Trip Report 3 June - Road Block Hostal to Salt Flat bordertown, Chile

• By: RTWPoker
• On: 06/09/2009 07:44:33
• In: Bolivia
• Comments: 0

Hostage border departure day.  Not sure how to proceed.
We got gas,chatted amicably with locals and drove off.

It was cold, -4 degrees c. We drove off onto stage 2 of the motocross race.  Super fun with an added twist.  More roadblocks were ahead and we had to run them if we were going to continue south today.  Our strategy this time was don't stop to chat.

We first came across an un-manned blockade.  Move one rock and drive around.  Off we went.

Second blockade was manned by an agressive grandma and her grandson, armed with asoccer ball. Milan took one for the team, and got smacked in the head but moved on.  The boy tried to re-arm for me riding second, but was out of ammo as I blew past.  Andrew unfortunately got smacked in the helmet as well but survived the ordeal.  We diverted directly to the salt flats and was that ever fun.

After goofing on the salt flats, taking pictures and talking to some 4by4 tour operators  we made a key decision.  Forget Uyuny, ride across the salt flats and head for Chile. Shoot for the border.

Riding the saltflats was sure fun.  The best superhighway in Bolivia.

Darkness approaches and saltflats deteriorate into a sandy deep mire.  We have come too far to turn back.  Temperature is dropping fast.  We parralel track some train tracks that are going our way until the conditions become impassable.  Only option appears to get on the tracks.  After some ramp construction and loading we start bumping down the tracks.  Not as easy as we thought.  What a pounding!

After about an hour of this in the dark we are forced off the tracks by an oncoming train loaded with copper ore.  After deep sandy salt slogging we eventually come across an intersecting salt road.  Back in business we ride south in the dark.  Milan and I ride side by side to utilize my high beam European head lamp which is much brighter than regulation North American standards.  Thank goodness.  It takes forever to get to the border.  The roads down here are just meandering paths.  It is just a path warn by other salt flat travellers.  We drive towards lights and eventually are doing passport and moto admin for leaving Bolivia and entering Chile.

Long and exciting day!