May 1, 2004

By Andreas Reimar; Photos: Herbert Schwarz, Andreas Reimar, Astrid Neudecker

The project

Just as every year, in 2004 we also undertook an extreme journey in order to test our products under the most severe conditions. This time our destination was Bolivia in the heart of South America . We took with us two of our fully-equipped Revamps, an R 1200 GS with new accessories and a large selection of our travel and outdoor range. Obviously we once more made a Touratech film of this journey which is available on DVD (page 612).In order to have the most varied test conditions possible in the short space of three weeks and to be able to show the diversity of Bolivia on film, we worked out a route that went through the most varied climate zones from high mountains to tropical rain forests in a trip of only 2000 kilometres.

The team

Herbert puts all products critically under the microscope and sends the test results through to Touratech each evening by satellite telephone. He drives the Revamp with the large tank and is one of the actors in the film.

Astrid contributes her long-distance travel experience and is an actress in the film. She drives the R 1200 GS.

Wolfgang wrote the screenplay for the film and ensures that the experiences in the journey are converted into exciting film scenes.

Jan-Peter captures all the details of the trip however small with his film camera. Nothing is too much trouble when he has to find the right angle.

Andi worked out the route and organised the transport. He is the tour guide and records the trip in photos.

Motor cycle transport

Even after many trips the moment when you finally get your motorbikes from customs has never lost its excitement. Throughout the journey there our thoughts are always revolving around this subject: are the machines there, have they come through it unharmed, how will the clearance go? But this time too all our worries were unfounded because the huge wooden boxes are undamaged and after just under an hour of tedious paperwork and a short inspection we may start putting the motor bikes together.

La Paz

Although La Paz is not officially the capital of Bolivia , the town is the indisputable metropolis of the country, the economic and cultural centre. In a deeply carved basin, unplastered brick houses, colonial buildings and modern skyscrapers jostle for space. The markets in the narrow alleyways are trading points for goods from all over the country and are where tradition and modern meet. Next to people selling a handful of potatoes on the pavement boom the basses of hi-fi equipment from the Far East . Next to stalls with magic tinctures and herbs a mobile phone shop is touting for customers.

Camino el Muerte

The notorious Camino del Muerte, the "Road of Death" links La Paz with the tropical lowlands. Making its way through wide stretches in the vertical cliffs, the narrow track overcomes a height difference of a good 3000 metres in little over a hundred kilometres and goes through belts of perpetual ice up to the muggy heat of the rain forest. Numerous crosses on the edge of the road bear witness to accidents which gave this unique stretch its macabre epithet.

On the way to the lowlands

The red clay marks the appearance of the tracks in the lowlands. As hard as concrete in its dry state, this earth turns into a slippery, heavy mass when it rains. Then the section clogs quickly even with rough studded tyres so that steep inclines become a feat of strength and starting off leads to fishtailing.

Villages in the rain forest

There are small villages in the clearings like relicts from another age. Surrounded by dense forest, constantly shrouded in passing swathes of mist, a handful of huts, made out of untreated boards, covered with palm fronds huddle on the edge of a clearing. Anyone who lingers here and is prepared to let the scenery work its magic on them will be gripped by a quite unique timelessness that lies like a veil over these settlements far from the hectic hustle and bustle of civilisation.

Deep rivers

Bridges are a rare exception on the tracks in the rain forest. When the rainy season lasts longer than expected the countless rivers become a serious obstacle. If you don't want to risk damaging your engine you should proceed very carefully. In extreme cases there is nothing else for it but to stop up the inlet manifold openings and exhaust and push the motor bike through the floods by muscle power. To save us the trouble of doing that we built an extension for the inlet manifold. This worked brilliantly, but, alas, the engine stalled: then the water came in through the back.

Altiplano

Extreme drought, dust and the thin air puts a strain on the body on the 4000 metre high Altiplano plain. You need time to acclimatise and then the fascination of this landscape opens up: the play of the light on the mirror flat surface of Lake Titicaca , the peaceful herds of llamas in their barren meadows and the unending vastness in which the dead straight tracks are lost on the horizon.

Children

Our motor bikes arouse great excitement amongst the children in the villages. Everyone wants to climb on them, put on a helmet and always have their photos taken. Here our polaroid camera is, of course, a great attraction. The little ones can hardly believe that within minutes they are holding a picture in their hands showing them on the motor bikes. The parting is warm. In return for the instant pictures we are given a bag with mandarins they have picked themselves.

The Apolobamba region

One of the most remote and at the same time most fascinating regions of the country is the area around the Nudo de Apolobamba mountain range. The passes, that are almost 5000 metres high take us along just under dazzling white strips of glacier. In deeply carved valleys, villages cower at the foot of the mighty mountains. Even today the people still cultivate corn, potatoes and some other arable crops purely by hand on tiny fields nested, terrace like, on the steep slopes

Improvised repairs

Adventure trips always require improvisations too. When something breaks down,you shouldn't lose your nerve because you can repair most faults en route even with simple means. We even put right the burnt out cable tree on a BMW with "flying" cables. And what looks like coffee with plenty of milk is the result of an oil change after we dropped a motor cycle in the river

Living in the open air

If we had travelled without a tent we would certainly have missed some of the most beautiful settings of the journey. The strange noises in the rain forest at night or the sight of the starry sky twinkling over the Altiplano were unforgettable. In order to really enjoy camping the equipment must be very adaptable because the climatic contrasts in Bolivia are very great: whereas the temperatures in the highlands fall to minus 15�°, in the jungle there is a sticky heat even at night.

The great fiesta

Once a year the whole of La Paz is on its feet. Young and old try to grab a place in the grandstand to take part in the Se�±or Jes�ºs del Gran Poder celebration. From early till late dance troupes in splendid robes and noisy bands pass through the streets of the metropolis. The performances show a varied mixture of historical scenes, Aymara Indian traditions and Christian content.