by Vas Mylko, Roman Bilusiak
Travelers, welcome to Curiosio. Today, we are releasing Bolivia for you. Bolivia concludes our digital journey in South America. After the release of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and now Bolivia, we are switching focus elsewhere — most probably Scandinavia or the entire Nordics… Now, enjoy Bolivia!
Bolivia is Special, Top Gear Special
“Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are dropped deep in the Bolivian rainforest armed only with three shabby 4x4s, which they bought from the local small ads for a maximum of £3,500 each.” BBC.
“What follows is one of their most extraordinary journeys. They attempt to drive from the heart of Bolivia to the coast of Chile, encountering local drug lords, the debilitating effects of high altitude and the terrifying sheer drops of the infamous Death Road along the way. But before all that, they’ve got to escape from the deep, dark centre of the rainforest.” BBC.
Some peculiarities from Wikipedia:
Jeremy Clarkson bought a red Range Rover Classic which he believed had a 3.9-liter fuel injected engine. However, when he showed his co-presenters under the bonnet, May noted it was a 3.5-liter model. It became notorious for overheating and stopped working on some occasions.
Richard Hammond bought a tan Toyota Land Cruiser 40 which had been badly converted into a soft-top convertible by a previous owner. Despite the Toyota’s reputation for durability, it turned out to be the most unreliable car, suffering multiple drivetrain and suspension breakdowns right from the start.
James May bought a Suzuki SJ413 which was blue in the picture, but red when delivered. The Suzuki had a 1.3-liter engine and was the smallest of the three vehicles. Despite this, it did not undergo modifications, and broke down the least.
Bolivia is known for its Yungas Road near La Paz. It is called Death Road. “Because of its steep slopes, narrow single track, lack of guardrails, rain, and fog, and was nicknamed the ‘Road of Death’. However, it was not the most dangerous road in the region. Unlike the rest of the country, traffic was left-hand, to allow the driver to assess the distance of their outer wheel from the edge of the road.” Wikipedia.
We took their Bolivian segment and threw it on our algorithm (that black monolith called Ingeenee). Got a trip plan for you. It’s interactive. You can bend it as you wish — stretch or shrink in time, add more points, etc. You could reuse their hack — buy a used car in Bolivia, drive across the country, sell the car. Make sure you select the “Own Car” option if so:)
That Top Gear era with those three geeks was special. Very special. Top Gear Special. It’s a pity that hungry angry Jeremy punched people in the face… He got fired. “This is the plaque at the Simonstone Hall Hotel in Yorkshire, commemorating where the fracas involving Jeremy Clarkson and a producer took place.” Wikipedia.
Bolivia for Adventure Seekers
Well, Top Gear Special was a true adventure too. Extreme adventure. For travelers who are not that crazy but love the adventurous style so much — a travel story from Claire’s Footsteps. We took her story and put it on our algorithm. Got an interactive trip plan for you.
Find [Supertrip] red button, click it, and bend it as you like.
Road Tripping in Bolivia
“Bolivia’s silver was looted by the conquistadors, but this is still a land gleaming with treasures... Take a ride through the Altiplano mountains and discover charming haciendas, a fairytale culture and villages that few have ever seen.” Condé Nast Traveler.
The original plan included arrival/start in La Paz. We reduced the mileage. The starting and finishing point is the same and is Potosí (aka Villa Imperial de Potosí). “It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal 4,090 meters (13,420 ft). For centuries, it was the location of the Spanish colonial silver mint.” Wikipedia.
If you want this plan to start and finish in La Paz then click the red [Supertrip] button and enter La Paz twice — as the first and the last point around all other points. Don’t worry about the duplicated Potosí point in the middle of the search box.
Thank you for reading-skimming-scrolling down here. Stay tuned and follow your curiosity!
PS.
Top Gear geeks finished in Chile. They drove through Guallatiri volcano. Here is Curious Chile for you. Below is a tribute to Top Gear Bolivia Special with their pass through the Andes. (Unknown how long this clip will stay on YouTube, unknown how it conforms to copyright law).
