We all got up at 6 AM sharp. The sun hadn’t even begun to warm the air yet, but there’s something satisfying about the quiet routine of breaking camp early. A quick breakfast, some packing, and by 8:30 AM we were ready to meet Markus in Patacamaya as planned.

The four of us set off together and cycled around 29 km. It was really nice having company and chatting, exchanging stories, comparing bikes and setups, and discussing all the little technical details that only cyclists find genuinely fascinating. It’s always interesting to see how differently everyone approaches the same lifestyle on two wheels.

My personal highlight of the day was trying Markus’s bike. His setup is ultralight for bikepacking (just 23 kg including luggage). That’s almost half the weight of the men’s 50 kg and well below my roughly 40 kg bike (weights of bike + luggage). The difference was shocking. With his bike I could barely tell we were going uphill. Meanwhile, on my own bike, I could feel every single degree of incline which I have to admit definitely showed in my breathing whenever I tried to talk while cycling at the same time. We had a fun start of the day together but said our goodbyes in the later morning because Markus still had 100 km to cycle.

Lunch was less exciting. Soup again, but this time even blander than in Peru and in a small town that was far from inviting. Grocery options and restaurants were scarce, and most locals we met along the way weren’t particularly friendly. It was strange, because in Peru we’d almost always been greeted with smiles and curiosity. The Bolivian Altiplano, on the other hand, felt rather cold. Not just in temperature but also in atmosphere. The scenery matched the mood: dry, barren, and dusty. Impressive in its vastness, yes, but far from beautiful. We consoled ourselves with the thought that things would surely get better once we left the Altiplano behind us.

After about 70 km my knee started hurting badly, so we decided to stop earlier than planned. We’d hoped to reach 80 km, but it wasn’t worth pushing it. Fortunately, we found a very nice and sheltered spot to sleep. A nice green field, a bit further away from the road in a sunny and quiet valley where we could finally get some peace and rest after a rough day on the road.

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