{"id":307,"date":"2018-01-24T15:54:57","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T15:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rustycamper.com\/?p=307"},"modified":"2018-02-24T19:40:25","modified_gmt":"2018-02-24T19:40:25","slug":"an-amateur-riding-the-bolivian-andes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bojkov.org\/index.php\/2018\/01\/24\/an-amateur-riding-the-bolivian-andes\/","title":{"rendered":"An Amateur Riding the Bolivian Andes"},"content":{"rendered":"
After some idle conversation with Miguel the owner, he got down to business. \u201cWe have several tours in the outskirts of the city\u2026 suitable for all riders,\u2026\u201d. Yada-yada, your usual tourist thing. As I was drifting towards the door, he added. \u201cThere\u2019s also the high mountains tour, which we haven\u2019t done in over 6 months\u2026\u201d. I perked up – after all, I hadn\u2019t driven 25,000 miles to La Paz just to get the watered-down, tourist angle on things. Despite the \u201cexpert riders only\u201d warning, I cheerfully opted-in for the real thing. It didn\u2019t occur to me that I hadn\u2019t ridden a motorcycle for over 20+ years, and only very briefly at that\u2026 We shook hands, Miguel instructed me to be there \u201cearly\u201d next morning, and I went back to have some more beer.<\/p>\n At 7:30am, which is plenty early by my standards, I show up. No one. Half an hour later, Miguel arrives and hands me a barely readable photocopy of a waiver, which I duly fill out. He never asks for my license. That\u2019s handy, because I\u2019ve never had one. But who am I to nitpick – when in Rome, do as the Romans\u2026 He then proceeds to outfit me in full enduro gear, and while I try out different sizes of clothing and helmets, a second guy – Juan – shows up. He will be my guide.<\/p>\n Juan doesn\u2019t waste any time and takes me to the side of the shop where there are 3 motorcycle standing – a red Honda 650, a yellow Suzuki 650 and another of a different color. I like red so I pick the Honda. Juan prompts me to hop on and take her for a spin. I manage to \u201chop on\u201d after a few tries without pulling any muscles. These beasts are tall. My feet are dangling and I can barely touch the ground with one. I fire her up, crank into 1st and immediately stall. It doesn\u2019t help that the shop is on a very steep street\u2026 La Paz is at 13,000 ft elevation and very<\/em> hilly, think San Francisco. I manage to do a few rounds around the block, stall her once more, but Juan doesn\u2019t seem overly concerned, so I decide there\u2019s no cause for concern either. I also try out the Suzuki and while the seat feels somewhat lower, the Honda seems somehow my thing.<\/p>\n
\nI was sitting at a campground in the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, chugging beers and reflecting on our trip so far, when the thought struck me. On the way back from my last beer run, I had spotted a sign \u201cMotorcycle Adventure Tours\u201d. Motorcycles and<\/em> adventure? Count me in! A few minutes later, I walked right in, six pack of Pace\u00f1a in hand.<\/p>\n