Sunday 14 September 2014
When the friendly lady at the ticket office tells us that the 204-kilometre journey from Tupiza to Uyuni will take 8 hours, we already suspect that this route hasn’t been paved since 2010. Our suspicions are confirmed when we see the coach waiting for us –
And surely, after a short stretch on the smooth tarmac that now stretches from Villazón to Potosí, another road branches off to Uyuni.
We sit in the first row having a panoramic view of the breath-taking landscape, the villages and the people living there – but also of the mostly single-track dirt road and its wash board-like surface. We see every tight edge, every landslide narrowing the piste even further, we hold our breath at every blind hairpin bend and the many river-crossings with and without water. On the Altiplano we also meet sand dunes and Llamas running around freely. What more could the adventurer possibly ask for?
Some times I miss not being on my bike…
The road climbs from 2,970 to 4,285 metres above sea level
Next stop: Atocha
Half-time
More than once my dad shakes his head in disbelief that I rode this track on a motorbike and on my own four years ago…
Uyuni!
Thanks to our excellent driver, we already arrive after seven hours at our destination, walk straight to the Hotel Julia where I stayed in 2010 and even get my old room on the third floor.
… which offers great views of the main street and the town
Uyuni by night
The Dakar is everywhere
After such an adventurous ride we think that we’ve deserved a treat – our first Llama steak.
Tomorrow we will explore the famous Salar.
Pumpernickel on Tour 
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