May 12 - Sucre to Potosi, 150km

Well after a couple of long days where I felt like I was racing the sunset, this short little paved ride was a lot of fun.  All day to do just under 100 miles, and not a single intersection on the way so you don´t have to worry about getting lost (it´s the only paved road in this part of Bolivia!)

Even though Sucre sits on top of a ridge it´s low by Bolivian standards - just over 7,000 feet.  Potosi, on the other hand, is on the side of a mountain up in the altiplano and is at 13,400 feet - almost twice as high!  It´s not quite the highest city in the world (although it is about 2,000 feet higher than Lhasa, in Tibet), it is close.  The record is taken by a town with 30,000 people in Peru 16,700 feet.  Almost the entire drive is uphill where it gets colder and the air gets thinner.

The road is in fantastic shape the whole way and the sweeping curves were a lot of fun to ride.  I took a break for a little bit once I was over the ridge to the altiplano to take a few pictures and enjoy the scenery.  This time of year is late fall and a lot of the grass is a golden color which is brilliant in the sun.  There are shepherds and little villages here and there too.  There´s a real feeling of freedom of being in that landscape - the brisk air and bright sunshine probably have something to do with that.