| Cycling South America |  | |||||
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| Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. J.F.Kennedy | ||||||
| Selected photos | ||||
 "[Tiwanaku] Gate of the Sun") |
 "[Tiwanaku] A farm on the Altiplano") |
 "[La Paz] The city is hilly, with much higher mountains above the city") |
 "[La Paz] Not even the best clothes can help to win the heart of the chosen lady") |
 "[Sucre] Girls dressed up as angels attracted wide attention") |
 "[Near Patacamaya] Rugged landscape. The white substance is not snow, but salt") |
 "[Near Cuahuara de Carangas] Impressive Sajama volcano; the highest mountain of Bolivia - 6542 m") |
 "[Near Sajama] Ruins of a church") |
 "[Sajama] Dancers and their “rehearsal” in a pub starting already at lunchtime") |
 "[Sajama] Llama getting ready to sleep in the middle of a village") |
 "[Sajamay] Masked dancers walking around the village square") |
 "[Sajama] The dancing was impressive, but we didn't see much as there was an electricity failure in the entire village") |
 "[Sabaya] The most beautiful part of the small town, which is situated on the dusty international road to Chile") |
 "[Salar de Coipasa] The salt flat starts gradually with a thin salt crust") |
 "[Salar de Coipasa] On the flat you can find ruts left by trucks filled with salt water") |
 "[Salar de Coipasa] Flooded parts of the salt flats are reminiscent of riding between heaven and earth") |
 "[Incahuasi Island] The island is approx. in the middle of Salar de Uyuni; the expanse of the flat is amazing") |
 "[Chiquana] The entrance to a pueblo; there is probably nobody there except soldiers") |
 "[Near Laguna Hedionda] Tourist Jeeps can be seen from a distance, giving themselves away by the dust clouds") |
 "[Poušť Siloli ] Strange icy objects shaped by wind") |
 "[Poušť Siloli ] Arbol de Piedra, or rather, Stone Tree") |
 "[Laguna Colorada] The white colour by the coast, the red colour in the middle") |
 "[Laguna Colorada] Here is the whole colour spectrum altogether") |
 "[Near Sol de Maňana] GPS shows my new altitude record") |
 "[Laguna Chaviri] The guys already waiting for me in the hot-water lake") |
 "[Laguna Blanca] The “neighbour” of Laguna Verde framed by Bolivian mountains") |
 "[Valle de la Luna] A rock formation called Amphitheatre up on the left; trippers down on the right") |
 "[Valle de la Luna] A rock formation called Dinosaur") |
 "[El Tatio Geysers] One of the geysers") |
 "[Near Calama] The boring desert is only enlivened by memorials of road accident victims") |
 "[Former pueblo Pampa Unidas] One of the 'ghost cities' - pueblo abandoned after closure of mines") |
 "[Antofagasta] Typical Chile: dogs everywhere, even in the pedestrian zone in the city center") |
 "[Antofagasta] Fishing port") |
 "[Santiago de Chile] To get a job in the Chilean Police isn't easy, the aspirant must look bright even from a distance") |
 "[Santiago de Chile] On the riverbank of stinky Rio Mapocho a joker drew a sunbathing girl") |
 "[Santiago de Chile] A pavement artist in front of the Cathedral; he kept drawing the picture every day – to be washed away during the night") |
 "[Easter Island] Ahu Tongariky – the largest set of re-erected statues") |
 "[Easter Island] Ahu Tongariky – the model was a handsome man, wasn't he?") |
 "[Easter Island] Ahu Tongariky – the largest set of statues") |
 "[Easter Island] Ahu Ko Te Riku – one of the few moai with eyes") |
 "[Easter Island] Ahu Akivi – nobody takes a photo of moai from behind, except me") |
 "[Easter Island] A view of Rano Kau") |
 "[Easter Island] Ritual Orongo village—the edge of the crater borders the Orongo village") |
 "[Easter Island] The cemetery at Hanga Roa") |
 "[Easter Island] Ranu Raraku - completed moai dotted on the hillside") |
 "[Easter Island] Anakena – finally a Polynesian beach: bathing was pleasant, although not very warm") |
 "[Easter Island] Te Pito Kura – the navel of the Universe") |
 "[Santiago de Chile] Carabineros guarding the Presidential Palace appear calm; the scrum was to start a couple of hours later") |
 "[Santiago de Chile] The view from the Santa Lucia hill") |
 "[Near Angol] This owl didn't make it") |
