Thankfully, that tally is still in our favour, despite some terrifyingly close calls. And of course those pesky dogs, also with the attempts at ferocious biting and also springing from nowhere. Strong head winds, deluges of rain that soak us in seconds and hail storms that spring from nowhere and bite ferociously. It can be spectacular in itself and we are getting better at timing when to don our wet weather gear and when it is time to seek refuge.В But still, itвЂ™s tough going. Riding across theВ high & flat terrain of the Alti PlanoВ (altitudes around 3800m)В we got some incredible views of huge storms rolling in for miles around us.

We rode as a team of 4 from La Paz to Uyuni over 8 days straight cycling. There must be so many other things I need to think through.ДЄ view of the city of La Paz from El Alto I cant believe we will be on that plane in just 5 weeks.

It never crossed my mind that this was a situation to consider but have now vowed to find a cheap pair of karate shoes to make the flight bearable for my fellow passengers. I was simply stunned at the notion of even pondering this. As their trip will also end in Chile, Adam confessed that he was too embarrassed to wear his вЂgood shoesвЂ™ on the plane for fear of the odour that will consume the cabin. Having spent most of January riding through Bolivia with British cyclists Adam & Claire, our conversations have revolved around what will be needed from us upon вЂre-entryвЂ™. Yup, we look and smell like homeless people most of the time. Now though, the only effort apparent is a flimsy mist of body spray that helplessly attempts to cling to the sheen of dust & grime. When we first started the journey, our вЂgood clothesвЂ™ were reserved for meetings with new friends and actually represented a kind of вЂeffortвЂ™ on our part. May as well just be at one with the dirt and wipe it all over yourself I say. I mean what is the point really? You wash something and itвЂ™s clean for 2 minutes before its dirty again. And even as I type this and wish it otherwise, with a resigned acceptance I know it probably is true. The other day I even heard myself say out loud that I would probably not get to wash my вЂgood trousersвЂ™ again until Argentina when the weather would be warm enough to wear my вЂgood shortsвЂ™ while doing the laundry. I know itвЂ™s not OK to smell a pair of socks that you have already worn, but I have only just come to understand how often and how much we engage in such habits. Will we be able to adjust to normal hygienic standards again?

It makes me wonder what life after the bike trip will be like. It didnвЂ™t occur to me consider my appearance until I was surrounded by those clearly used to socialization. When we arrived at the top of Wayner Picchu, I looked as though someone had thrown a bucket of water over me while I was poking an electric socket. I loved walking behind the soapy cleanliness of these spotless wonders, but started to feel very concerned for those stuck behind us. It was then that I started to wonder what I must look like to them. But then we started to meet other hikers, people whose clothes actually smelled like laundry soap, people that definitely considered their appearance in the mirror before they set off and people who even brought make-up with them to adjust their sweaty brows before their photos at the top. ItвЂ™s gear for getting sweaty and very practical for the occasion I thought. When we hiked to Machu Picchu, I didnвЂ™t think twice about wearing my cycling leggings under my adidas shorts and my long sleeve cycling shirt to protect me from the bugs and sun on the trail. Happy Aussie Day in the desert вЂ“ how good our our Aussie flag HooRags!

The rainy daze stop sign