Eat some dust.

Feb 26-27 Tarija to Villamontes

 

The morning brings clear skies and this is a relief as we have about 200km of gravel road to conquer today on the way to Villamontes assuming that they have not fixed the road yet. After a nice breakfast of fresh fruit and a version of granola we pack up and hit the dusty trail. Dust is usually preferred over mud and today we get more than our fill of it. We are both surprised at how dry it is considering all the rain that this area has gotten. The paved section of the road is still not fixed but at least this time they have the road blocked at the detour to avoid any confusion.

There is also a lot of trucks and buses on the route so they pound the dirt into a fine flour which forms a clouds behind them as they race through the hills. This makes it near impossible to pass them because visibility is zero once you get up close enough and then the curves and rocks cannot be seen, not to mention oncoming traffic. Patience is important as well as a bit of luck when a passing opportunity does present itself and most of the afternoon is spent with our fingers crossed, so to speak.

Curves, slopes, hamlets, and dust are topped off with spectacular views of the countryside. This is also considered one of the most scenic areas in all of Bolivia and we enjoy what we can when we can take a few moments to either stop along the roadside or slow long enough to take more than a quick glance.

After what seems like forever we reach the more open section of the route and try to pick up the pace a little. This plan is soon transformed by the marble like gravel we are trying to ride on and we find ourselves even more focused than before. On one of the straighter sections a truck decides to pass a bus and Brenda is forced to hit the brakes hard causing a slow speed skid and washout of the front tire. Normally this would be just another tipover but this time she managed to break the clutch lever off. Our bikes are equipped with crash bars for this type of thing but the combination of circumstances caused them to not work so well. The truck that was passing did not stop to help pick up the bike but the other driver did and after waiting for about ten minutes I decided I better go back and see what was happening. There was Brenda, jacket off standing on he side of the road patiently waiting for me to fix her bike. I think she forgot that I always pack spare levers for just this type of situation and withing 15 minutes we are back on the move. More parts to buy when we get home.

Donation to the travel Gods.

The next bit of road follows the river and is basically a ledge on the canyon wall, a ledge covered with flour soft sand along with endless blind curves. There must have been enough accidents along this section to warrant the traffic control guys who stand in the dust all day with their little flags trying to direct unruly truck drivers. As predicable as snow in winter at one corner two big truck meet and everything grinds to a hault, I am directly behind one of the trucks and I am relieved that he is larger than the oncoming truck which means we do not have to back up. Rule of the road is the same everywhere I guess, the bigger you are the more right-of-way you get and the gravel truck backs up enough to allow the b-train past. Up until this point I did not know how big the truck in front of me was, only that he was creating alot of dust, once he rounded the corner I could see the double trailer and was shocked that he would be on this road with such a long load. He was kind enough to allow us to pass and we gave the customary wave of thanks, now we could really see the canyon walls and how the road was just carved into the side.

Villamontes by most accounts is a frontier town with a colorful history. During the war of 1932-1935 it was the military base for Bolivia. Since then it has become the center for commerce in the area and this is reflected by the wide streets with elaborate boulevards. Some have hedges laid out in all sorts of designs while others have traffic circles adorned with statues or sculptures depicting important  people or some of the wildlife of the area. Puma, alligators, armadillos, and Tucans are displayed in both rock and wood scultures. The city is also along the route from Argentina to Santa Cruz  which is a much larger city farther north, thus it is a stopover for truckers and travellers alike.

The town is enjoyable and the popcorn in the park is a treat, as is the soft serve ice cream. The locals have not gotten used to seeing Caucasians yet so that tells me that we are not on the main tourist route anymore.

Brenda has been watching the weather forecast closely and we should be getting a little wet before we get out of Bolivia in a few days. The dry 30C weather we have been enjoying is predicted to end so we will have to see.