El Ciento Veintiocho – La Paz - 128km ^127
I awoke to snorting and stuck my head out to see what animal was
feeding on the tent; in the process I was greeted with the most
extraordinary sunrise. The sky was a deep red, against which the
cacti made pretty silhouettes.
The level road we enjoyed until then ended and turned into a roller-
coaster ride. Only a few shops/restaurants were scattered along the
way, and a 60-kilometre stretch came with nothing but cacti.
Fortunately, we had plenty of water to see us to La Paz.
La Paz
Two days were spent in La Paz. La Paz was relatively modern with
large shopping centres and other facilities. At one of these stores,
Ernest spotted suitcases, and the story goes as follows:
Right from the start Ernest had a problem with his heavily ladened
bicycle. He had to throw out heaps of “necessary stuff” even before
setting off. Still, he departed Cape Town with a massive load. As the
trip progressed, his possessions slowly increased. Nearly all suspect
baggage was carried on top of the ample rear rack. The configuration
changed according to the duration of container bags. In La Paz
Mexico, he spotted suitcases at a Walmart store. He became
obsessed with consolidating everything on the rear rack into a
manageable package. One large, hard-shell, jetsetter suitcase (with
wheels and retractable handle) later, he was smiling. He removed the
retractable handle, but still, the suitcase attracted a fair amount of
attention from passers-by.