I just returned from a traditional fly-then-walk vacation in Bolivia. No cycling this time. But if anyone is considering traveling/cycling in South America I wanted to a) recommend Bolivia and b) suggest looking up Cristian at Conitzer cafe in LaPaz. Cristian is active in cycling - organizes bike races in the area, for instance. He runs the cafe and is currently setting up some rooms to formalize the couch-surfing, help-out-in-the-cafe arrangement he has made with various cyclists as they pass through town. The cafe's website is: www.conitzer.de/cafe.

While there I talked briefly with a guy that is currently cycling the entire length of North and South America. He started in Prudhoe Bay Alaska and will conclude in Tierra del Fuego. He said he and the friends he is traveling with have tried to stick to unpaved roads as much as possible. Some people who read this might know him, as he said he spent several months in Chicago awhile back; he mentioned cycling with the Rat Pack. This website is about their (several year) trip: www.ridingthespine.com.