SMS Update

Received the news today that we may 'possibly' get documentation to enable us to get our tuk tuks over the border tomorrow. The head of Customs is adamant that we need a temporary export document which costs over two hundred dollars but our lawyers say we shouldn't need it. Don't have time to wait for them to argue it out and everything takes so much longer than anticipated so I am afraid we are pulling the plug. It's so sad for us all as we are loving the adventure and we are in the lead but time is not on our side so good luck to the remaining teams who can carry on. We hope you don't feel like we've let you all down as you've been so generous with your sponsorship. We are gutted but going to now enjoy the time we have left and go to the salt flats. Adios amigos!!

SMS Update

We had to say goodbye to dear Alfie who had to leave due to personal reasons. He has been such a star and got us to the border before any other teams with his mechanical expertise. By yesterday afternoon we were bored looking at the immigration office walls so decided to go to Copacabana in Bolivia and check into a hotel and get some food leaving our tuk tuks in Peru. Within two minutes we had been stopped by the police and had to pay a fine of £2.50 for staying the night the wrong side of the border. 5 mins later they were trying to arrest Andrew for alegedly breaking the door handle on our taxi - you don't stand a chance even with Miranda's fluent Spanish you just have to pay up. To cheer ourselves up we tried chewing coca leaves (not v tasty) and hit the pisco sours for 8hrs. @

SMS Update

Having driven to the border like maniacs + arriving with minutes to spare before closure we checked out of Peru and into Bolivia which involved Ginny, Andrew + Miranda sprinting up a hill at 3,800m and banging on the already closed immigration door begging to be let into the country. The next stage involved going back into Peru and getting the vehicle documents stamped for departure.... It turns out we don't have the right docs so can't take our tuk tuk out of Peru. After much chat to the rally organisers + their solicitors we can't leave tonight till the paperwork is sorted tomorrow (hopefully). We can't go into Bolivia because of leaving the vehicles behind and we can't go back into Peru because we have officially left. Luckily our new friend who heads up the immigration office has let us sleep in his office tonight. 6 mattresses lined up so it's like being back at school with police guard

SMS Update

Mon 2 Nov Got to Sicuani last night 3,550m. We have had an amazing reception from locals so far, even from the police who love giving us an escort rather than giving us a fine, but in this town there was an air of hostility. When we refused to give an old beggar woman money she put a curse on us and this morning two of the bikes didn't work.... On the road again and just encountered our first llamas. All in fine fettle - it is hilarious I can only describe it as rally biking on lawn mowers.

SMS Update

Heard a pair of girls drove into a ravine but managed to escape just in time! This occured on a road we have all named Perus death road. It is literally a 3m wide dirt road with hair pin bends and at times 800m sheer drops. The route yesterday took us over the highlands which in parts look lilke the moors. The big difference is that we are at 4085m. Lessons learnt is that all Peruvians lie about distance. We were told 16km to Abancay, this was infact 105km due to all the switch backs and ravines! Driving is now improved though hands bruised and blistered. We are now pushing for Cusco this morning and at last are on tarmac roads, heaven. @

SMS Update

Fri 30 oct. Didn't quite get as far as had hoped today ie Andahuayla as there was too much faffing and the boys have wheel, spoke and drive chain issues (too much hedging and ditching) so have stopped in a town called Chincheros and it's fiesta time..... We are now in convoy with One Man and his Dog (James and Miranda). Ginny is now on the run having had a ding with a local taxi, James nearly drove off a cliff and Hugh drove into a cliff.... We are all having lots of fun albeit exhausted. The scenery is beyond awesome......

Challenges already!

Whilst Ginny flew out with the Paddington Pram team with BMI and TAM, I decided to fly out with Iberia and an unknown airline called LAN. The stick that I had been given prior for my choice, was all the more worthwhile when the others landed 4 hrs after me, complaining about their inflight exeperiences and gruel that they had been forced to eat.

LAN were superb, comfy seats, good food, very generous with their offerings of both red and white wines and excellent inflight entertainment (think the wine had something to do with it). The only down side was being sat next to Augutus Gloop (see Willy Wonka´s Chocolate factory).

These airines acroynms now mean the following:

LAN - Lovely and Nice \ TAM - Terrifying and miserable!

From Lima we have to travel to Huancayo, which is our start point for the race. This involves a 6-8hr bus ride, which books out very quickly, pending on your bus type! The bus journey involves two very different experiences! The first is the Luxury bus, suspension, air con, reclining seats vs. wooden benches and livestock.

Having just had 17hrs in the air it was agreed that we would dely this by 24hrs and relax in Lima. In our tired state of mind, we agreed to stay at a Hotel called La Hosanda del Marquis, in the centre of Lima (having driven to two other hotels run in and checked out the rooms and run back out very quickly). Lunch soon followed at a wonderful restaurant, where far to much Pisco was drunk (local moonshine). The travel and moonshine created a larger issue - where was our Hotel! Infact we had no idea and none of the locals could understand what we were saying in our various states of intoxication.

Today´s Villian is the cheaky chap who stole my one and only credit card!

Today´s heroes are the doorman of the Casino Hotel, for giving me a streetmap and explaining perfectly where the hotel was (3hrs later), our hotel crew for allowing me to use their PC and booking our bus tickets! Also Alex for getting me RBS emergency contact numbers to cancel my card!

Lessons of the day do not drink more than 3 glasses of Pisco and do not smell or drink Jugo! Jugo smells of vomit and I will say no more.....

Lima´s coastline at night


Bolivan Leg in Pictures

Another shot looking across La Paz, our first town in Bolivia. 

 

Once across the border we start heading South East from La Paz to Cochabamba which is the National Tunari Park. It is also a region well known for it's Snow and that is not the skiing type! 

Initially the route will be flat, but we start climbing again as we head up into the town. 

 

Rain over Cochabamba 

 

Street Art is some what different to London's!


 Looking down onto the town

 

 Our route then heads South to Sucre which is the Legal Capital of Bolivia. The route we will be taking is off road for part of the way until we hit Aiquile, where a tarmac road should appear! Here is to wishing!

Part of the road system we will be using


Part of the Sucre architecture - more to come 

 

One of the many markets we should see - but doubt we will! Happy to be sponsored to eat one of those chillies!

 

 From Sucre it is our intention to go up the Gorge of Death to Potosi - the highest city on our trip 4010m. This was once one of the worlds wealthiest cities due to its Silver Mines. The route is well known for its steep ravines and having no crash barriers! 

One bridge that we will come across is the one shown below

 

The following images are taken from Potosi and give a flavour for the town. 

 

 

 

 

 

To the east of Potosi you will find Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa). This is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 km² (4,085 square miles). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, 3,650 meters high. The major minerals found in the salar are halite and gypsum.

Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni.  Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. All miners working in the Salar belong to Colchani's cooperative. They work from dawn to dusk and most of them do not take a lunch break in order to take advantage of time, getting energy by chewing coca leaves. Every November, Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding grounds for three species of South American flamingos: the Chilean, James's and Andean flamingos. It is also a significant tourist destination; highlights include a salt hotel and several so-called islands. 

I have placed a couple of images below that show the rawness of this area.



 

From Potosi we then start our decent down towards Paraguay heading due South to El Puente, Tarija and then across (due East) to Villa Montes - it is here that we all start taking our Malaria tablets!

Villa Montes will be our last stop in Boliva and as pictures show it is a little different to the other places! It could almost be some town in Texas! 


 

 

However there are camps outside the town showing the stark difference for some people

 

We then race across flats towards Infante Rivarola our 1st village in Paraguay.