As described in the previous article (Salar de Uyuni), I was gone for a 3 or 4 days road trip from South West Bolivia to North Chile, through the Sud Lipez. The first night, I camped in the wild near the flat salts, alone.The cold in the morning woke me up at 5am (-4deg). But the sun warmed me and the moto quickly up, and I am on the road again. Since yesterday lunch time, I have not seen anyone.I needed to go to San Cristobal, not too far from Uyuni, to refuel and to wash the bike full of salt. At some point, I took a shortcut and that was a mistake. Because of all the equipment, the moto is very heavy on the back wheel and the front wheel lacks of control. Combined with my used trail tires, it is very hard to ride in sandy areas. I was going at less than 10km/h and I had to turn around. I lost 1 and half hour taking this shortcut!But I eventually refueled. I never talked about it, but refueling in Bolivia isn’t always easy. Petrol costs 0.55 usd per liter but vehicles with foreign plate are charged 1.25 usd per liter! The trick is to ask for petrol ‘without receipt’, and negotiate a price around 0.85 usd per liter. But not all the petrol stations accept to sell fuel without receipt. It’s illegal.Anyway: slowly, on dirt, rocky and sandy roads, I started going up in the high mountains, from 3,600m to 4,500m.This is what I was leaving behind me:This is the face of someone who is struggling. Bloody long and hard day. 320km and 13 hours on the bike: 25km/h average!But I eventually made it to Laguna Colorada, the largest lake of the Sud Lipez:But it was a bit late and cold to set up the tent and cook. Instead, I went to a refuge nearby, $4 for a night.

In the morning, up at 5am. It was -10deg! I left my bags at the refuge and decided to do a quick trip to the North to see the Arbol de Piedra. I had to stop every 5km to warm my hands up on the motor.This is when I realised that, because of the vibrations and the weight, the frame holding the suitcases was broken in 2 locations. Not much I can do about it here. Tight the screws, slow down and hope it will hold all the way to Chile.The Arbol de Piedra (Stone tree) is an interesting rock formation!But the road to get there and back is a bit of a nightmare.I went back to the redish Laguna Colarada:I had left Uyuni with an additional 10L of fuel. But because of the shocks and the crash, I had only about 7L left! Enough however to get to Chile.The road does not get better, I am dreaming of flat bitumen!This is the kind of perfect place to stay overnight, hidden from the wind. The night before, I met Laurent here.Laurent is a crazy Frenchie. What I do on a motorbike, he does it on his bicycle. He has been travelling the Americas for 5 years, volunteering for Plan International, an association promoting child rights. You can follow his adventures on his blog: lapetiterosedesvents.blogspot.com.ar . He knows all the roads, the cities, the people… properly crazy… good crazy.The customs are located 80km from the border, I don’t know why. And at more than 5,000m! In winter, temperatures reach -25deg!There is a lot of volcanic activity in this region. Boiling mud and smell of sulfur:This 3rd day, I drove ‘only’ 230km and stopped in the afternoon, at Aguas Calientes, a hot spring on a lake.A bit earlier, I had met a lovely French couple, Marie and Cyril, travelling on a motorbike they had purchased in La Paz. Laurent joined us and we spent the evening together.With Cyril and Marie, we drove to Laguna Verde the 4th day.This mountain is the Volcan Licancabur, at 5,920m. I love the conic shape.Laguna Verde…… and Laguna Blanca, the last 2 attractions before crossing the border.I left Marie and Cyril and crossed the border. Because the officers were busy having lunch, I had to lift the barrier myself! And here I am, loving the bitumen after 750km of salt, sand, rock and dirt.The road goes down from 4,500m to 2,500m in the desert of Atacama. I thought it would be windy, but no: 40km straight!And here is Bolivia viewed from Chile. We can see the Altiplano, this elevated plateau on which I spent the last 6 weeks in Peru and Bolivia, 4,500m high. And the Licancabur Volcan, 5,900m high. Goodbye Bolivia, you have been incredibly different and exhausting. Your landscapes are from another World! And climbing Huayna Potosi will be definitely one of the highlights of my trip.