Ross Bland
Thanks to all for such great support and especially to those who donated funds. In the end we did it! Over the Andes the Hard Way
I have noticed that there are still plenty of people reading this blog. Before and during our trip I read many blogs like ours in order to research what we were getting ourselves into. Seeing that there are still people visiting our site leads me to believe that other tour cyclists are doing research just like we did. If you fall under this category then do feel free to get in touch. I am more than happy to help as I remember how daunting the whole thing was.
Welcome to our Blog!!!!
Here you’ll be kept updated on our progress and experiences through the whole expedition. To raise funds for Diabetes UK, our aim is to cycle 1800 miles (ish) totally unsupported from Lima in Peru to Salta in North West Argentina in just under two months. You’ll be able to keep track of our training (or lack of) which will most likely highlight how unfit we really are and so proving how much of a challenge this adventure will be. On the trip itself (during the few times that we'’ll be near a computer), we’'ll post blogs illustrating to you our progress between certain mile stones, and as well as the highs and lows, hopefuly prove to fellow diabetics that diabetes should not hold anyone back from going on such adventures.
Every donation really helps in driving our morale which is vital in helping us in achieving our goal so please take the time to visit our just giving page at:
www.justgiving.com/overtheandesthehardway
Thanks for your support!!!
Travel Blog Posts
La Quiaca to Salta The Final (Part deux)
Published: December 11th 2009South America » Argentina » Salta » Salta
December 10th 2009
Cycling was an absolute pleasure when we left La Quiaca. The weather was not too bad, our reunion with tarmac was incredible, the road was reasonably flat and we were carrying some good-looking steaks. They cost us about one pound each. The only slight blip during the day was an alighty thunderstorm. We could not have timed our arrival at a convenient shelter at a check point much better. We sat there and waited for the storm to pass, which it did, straight over us with a dose of simultaneous thunder and lightening. It did not take long for the first Falklands reference to emerge, just less than 24 hours in fact. A military man at the checkpoint, on learning that we were English, muttered something to Raphael in Spanish followed by a guffaw and some ... read more
Tupiza to La Quiaca The Final, Part 1
Published: December 11th 2009South America » Argentina » Salta » Salta
December 10th 2009
Although on leaving Tupiza we had a relatively small distance to cycle, we knew it would not be easy, especially as we still had about 100Kms of Bolivian corrugated dirt road to go, a surface which could easily finish off the bikes in their already weathered state. We left the bliss of the swimming pool and gingerly set off towards the border just praying the bikes would hold out. Fortunately the road was not as bad as we expected, and there were even small patches of tarmac dotted about along the way. The day was going reasonably smoothly despite a tardy departure up until just before lunch time. Because we had descended quite considerably, there was much more vegetation about the place. But unfortunately most of the large bushes around were thorn bushes, and not the ... read more
Uyuni - Tupiza (On the ´rim´ of defeat)
Published: November 30th 2009South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Tupiza
November 30th 2009
We are now on the home stretch, with an estimated 450 Kms to go. Uyuni was reasonably fun, though our journey out was abismal. We thought we should take a slight detour to the train cemetary not far from the city, and what we thought was on the way. I think if we had not arrived there by bikes, it would not have been worth it. It was a very odd place and not surprisingly full of large old rusty trains. But that was it, other than about 15 4x4s and a host of tourists like ourselves. From there we took a dirt road in the vague direction we wanted to head. After a couple of sand ridden kms, we realised that once again, the road was leading nowhere. Another scouting mission by Ross resulted in ... read more
November 24th 2009
After such a productive day crossing back into Bolivia, we did not expect progress as slow as the next day. No one in Pisiga seemed to know how to get to Lilca, a town we were initially aiming for on the western side of the Salar de Uyuni, the largest of the two. Everyone we asked were completely useless, including a soldier we came across. They just shrugged their shoulders and pointed in a vague fashion somewhere down the only road in sight. It seems that they are sometimes too ashamed to say they don´t know, so they make something up. We got our maps out and decided to follow a road which went in the general direction, south. This ´road´did not lead anywhere. So rather than turning back and cutting our losses, a forbidden action, ... read more
