Oruro

Now entering Oruro station; hotels to your right :)

Yet another long ride brought us to Oruro, one of the main destinations on our list.

The long road from Sica Sica to Oruro

We were very excited to arrive because we hadn’t seen a warm shower in days and were worried about Karsten’s bike pedal (hopefully we could find spare parts here). The city of Oruro looked very impressive from afar, built on the side of a mountain and spanning in all directions. Having entered the city, we weren’t disappointed; the whole downtown area teemed with life (with lots of restaurants and cafes).

La Casona, a pizza restaurant

Close to the main plaza we found a warm hotel that would store our bikes. The cafe “Coffee Break” next door became our favorite place for route planning during the two nights we spent in town.

Kai smiling before realizing that ordering an Oreo Frappuccino was a mistake

Route planning at Coffee Break

All throughout the downtown area was a HUGE market offering (nearly) everything you could possibly think of. We soon realized, however, that it would be impossible to find the exact bike part we needed for Karsten’s bike… Thus, we prayed (and still pray) that his pedal would remain well attached for the entirety of the trip.

Surveying various market stands selling bicycle parts

On the second day, we encountered an open mariachi performance on the main plaza. Moreover, we couldn’t help but notice the plethora of big cakes that could be seen everywhere around town. We soon figured out what all the festivities were for: Mother’s Day (which was being celebrated the day after).

Mariachi performance

Cakes everywhere!

After two days of rest, we left Oruro for our next adventure: the route to Potosí!