 "[Collipulli] The Mallico railway viaduct is a National Technical Monument") |
 "[Temuco] Chileans love horses, even for dinner") |
 "[Pucón] There is a ski resort on Villarrica Volcano; unfortunately 2 weeks before I arrived, the ski season ended") |
 "[Ojos del Caburgua] Two waterfalls opposite each another; this was the bigger one") |
 "[Caburgua Lake] A view of the lake") |
 "[Pucón] Twilight on Playa Grande; it is overcrowded in the season") |
 "[Salto Le China] Amazing 60-meter high waterfall") |
 "[Near Osorno] The village chapel") |
 "[Osorno] The centre of Osorno doesn´t attract anybody") |
 "[Puerto Montt] A view of the center from Angelmo. In the top left of the photo: Calbuco which produces its own clouds") |
 "[Near Ancud] Typical yellow bushes create a pleasant ambience") |
 "[Ancud] This man keeps everything close at hand") |
 "[Castro] Palafitos – these houses on stilts are listed buildings") |
 "[Chonchi] Again: one of the famous churches") |
 "[Quellón] Almost at sunset, the rainbow appeared in the rain") |
 "[Near Villa Santa Lucia] In such a landscape you can ride like the wind") |
') "[Near Puyuguapi] Salt-water fish breeding (probably salmon)") |
 "[Near Villa Amengual] Rio Grande valley") |
 "[Lago Las Torres] I collected some drinking water and feasted my eyes on the landscape around me") |
 "[Near Villa Maňiguales] Marvellous landscape and excellent road – that´s fantastic!") |
 "[Tunel El Farrelón] The rainbow arched over the Rio Simpson Valley") |
 "[Rio Polux] A waterfall by the road") |
 "[Near Villa Cerro Castillo] Winding roads on fantastic concrete road, delightful riding - almost track cycling") |
 "[Villa Cerro Castillo] Camping El Bosque; Cerro Castillo looms high over it") |
 "[Near Villa Cerro Castillo] It was often difficult to keep an eye on the broken road when surrounded by such a panorama") |
 "[Near Villa Cerro Castillo] I found a suitable stone and had the idea for a sign: I love Chile") |
 "[Near Villa Cerro Castillo] Dead trees in Bosque Muerte") |
 "[Near El León] On the bridge over one of the branches of Lago General Carrera") |
 "[Near Cochrane] The confluence of two rivers - Baker and Chacabuco") |
 "[Esmeralda Lake] A solitary spur with a tree") |
 "[Villa O'Higgins] The local cemetery") |
 "[Lago del Desierto] The peaks of Fitz-Roy are the aim of many mountain climbers") |
 "[Electrico River] The bridge over the Electrico River on the dusty road to El Chaitén") |
 "[El Chaltén] The town, something to eat and drink within view") |
 "[El Chaltén] Impressive Fitz-Roy over the small town") |
 "[Highway 40] Pampa and the mountain range in the background") |
 "[Glaciar Perito Moreno] The glacier in contrast with surrounding rocks") |
 "[Glaciar Perito Moreno] The general view stunned me") |
 "[Glaciar Perito Moreno] You can be fascinated by the glacier from the observation platform for several hours without being bored") |
 "[Glaciar Perito Moreno] The glacier size in comparison to the boat carrying over 100 passengers") |
 "[Glaciar Perito Moreno] The opposite hillside covered with blossoms of Chilean “Fiery bush”") |
 "[El Cerrito] A diversion to the dusty road to Tapi Aike") |
 "[NP Torres del Paine] At the observation point there was a freezing wind and it snowed for a while") |
 "[NP Torres del Paine] A river flowing around the entrance to the National Park at Laguna Amarga") |
 "[NP Torres del Paine] A guanaco leaps over the road barriers") |
 "[NP Torres del Paine] A nest with a mother on guard") |
 "[Punta Arenas] A clock in the port") |
 "[Near Porvenir] The wind shapes the trees just as it chooses") |
 "[Near Rio Grande] A chapel by the road") |
 "[NearTolhuin] Road number 3") |
 "[Kaikén] Fagnano lake") |
 "[NP Tierra del Fuego] A chapel at the world´s end in Lapataia bay") |
 "[Ushuaia] One of the shipwrecks on the coast") |
 "[Ushuaia] The Saint Christopher shipwreck at sunset") |
 "[Near Estancia Harberton] Where does the wind here come from, can you guess?") |
 "[Ostrov Martillo] Magellanic Penguini hurry to welcome me") |
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| © Text and photos by by Jiri Bina | ||||||||||||||||||||||