It was just a short ride today as we had to ride through Salta, a city of around 800,000, to find a Western Union. The WU had a line that would take at least an hour to reach the front. The second place only had 14 people in front of me. Western Union is the preferred...

Octoodyssey is now well into Argentina, and we have noticed some different things. When we crossed the border, the fields were all fenced; often, there were eight large garbage containers just off the road, and people were leaving their garbage in the containers...

Unfortunately, my friends, this might be a little long. Yesterday, we left Tupiza, an exciting city in Bolivia. We had only gone one kilometer when Bernice got a flat. After replacing the tube, we were on our way again. Three kilometers later, we came to a protest,...

Atocha to Tupiza is an incredible ride. The road gods are nasty as they take you to one false summit after another. You reach 4000m, then defend to 3600m, and then you do it all again, maybe four or five times until you get to 4240m. This section of Bolivia is...

Today’s adventure on the highways before reaching Atocha – where we stumbled upon a bunch of canyons, and in the blink of an eye, Bob decided he was ‘Condor Bob’. 🦅 #RoadTripAdventures #CondorBob

After 96k and a reasonably easy ride assisted by a tailwind, we arrived early in Atocha. Atocha’s population is around 10k, and many mines surround the town. The mines produce tin, silver, and gold. Meanwhile, back to the ride. I thought it would be a fast, flat ride...

On September 7, 2018, I promised myself that I would ride my bicycle on the salt flats of Bolivia. I thought it would probably be a two-week tour, not an 11-month odyssey. Yesterday, I kept that promise, and we entered the salt flats from Coqueza and rode over 100k on...

To start today's post I must tell you that it was planned. Google or Komoot did no not lead us astray. This route is copied from one of the big touring companies. We left Salinas Garcia and headed 38k to Coqueza, Bolivia, which should have been easy. The route was on...

Yesterday was one of those days where you except very little but get rewarded with sights you never anticipated. We left Challapata and headed for Salinas De Garcia. I was anticipating a long, somewhat boring ride through flat arid land which was partly true. However,...

Today's ride was the opposite of yesterday’s as the road became two lane and a small rough shoulder and a head-wind coming in at two o'clock. One stretch of 50k did not have a bend or a curve. The total distance was 121k. The photos show some of the barren landscape...

Today we had to get out of La Paz and back on the highway. The road was a good four lane divided highway with a wide shoulder. It was a little on the cool side around 13 with a helping wind at time. As we leave La Paz the towns become more attractive as buildings have...

Octoodyssey is in La Paz, Bolivia after a short flat ride into the town. La Paz is a large city in a valley surrounded by high snow-covered mountains. Our hotel is excellent in a high-end district. Bernice took a walking tour and a gondola while Johana and I worked on...

Last night we were in Copacabana, Bolivia which is on one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Titicaca. It is very large and has many islands, bays, coves, and mountains in the background. We have been at 3850m for three days and I still find it difficult...

I can't believe I am sitting on the shore of Lake Titicaca with a llama and the sun shining down. What a contrast to the desert. It is so nice to see animals again. There were sheep, cows, llamas and flamingos on or near the road. Our accommodation was difficult to...

The plaza in Arequipa is marvelous, and at night, it sparkles with the lights and people. There are plenty of restaurants around the square and surrounding allies. plaza in Arequipa is marvelous, and at night, it sparkles with the lights and people. There are plenty...

We left Mollendo, a town trying to renew the old buildings near the beach. If they can, and they have a good start, it should be an excellent location. Today's ride was short 65k and 1605m uphill as we had to climb the coastal range. I was tired after that climb. We...

Our ride yesterday was so different from the day before. We rode 112k and 1587m on a newly paved road with good shoulders and very light traffic through some of the best scenery. We are in Mollendo on the coast. Today, we change course and head east and up to what...

Today, we had an amazing route with great views! A bit long, but we made it to Mollendo. Tomorrow, the route is to Arequipa! 🚴🏼

Today, the road won. A few adjectives come to mind when considering the highway: fantastic, spectacular, dangerous, scary, marvelous, and beautiful. For 80k, the Pan Am hugs the cliffs high above the ocean. The road is cut out of the steep mountains that rise abruptly...

Another day of wind, sand, and sea. It is amazing that there is nothing but small shacks for kilometer after kilometer then you come down a hill and there is a river and in the valley thousands of olive trees and roadside stands selling olives, oil, local wine and...

Today was a challenging 93k into a headwind with a gust to 60kph. For a good part of the day, I got sandblasted. The highway followed the coast for the most part. Since the road had no shoulder or was covered in sand, I had the van follow me and protect me from the...