Winding through formerly remote parts of Chilean Patagonia, the Carretera Austral has a reputation bigger than any other road among cyclists and roadtrippers in South America. The project to connect these small and inaccessible communities began in 1976 and the most southern stretch wasn't completed until 2000. For a few years it must have been …
Continue reading Into the funnel: Coyhaique to El Chalten on the southern Carretera Austral
We’ve ridden into La Paz from the north twice now, and this last run couldn't have been a starker contrast to the first, as illustrated in the following figures. Figure 1. September 2016. Main road + vicious Giardia + lying on the ground for 5 minutes out of every 15. Figure 2. September 2017. The …
Continue reading The backdoor to La Paz: From Lago Titicaca to La Paz via Condoriri basecamp
After 5 months of riding, the bikes were due some replacement parts and some gear was showing signs of wear. Having to return to New Zealand for a while allowed us to reassess our gear. This is an updated list of All Of The Things. It's pretty nerdy, you've been warned. I've detailed the main …
Continue reading All of the things: Our South American gear list. (Version 2)
‘I’m an oil man’ is what Daniel Day Lewis repeatedly says in the film There Will be Blood. I think. You know that movie? It’s surprisingly good. Daniel Day Lewis is an oil man and he hunts for oil in America and ruthlessly exploits it. Anyway, that’s largely irrelevant. Whilst walking the Alpamayo track ‘I’m …
Get ready for an intensely nerdy list. Hopefully it might be useful for others thinking about walking / cycling for long distances.
It's downhill from here 