November 23rd 2009
So having made a slight detour to the park ranger´s office after entereing Chile to acquire some info, we ascended into the remoteness of a Chilean national park. This road was utterly rubbish. In fact, it is not even a road but merely a sandy track with yet more washboard features. This meant getting frustratingly stuck in large deposits of sand and being forced to push/ drag the heavily laden bikes through to the next section of washboard where our patience and perseverance were shaken to breaking point. This was coupled with the fact that the track was steeply climbing to our next pass. Bar the great scenery, this experience was miserable, until we reached the pass. Amazingly any feelings of anger and frustration drain away almost instantaneously once reaching the top of a pass and ... read more
La Paz to Chile via Vol. Sajama. (When two became three) (1/3)
Published: November 24th 2009South America
November 23rd 2009
Little did we know that leaving La Paz would mean no internet until now, in Uyuni, on the edge of the Salt Flats. So we apoilogise for the lack of updates, but here are three stages for your amusement. We also want to point out that Bolivian computers being true to form, we have had further problems with photos, so again, it may be a while until we put up more pictures, which is irritating. It was a slight relief leaving La Paz as it was noisy and dirty, though we had an enjoyable rest day there. It was also the place where we met Raphael as mentioned in the last blog. He has been with us now for 11 days and has certainly been an asset to our trip, not least because he has a ... read more
November 11th 2009
ATTENTION: DESPITE THE THOUSANDS OF INTERNET CAFES IN LA PAZ, WE ARE STILL YET TO FIND ONE WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO UPLOAD PHOTOS. WE WILL KEEP TRYING TONIGHT BUT THEY MAY BE LIMITED. This is very frustrating, as the photos are the best bit, so sorry, you´ll just have to chew over this:- We were delighted to read all of your comments. It really does help us on our way knowing that there are so many people keeping up to date on what we are doing. So, we have come from Lima to La Paz in just over three weeks (including several indulgent "rest" days) so we are rather chuffed with our progress, though still worrying about what lies ahead, in particular the remote salt flats, unpredictable weather and the apparently uncyclable routes to the ... read more
November 7th 2009
Leaving Cusco was obviously nescessary but one of the most difficult challenges thus far! It was an easy ride out of Cusco down hill and what ensued was a fairly problem free day though jam packed full of local attractions. We took refuge from the baking midday sun in the reasonably interesting Rumicolca ruins, a pre Inca, Huari Empire aqueduct. We had lunch (a very reasonably priced bowl of chicken soup) in a small seemingly sleepy town called Andahuaylillas. We felt we were obliged to take a wander around the local colonial church, a surprisingly impressive building but all in all not a huge amount to offer other than a peaceful venue at which we could rest our weary legs and let our food digest. A long afternoon slog found us once again in a slightly ... read more
November 1st 2009
As per usual, we left the hostel in Abancay later than expected and after a hearty lunch began our trip to Cusco. We were not expecting another hellish ascent in the sweltering heat, but this time we were relieved to be on tarmac once again. Some slow yet rewarding cycling culminated in another superb camping area. Hidden from the road by a cluster of small eucalyptis trees, we set up camp with ´Ray Mears´ Ross taking the time to construct a shelter from a bivvy and a few carefully cut pieces of wood, just incase it rained. It didn´t, and we had another pleasant evening with a fire and some delightful pasta and tomato sauce, with a sprinkle of mixed herbs and a few dabs of Tabasco sauce. We were now desperate to get to our ... read more
November 1st 2009
This "little" stretch of the journey was the toughest thus far. It came as quite a disappointment to us that the roads were not roads, but dusty tracks which really put our bikes to the test. We soon arrived at a small town called Chincheros, where we attracted a fair bit of attention mainly from the youth of the town who were once again, mesmerised by the rugby ball. Unfortunately this meant that we had a relatively substantial audience for yet another inner tube fix. Due to the pressure from the prying local eyes, a swift and precise execution of the changing of the inner tube was required and we hastily continued up the ever-meandering bumpy road. We began to get tired and hungry, and there was no sign whatsoever of the Abra Saracchocha, a pass ... read more
Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.005s; cc: 10; qc: 89; dbt: 0.0621s; 1; s:notus w:www (50.28.60.10); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.9mb
