We had been cold for way too long so it was time to descend to the jungle and warm our bones. A two day ride took us from the barren high plains of the Bolivian altiplano, down through a misty cloud forest and into the verdant Amazon basin. It was pure joy to ride unencumbered by layers upon layers of warm riding gear.
Our destination was Villa Tunari where I hoped to see an old friend. Unfortunately I was too late. Continue reading
As we approached the World Heritage Bolivian city of Potosí, all we saw was a dominating and unnaturally stark mountain with a city at its feet. In the cold thin air of the inhospitable Andes ranges, it is an unlikely location for what was once the largest and wealthiest city of the Americas.
When the Spanish first arrived in the 1540’s they saw the same mountain, but in their eyes it was a mountain of money. Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain), also known as the “mountain that eats men alive”, contained an inconceivable amount of silver thus setting Potosí’s great rise and fall. I had to go inside for a look. Continue reading
Our Odyssey Overland 