"El Baila del muerte" the climax of the evening were the bride and groom dance for a minute between 12 shots of 96% caña mixed with pop. Whoever crumbles first looses. If they both make it they are carried around the room by the crowd for the rest of the evening.

Tania is never one to pass up on an opportunity to dance. And their was no lack of suitors at this wedding. *

The finished product, a wedding tree cake. (maybe because there are so few trees in Potosi)

Preparing the cakes for the wedding in Potosi.

Making bread by hand with Florencio in Potosi.

Our first pressure cooker made banana bread

Magnificent volcanoes, mountains and valleys made for a fantastic antidote to the constant calomino (washboard) that dogged us at every corner! *

We had the unfortunate experience of arriving in Aguas de Castilla just as school got out. Normally this is a fantastic opportunity. But we were exhausted and had a little trouble finding the patience to answer all their inquisitve questions. Not to mention that the bike almost collapsed under their weight.

On our last night on the road we found a small valley with huge boulders scattered among a sandy bottom. We only set up a tarp and sleped under the stars sheltered from prying eyes from the road by the boulder.

LLamas were a more frequent encounter than people by far on the road to Potosi from Uyuni. they may be the only ones to be able to tell us what really happened to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The never ending washboard that plagued us every day for the 210 km from Uyuni to Potosi

LLama tracks on the road often obscured the car tracks because the traffic is so infrequent. There are basically almost no personal vehicles on the road. Only about 4 busses per day and another dozen trucks and that is it.

The first train to come to bolivia in the 1890's was only 70cm tall!n It came to Pulacayo with in the 19th century was the biggest silver mine in Bolivia and possibly the world.

This locomotive brought silver from Pulacayo to the Chilean port of Arica. In 1909 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid attacked and made off with the loot.

Pulacayo once had 50 000 inhabitants but now that the mine is only worked by a cooperative of about 40 miners it only has 800 inhabitants.

Tania is feeling good with her pink friends on the shore of the Salar de Uyuni in the small town of Coquesa at the foot of the Tunupa Volcano

Woo Hoo! I made it to the top of the western peak of the Tunupa Volcano. A little light headed but very happy.

Near the top I found this. I am pretty sure it was not an offering to the Diffunta Correa since it was empty. I was very angry and dissapointed that someone who took the effort to go this high could be so careless. Anyway I brought it back down as my thank you to the mountain. *

The aproach to the alpine part of the volcano where all the vegetation disappears and with it the ancien stone walls that criscross the lower slopes to controll llama grazing and protect quinoa patches.

The Salar seen from half way up the Tunupa Volcano. Notice all the islands aparantly there are more than 20 of them. *

Foolishly awakened by the tour companies arriving for the sunrise on the island I figured since I slept at the foot of the island I should get a sunrise shot as well. Here you can see our next goal of the Tunupa Volcano framed by the giant cati of the island that only grow about 1cm per year. The biggest is 12m tall.

Inauguration of the Pressure cooker on the Island of Icahuasi *

The salt flat was so bright that we had to use some good old improvizing (inspired by inuit snow goggles) to make sure Tania's light tinted glasses were dark enough. Also note my very white face! This is because it is lathered with zinc oxide cream. It seems to have gone out of fashion in the early 90's but is a very effective total sunblock. It is sold as an astringent for people with exema or as baby cream in pharmacies.

Interminable hours of riding on a "frozen" salt lake. But everytime we stopped for a break and looked around we had to pinch ourselves.