by posting about a dozen snapshots of things we haven’t previously detailed here. Below, you’ll find a few pictures from October. You can find our snaps from past months by clicking here, and assorted other images on our Flickr page. Judging by the state of this one, seemingly abandoned...