Swag Family World Ride

We asked our listeners if they wanted to hear stories about the delicate art of toileting in South America while on bicycle tour. To Nic’s delight and Andrew’s horror you said loud and clear, ‘let’s have that conversation’. But please, be WARNED that this conversation is all about pooing in the wild, misadventures with bidets and the like. If you’re at all squeamish please DO NOT LISTEN to it. Frankly, even if you’re not squeamish, consider skipping it. Even though we think it’s hilarious, you probably won’t. YOU HAVE BEEN DULY WARNED.

Route 40 runs the length of Argentina. It is a famous bike touring heaven (and hell) in one snaking 5000km strip of dirt and asphalt. We see both sides of it in this episode as we sample the far northern section from La Quiaca to San Antonio de Los Cobres. Hear about Nic’s tangle with a puma at 4200m and the joys and struggles of family cycling in this extreme environment.

We were worried that Bolivia would be a big old boring high plain in between Peru and Argentina. So WRONG! In this episode we discuss the route we took from Copacabana in the north to the southern border at Villazon, and the amazing things we discovered along the way.

This episode takes us from the highway south of Cusco to the border crossing into Bolivia on the shores of Lake Titikaka. We discuss the challenges of navigating through Juliaca and how we dealt with some difficult road conditions south of Puno. Should you ride on highways with children? We have a sad dog story and lovely stay in an empty school classroom. We finish with the slightly confusing but ultimately successful border crossing. We’re now in Bolivia.