Our intrepid travellers have now made it 6 months on their journey and are even further from home. We wanted to share their exciting updates with you.
Still in Chile, Laura and Paddy decided to travel on the minor roads through the hills rather than the PanAmerican Highway. They cycled through the infamous Tunnel Curvo, where you can never see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was hard going though and after only covering 60km a day, they headed to the busy Ruta 5 and managed 110 km a day. On their way from Copiapo to Antofagasta, through the Atacama Desert, they met an expedition from the Russian Geographical Society as well as their first English speaking cyclist – Pier from the Netherlands celebrating his 30th birthday when they met. It was on this stretch that they reached their highest point yet – 7000 ft, and Laura celebrated her 30th birthday.
From Callama to Ollague it took four and a half days to cover 2000km. This slow speed was due to the weight of the bikes with the 7 days’ worth of food supply, and the climb up to 13,500 ft. Though they benefited from views of Cerro Araral and Salar de Ascotan, they also had to battle their way through colder temperatures, reaching -7°C. When Paddy decided he wanted an adventure, the pair crossed the salt plains on a railway track, rather than on the road that was provided.
From here they entered Bolivia, South America’s poorest country where they stayed in a military base, and a guest house that cost £2.15 each for a night. They entered the world’s largest salt plain – Salar de Uyuni – but by the end, had to catch a lift on a 4x4 bus before the altitude got the better of them. Still struggling with altitude sickness, Laura and Paddy cycled through La Paz – the world’s highest capital city – and on through El Alto to Lake Titcaca where they treated themselves to a raft trip along the Tiquina Straight.
By November, the pair had entered Peru and enjoyed a visit from Paddy’s parents. Together they climbed Machu Picchu, and were given a treat in a six seater Cessna 206, to get the best views of the mysterious Nazca Lines. After this, they hit their 8000km mark and headed on to Cusco. Later in the month, they were caught in a magnitude 4.7 quake off the coast of Pisco fortunately not riding as it occurred. On the outskirts of Lima, they reached their 9000km mark. From here they were joined by a French cyclist Joel, who accompanied them to Casa de Ciclistas – a world famous hostel for cyclists.
Laura and Paddy have now passed their 10,000km mark and have just entered Ecuador – the eight country on their epic journey. From everyone at ABC Feliz Natal!
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