Jonesin for a Ride!

Archive for the ‘2010-11-12 Bolivia/Chile’ Category

What a way to break in a new rider on a trip. SPOT is on!

We made it.

Tom gives the go ahead signal to start

Short flight but we didn’t arrive till 4:00. Deboarded, immigration, pay $134 for visa, customs, and grab a cab. After a couple of days of gray skies, we have mostly sunny here at the airport with some clouds. Tom has the cab driver stop at a fruit stand and jumps out to get us some fresh mangos and a couple of bananas.

Yum, fresh mango's

The airport is located on a high plano above the city. The cab ride reveals snow cap mountains all around us, then we approach this giant crevice in the earth, and La Paz is located in this opening-hugh steep valley below! Beautiful site from above as you drove down.

La Paz in the Valley

And just like Peru, traffic is always an adventure.

There is such hustle and bustle as we head down the hill and towards our hotel locaed just off a traffic circle.

Hotel Rosario is where we are staying tonight:

Hotel Rosario

 Beautiful work inside with cobblestone coutyards as we head to our room.

We later went down the street to check on the mighty KLR that I will be riding.  Tom stored it at a public garage for the last 75 days.  It was dusty and dirty, but it fired right up.  Next we headed to the BMW dealer where Tom need to pick up his bike since he had serviced it.

Back to the hotel for dinner where we had Lama for dinner before heading out to see the sights.

Well, things so far have worked out.  Tom left LAX at noon to head directly to Lima.  My route was Mexico City, 5 hour layover, then Lima, arriving 15 minutes later than Tom.  We are both on the same flight to La Paz from Lima, but not till the next day.  Both our phones are not working, so I was glad Tom waited for me after customs for the taxi ride to our hotel room.

We are at the Radison tonight – nice room!

We will have breakfast, then head back to the airport to catch our 11 am flight..

and my cell phone won’t call out or send text messages, but I can receive them.  I know Tom has boarded his plane, but he is clueless on what I’m up to.  Hopefully, we meet in Lima for tonight.

But I’m sitting in Chilies at the airport, having my 2nd cervasa.  My waiter told me the passcode to the wi-fi next door.

Woke up at 2:50 am to shower and hit the road to LAX on my bike by 3:50.  My bike was flashing low for the last 20 miles.  Arrived at LAX at 4:50 only to be greeted by a long slow line at the Aeromexico ticket booth.  Check in, pay for my extra bag, go through security, set off security, then go through a pat down, finally get to gate and we board 20 minutes later.

Took off at 7:20 and landed at 12:15 Mexico CIty time (10:15 LA).  Waited a looooong time for my bags, go through custom, inspect bags, drop bags off again, and go through security again for my connecting flight – only to find out my cell phone will not make calls or send text messages – way to go At&T, how do I fix it now?  Can not even call you…

So I’m here in Chili’s restaurante, listening to a mexican version of  U-2’s “I still don’t know what I’m looking for”.  Nothing that a few beers won’t solve – another cervesa please…

BTW, thanks for the emails!  I love it, but please leave comments here so everyone can enjoy!