removing night shelter
After quarter an hour on the bike we arrived at a national park ranger station. Not a lot of people there, but two cyclists from Germany, Tardis and Arno. They told us that inside the station we could refill the water and that there was a television team in the area at the moment to make a documentary about the wildlife up here.
The two took two months off from work to ride in the area Bolivia - Chile - Argentina. They had already been to Salar Uyuni and could tell us quite a bit. We were very lucky to meet them, not only because of the interesting chatting but also because they gave us maps they didn’t need anymore for Bolivia and detailed Russian maps for the laguna route. Thanks a lot! I could even copy a detailed description of the remote area around the lagunas from a small book they had with them.
Arno had been in South America before but not on a bike if I remember correctly.
Meeting cyclists Tardis & Arne
While I talked to them my Dad followed one of the vizcachas, small chinchilla and rabbit like animals hopping around the national park house. I guess they would make nice accessories for the tent at night when your feet get cold, maybe a good idea for touring cyclist pets 
Just don’t think about the trouble you might have at borders.
Vizcacha, relative with chinchilla
Now with the information they supplied we got into a small dilemma: There were two options to get to the next village: 1) Pretty flat along the Salar de Surire. Taking this one we would have to cross the border to Bolivia for a short stretch without a visa for Bolivia! Risky in my eyes. I had heart from other cyclists (namely Wilbert from the Netherlands) who have payed a lot of money because they have been caught in other countries without the needed entry stamp. Now I guess it’d be even worse without a visa.
Option number 2) was to cycle up a really bad gravel road, sometimes really sandy, to a 4700 m pass.
I guess your character and mentality, the way you’re thinking, influences a lot now, how you decide. Coming from Germany and being raised in a pretty strict and conservative culture I am used not to see things that relaxed (as for example some French friends of mine did or many cultures I came in contact with in South America). Additionally our budget at the time couldn’t have coped with a several hundred or even thousand € loss, so we opt for number 2).
Cycling between sky and earth
Not a bad decision if we don’t take into account the tough road. Almost no traffic with the exception on one 4×4, and amazingly colorful mountains and vicunas beside the road every now and then.
Colorful mountains
horrendous road but incredible place to be
After the tough uphill a similarly tough downhill followed, all filled with bumps in the road every 50 cm. A tough job not only for the rider, but also causing material fatigue.
view to Bolivia after 4700 m pass
Reaching the bottom of the wide valley we continued south. In the evening the same game as the day before: 4 or 5 pm: Strong sidewinds from the coast start to make cycling harder and harder. Add the exhaustion from riding 4 or 5 hours on above 4000 m and you can understand why we take the next opportunity to pitch the tent: A small deserted village with a nice, locked church serves fine as a wind shield. At least till we’ve pitched the tent, then the wind turns and the tent starts shaking like a flag in the wind.
inner view from sleeping bag position in freezing night
This is my first time reading your blog, but I can already tell you that I love it! Keep up the work!