点评:Amazing! Awesome! Astounding!
Riding in Bolivia is not for those without some motorcycling experience. It requires discipline and care. There are many challenges to deal with including the traffic and the road conditions, the altitude and even the availability of gasoline.
Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures (BMA) is a well established company with many years experience. As the name suggests, it provides a variety of routes through some stunning landscapes guided by the owner and very experienced motorcyclist and mechanic/interpreter namely Roland. Larger groups may also include a support vehicle.
My brother and I were looking for a tour with a difference. We selected the ‘Quantum of Solace’ route and were not disappointed. Roland was helpful right from the moment we elected to go. All questions were answered promptly and plenty of useful information was provided up front.
Our planned route of approximately 2,300km consisted of asphalt, off-road track and salt flats. The BMA bike of choice is the Suzuki DR650 and it’s hard to find fault with this preference. It had the required power for sustained and effortless riding on the good quality asphalt roads plus the agility and low gearing for the more demanding elements. It was ideally suited for this type of adventure riding being light, reliable, economical and able to cope with the weight of both rider and luggage without missing a beat. In the event of any mechanical issues they are easy to fix. My bike was well maintained, in excellent condition and performed perfectly for the duration of the tour. My previous off-road riding experience is limited but with help and advice from Roland I was able to cope with all that Bolivia threw at me. Obviously some maintenance along the route was required. For example, chain lube, but this was dealt with by Roland as and when required.
All the accommodation, meals and fuel were included in the price. I would describe our accommodation as more than adequate with no nasty surprises. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Some even had air conditioning. Meals and drinks were either at local restaurants, the hotels themselves or in some instances provided by locals en route but in each case they were selected by Roland and again of satisfactory quality. However, menu choices tended to be limited. Remember, this is touring in Bolivia and not in the USA. Roland has extensive experience of riding here over many years and thus ensured that all meals were ‘safe’. Also, his extensive knowledge and experience of coffee shops ensured satisfaction on that front too with one establishment even providing golden tea spoons. So, no problems there either.
Our route was a well established one. It included plenty of interesting venues enhanced by the Roland’s considerable local knowledge. There was ample time for rest breaks and taking photographs along the way and, believe me, you will want to take plenty. Thanks to the daily briefings, there were no unexpected surprises for us.
It was very clear that our safety and wellness was a priority. As such we were not subjected to any risk or forced to ride outside our respective comfort zones. Daily distance targets were known in advance and easily achievable with no night riding required either.
Stand out points of our tour include the ride across the Bolivian salt flats (surreal), the steam locomotive graveyard at Uyuni (great photo opportunity), the visit to a working mine (eye opening), the scenery and landscapes (out of this world), the local people (friendly and welcoming). There were other memorable moments but too numerous to mention here.
In short, our Bolivia tour was a hugely rewarding experience thanks in part to the planning and professionalism of BMA. It exceeded our expectations and provided a genuine taste of adventure with little or no risk in an amazing country. It is definitely worth five stars.
翻译:太棒了!不可思议!令人惊叹!
在玻利维亚骑摩托车并不适合没有任何摩托车驾驶经验的人。这需要高度的自律与细心。沿途会遇到诸多挑战:交通状况、道路条件、高海拔环境,甚至还有汽油的供应问题。
Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures(BMA)是一家经验丰富且信誉良好的公司。顾名思义……该行程提供了多条路线,沿途都是绝美的风景。全程由车主兼经验丰富的摩托车手、机械师兼向导——罗兰亲自带领。对于人数较多的团队,还会配备一辆支援车辆。
我和弟弟一直在寻找一条与众不同的旅游路线。我们选择了“Quantum of Solace”路线,结果果然没有失望。从我们决定参加的那一刻起,罗兰就给予了许多帮助。他迅速解答了我们所有的疑问,还提前提供了大量有用的信息。我们计划的路线全长约2,300公里,包括柏油路面、非铺装土路以及盐滩。我们选定的摩托车型号是铃木DR650,这个选择实在无可挑剔。它在路况良好的柏油路上能提供持续且轻松的骑行动力;面对更为复杂的路况时,它又具备极佳的灵活性与合适的低档位设置。这款车重量轻、可靠性高,堪称此类探险骑行的理想之选。经济实惠,且能够轻松承受骑手和行李的重量。一旦出现任何机械问题,也很容易修理。我的摩托车保养得很好,状态极佳,在整个旅途中表现完美。我此前的越野骑行经验有限,但在罗兰的帮助与建议下,我成功应对了玻利维亚的各种路况挑战。当然,沿途也需要进行一些保养工作,比如给链条上油。不过,这类问题都由罗兰在必要时予以处理。
所有的住宿、餐食和燃油费用都已包含在价格中。我觉得我们的住宿条件相当不错,没有任何令人不悦的情况发生。房间干净舒适,有些甚至配有空调。餐食和饮品要么是在当地餐馆或酒店内享用,有时则由沿途的当地人提供;不过这些地点都是由罗兰精心挑选的,质量也令人满意。然而,菜单上的选择往往很有限。请记住,我们是在玻利维亚旅游,而非美国。罗兰多年来在此地骑行,拥有丰富的经验,因此他确保了所有餐食都是“安全可食用”的。此外,他对当地的咖啡馆也了如指掌,这也让我们在咖啡方面毫无后顾之忧——甚至有一家店还提供了镀金的茶勺。所以这方面也毫无问题。
我们的路线是一条早已被众人熟知的路线。行程中安排了许多有趣的地点,罗兰对当地情况的深入了解更让这些地点增色不少。沿途还有充足的休息时间与拍照机会——相信我,你一定会想拍下很多照片。由于每天都有情况通报,我们丝毫没有遇到任何意想不到的状况。
显然,我们的安全与健康始终被置于首位。因此,我们既没有面临任何风险,也无需勉强自己去做超出能力范围的事。每日的骑行距离目标事先就已确定,而且毫不费力便能达成,也完全不需要在夜间骑行。
我们此次之旅的亮点包括:穿行于玻利维亚盐沼之上的体验(如梦似幻)、乌尤尼的蒸汽机车墓地(绝佳的拍照机会)、参观正在运作的矿山(令人大开眼界)、绝美的自然风光(美得超乎想象),以及热情好客的当地居民。此外还有许多令人难忘的时刻,只是实在太多而无法一一列举。
简而言之,我们的玻利维亚之旅是一次极其难忘的体验,这在很大程度上要归功于BMA的精心策划与专业服务。这次旅行超出了我们的预期,让我们在这个美丽的国度中体验到了真正的冒险乐趣,而风险则微乎其微甚至不存在。绝对值得五星好评!