We’re in Sucre. The city is at a lower elevation and it feels and even looks almost Mediterranean. Sucre is Bolivia’s second capital (depending on who you talk to) and is graced with a ton of old classy colonial buildings. We saw the building where Bolivar signed the original constitution and the hall with portraits of all the presidents and dictators over the years.
(more…)

I am rich Potosi,
The treasure of the world
And the envy of Kings.
(more…)

Jeff and I finished a 3 day Jeep (okay, Toyota) ride through Bolivia´s Southwest, a desolate wilderness with some absolutely breath-taking scenery. This part of Bolivia is very rugged and bitterly cold because of the altitude – only the very stout of heart can live here.
(more…)

While in Valparaiso we had a change of heart and decided to head north in Chile instead of returning to Argentina. While the north of Argentina is supposed to be beautiful and great for travel, we were ready for a significant change, in both climate and culture. Our original plan also had us spending a week working our way north to Bolivia and crossing over from Salta in Argentina. That would have been around 40 hours of bus rides… something we wanted to avoid if at all possible.
(more…)

Valpo is a strange town. It’s heyday was in the late 19th century during the gold rush, and in many ways it reminds us of San Francisco. It’s a city of hills and old crumbly architecture set on a beautiful bay, but unlike San Francisco it’s declined quite a bit from it’s days as an important port.
(more…)

We climbed Villarica and survived to tell the tale! The climb was tougher that we expected. Initially there were 6 of us, not including our two guides, but our number was quickly reduced to 4. Since it was a cloudy day, the ski lifts that take you to the base of the climb weren’t running, so we had to tack on an additional 45 minute climb at the beginning. Two of our party dropped out after that first leg, taking one of our guides with them! The remaining 4 of us weren’t going to give up so easily, and despite the windy conditions and lack of visibility, decided to keep on going.
(more…)

We spent Saturday and Sunday on a bus, braving a 24 hour ride – mostly on dirt roads – to Bariloche, AR. We rode on the historic Route 40 (Argentina´s Route 66). For those of you who have read or seen The Motorcycle Diaries, we are riding the same road Ernesto and Alberto took North from Patagonia. We are crossing into Chile in the same spot they did. I am reading Motorcycle Diaries right now and the condition of the road seems to have changed little in the 55 years since they had their adventure.
(more…)