July 12, 2016
a warm bed: its too cold to camp: near Abra Pampa to La Quiaca.
I feel the chill of frost in the early hours and when daylight dawns, I don't want to get out of the cocoon of my sleeping bag until the sun is well up. Then when the sun does rise, I find I've placed the tent in the most shaded bank of the dry stream where I've camped. It is like a freezer in the shade, whereas its almost pleasantly warm out in the sun, so I move everything out to pack.
From appearing like a cluster of boxes ahead the evening before, Abra Pampa turns out to be a fair sized indigenes village of low flat floored adobe houses and more modern concrete block structures. Leendert said he stayed in a hotel here, easily spotted on the way in, which I don't see. I had through to head for it yesterday, but decided to save money by camping. I didn't know it was going to be such a cold night.
The way ahead is straight and level along a wide valley of whitish dry grass cattle pasture, with ranges of hills off on either side. Hard to believe there's cattle farms at this altitude, or FINCAS as they called here. It being winter the cattle are skin and bone. There are also herds of lama, which seem to thrive better here.
It is 73km to La Quiaca, next the Bolivian border. A much larger place: a drab town of boxy houses scattered over the barren folds of the mountain plain on approach. There's a tourist information kiosk on the way, as lots of travelers pass through here going to or fro Bolivia, wherein I pick up a town plan with a hostel ringed off. This place turns out to be another good hostel, although this time I'm the only quest. No one to talk to, but at least I've a warm bed tonight.
Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 11,602 km (7,205 miles)
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