12/30/2010 - Tupiza, Bolivia: New Friends And Street Food

I know my blogs have been kind of Debbie Downer lately, but things are picking up so they shouldn´t be so depressing.

Anyhow, it hasn't been long riding on my own. As luck would have it, as soon as I got back to La Paz I was able to meet up with a buddy, Raymond from Quebec. Facebook being of some use, other than a complete time waster, provided us with some nice random circumstance to meet up. In Oruro we met for the first time in two months. It was nice to be back on the road, heading South. Because I had to get the fuck out of La Paz. Party hostels are nice, but man every night is just too much. So I said my farewells to my new friends and took off.

Oruro was a little city, but it had a ton of cool giant sculptures. It reminded me a lot of Ecuador. I got there and again I'm the only tourist for miles. It's a nice change from La Paz. So after I get settled, I head out for some Internet and my new fave: salchipapas. Yes, more kick ass street food. I'm instantly taken in by locals because obviously I'm not from there, and I still love they're local food. It's funny when you are approached by people just because you're eating some greasy local specialty. After a night there I meet up with Ray and we head for the largest salt flats on the planet in Uyuni. A wrong turn later, and we take a gorgeous detour towards Potosi. The roads are actually decent and mostly paved, so I'm definitely ok with the error. The next day we made the trip to Uyuni. And I'm blessed with a mostly paved gorgeous ride. Bolivia is a stunningly beautiful country. And I definitely got to take a lot of it in. The colors were probably the most amazing I've seen yet. Purple mountains, blood red rocks, and deep green willow trees speckle the ride. All those people who were suicidal and depressed because they couldn't see the world in Avatar, are first off retarded, and second probably never got their fat asses off the computer. Because there really is some breathtaking scenery on this planet, and unless you get off your ass you'll probably never see it either. I'm lucky and happy to have the opportunity to see some of the things I've seen.

What a gorgeous drive.

The salt flats are next, and from what I hear they're truly spectacular. I  can tell you I wasn't disappointed. I pussed out and took a tour instead of traveling the flats by motorcycle. It was a tough decision, but eventually I decided that my chain is in such piss poor condition (it actually fell off the day before) to play it safe. Since if I camp in the middle of nowhere, and my chain breaks I'm pretty much doomed. A few German guys went into the flats, only to get lost. They were found dead three years later. Hence, the guided jeep tour. It starts off quite well, because my truck is filled pretty girls. Not so bad, then after a quick visit to a train graveyard we're off to the salt. You might think that just a bunch of flat land would be kind of boring. But really it was awesome being surrounded by nothing but white salt, blue sky, mirages, and far away glimmering mountains. After a bit we're taken to a cactus filled hill in the middle. It's astonishing to drive for forty minutes and not see a thing then, bam, a giant rock. It was so out of place. I actually took a few photos, and eventually we headed back. It was a simply stunning place that I'm super glad I visited.

These salt flats provide all the table salt in Bolivia. This is how they collect it.

Finally comes my last day comes in Bolivia, and I couldn't be more pleased. Though Bolivia has a lot of culture and beautiful scenery. It truly is the dumbest country I've visited. It's tough to say because Bolivia isn't necessarily a third world country, but it's close. It's because simple things that north Americans find easy, Bolivians struggle with. Simple business practices like being clean and friendly are just so far beyond them. It's so frustrating. Searching for a trashcan only to realize: there aren't any trashcans. Everyone just throws it on the street. It's really no wonder why they're the poorest country in South America. I'll be happy to get back to a modern civilization and kick ass beef in Argentina.