Special Needs Donkey: Tocopilla, 19-4-12

From Potosi to Uyuni was easy. There's brand spanking new blacktop, snooker table smooth all but 10km of the way. So new that they haven't finished painting the white lines. A twisty road that made me wish I'd brought a sports bike, until the dirt of course. I got stuck on fresh topsoil that they're using to make the road and had to get one of the workmen to push me out.

Altitude still killing me, and the bike. I can't light a fag or walk up a flight of stairs without having to sit down for 10 minutes. The bike is somewhat anaemic. Coughing and spluttering worse than me. Can't raise any power at all but fortunately there's enough torque at low RPM to pull through most things.

Uyuni is a complete tourist trap. Bus loads of backpackers off for a three day tour. I was most disappointed to find the Salar covered with water and although some folk were riding it, I decided not to risk the bike. Fortunately there were a huge number of westernised restaurants so I could use up my Bolivanos on a cocktail or two.

I made the decision to head for the Chilean border. To come down from the altiplano and knock this altitude thing on the head.

The road to Ollague was good, most of the way until I took a wrong turn (there aren't exactly comprehensive sign posts in this part of the world) and went the wrong way round the Salar de Chiguana. The road went from bad to worse and I fell off several times in sand, salt and mud. It's some effort picking up the bike at altitude and it struck me at the time that I hadn't seen a single person for over 2 hours.

The Bolivian border post was deserted. There was a locked gate that I rode around and I failed to collect an exit stamp. The Chilean border was easy and I found a guest house just on the Chilean side. I had to spend an hour riding round the village knocking on doors to find someone who would sell me petrol. The nice lady also had wine for sale.

Next morning, south to Calama. Another 220km of dirt. Much sand and salt but fortunately I didn't fall off. Andes and Salar giving way slowly to desert, I stopped at the side of the road to take a picture of some volcanoes and the bike wouldn't start. Much faffing and stripping the bike down, quite conscious that I was alone in the Atacama desert it turned out that a bolt had fallen off the battery leaving the bike completely without electricity. I replaced the bolt and made the decision not to go so far into the wilderness alone again.

Blacktop started 50km before Calama, stopped at a cashpoint and then for petrol and headed west towards the coast.

150km later I hit Tocopilla. A port town exporting minerals dug locally. Not much here but found a good hotel that's out of my price range and taking it easy for the night.

North tomorrow, still deciding whether to go up the coast or up the PanAm. Peru in a couple of days.