Oruro & Potosí

I left Sergio and Shuli behind in La Paz. After Shuli checked himself out of the hospital we got together and ultimately decided we are a group of riders rather than a team. The doctor specifically recommended against proceeding to the higher altitudes of Bolivia. She suggested Shuli should go to lower altitude and wait a week for his body to recover. But, grown men get to make their own decisions. Shuli decided to proceed, in fact he plans to join Sergio on a 16,500 foot border crossing that involves 250km off pavement. Sergio is an expert off-road rider, yet Shuli is a novice. I didn’t feel comfortable joining them especially given Shuli’s altitude sickness, so I decided to proceed on my own. We have plans to reconnect at lower altitude, likely Mendoza, Argentina. I will point out that Shuli has seemed fine in the high altitudes of Puno (12,500’) and La Paz (11,900’). 

First stop was Oruro and then Potosí. Oruro was nothing special, however Potosí is UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beautiful Spanish colonial buildings. It is one of the highest cities in the world at 13,400 feet. For centuries it was the location of the Spanish colonial silver mint. 

Getting gasoline is a challenge in here. Officially gasoline is only available to Bolivians. I’ve now filled up three times and the drill is the same. First the attendant refuses to sell you gas because you are a foreigner. After pleading for gasoline they tell you to go somewhere else. My strategy is to say “necesito gasolina” and then refuse to leave. They tell me to go somewhere else and I say “estoy aquí.” The line begins to build behind me and folks are getting upset. Finally the attendant gives in and fills me up with an agreement to pay 2x or more the local rate. Yesterday, it took me 45 minutes to outlast the attendant.