Why is it that you can spend ages choosing a good spot to get "that picture". The one that shows what a rufty tufty overland adventuring biker you are. Some nice gravel, rutted road, rocks and plenty of colour.

And then a little old lady comes round the corner on her scooter.

Shortly after we left Tarija the tarmac ended, just in time for the climb over the highest mountains of the day. The next 40kms of dusty gravel took us over a 3800m pass on twisty ripio. This is a main highway, Ruta 1.

We took care to wait at any bends when we saw any trucks or buses coming as they wanted as much of our side of the track as we wanted of theirs. The dust clouds they produced also reduced visibility to nil.

As height was gained, some small black birds we had spotted from a distance became big black birds. Condors circled overhead. And then I managed to scratch another itch. We rose above condor level and were able to look down on them for a change.

By the time we reached Potosi, just under 4000m, Jean's headache she had been suffering since the previous days high pass was worse.

It wasn't until the next morning that the altitude sickness (soroche) hit me.

No problem, straight on to the local cure, Mate de Coca. A herb infusion made with coca leaves. We both felt much more cheerful after our "tea".

We hung around Potosi to see if we would become more adjusted, but headaches stayed along with nausea.

As we could not spend all day drinking coca we went on a drug hunt.

First of all we tracked down the other local popular cure and were really proud that Jean managed to ask for the treatment for soroche and was understood by the pharmacist. Until on the way out I noticed the large sign saying that was the main thing they sold here. 2 Gringos enter, it doesn't matter what they say, just get the soroche pills out.

Back at the Hostel we did a bit of internet research and discovered that all the pills contained were aspirin, something else we'd never heard of, and caffeine. I started taking them anyway.

Jean then came across some research about Ibuprofen being successfully used to alleviate the effects of mild altitude sickness. Off we went back to Pharmacy row, buying up their stocks of 200mg and 400mg tablets. They don't sell them in packets here, just break open boxes and dole them out in ones and twos.

I felt guilty as I walked out of each shop, sure that everyone was watching me stuffing them in my jacket. The 400mg ones were massive, they looked more like suppositories.

We are now taking a cocktail of drugs:- aspirin, Ibuprofen, coca tea, Jean's migraine pills. All along with our daily dose of Malarone (anti-malarial). We are not sure this is the right country to have so many drugs rattling around the panniers.

After a good nights sleep, and a fresh dose of Mate de Coca, I was ready to ride the bike and hit the road once more.