“If you are wondering why anyone would want to compel themselves to long periods of bike pushing in deep sand and along washboard surfaces, limited options for obtaining water and food supplies and often achieving only 30 kilometers a day; it is because you will probably experience perfect starry nights; encounter incredible landscapes with wondrous rock formations; soak in thermal baths and capture some of the pinkest flamingos in the world on camera. Good enough reason? Please read on…”
– Tour.tk Guide to Cycling South West Bolivia
There’s a new, free eBook guide to bicycle touring in South West Bolivia; published by world cycling duo Sonya & Aaldrik and assembled with the help of two other cyclists.
James Pratt, who cycled from the Caribbean coast of Venezuela to Cape Horn, and Kevin Bauer, who has been touring in Latin American since 2008 both contributed to the new guide.
Inside you’ll find maps, notes of essential services like water points, supermarkets and hospitals and a ton of general information about cycling in this rugged and challenging part of Bolivia. There are also tips for problems very specific to this part of the world, such as what to do when the abundance of salt in the surrounding landscape actually acts to shrink your tent!
Best of all, the guide is completely free. Big thanks have to go out to Tour.tk for producing such a wonderful community resource.
Want to hear more about Sonya & Aaldrik’s trip? Listen to this interview with them, from August, 2010.