Betty Beem time to get some action here on the salt flats

Nov 5th Day 63 on the road. Got up to head back to the salt flats to take my bike for a ride up to a volcano the tour guide mentioned for me to do.  Dru decided to stay in didnt feel like dealing with riding on the back of the bike.  So I rode out of town arriving on the salt flats 20 minutes later.  Stop got some photos of Betty Bert and I and continued my way for a hour an half to the volcano.  Once I go to the volcano the tour guide said ride around the side of it and you will see a car path that takes you up the mountain.  Well at the base of the volcano there was some water and if you dont know the little bit of water on the salt flats make for the best salt flat photos cause it reflects the sky perfectly.  Unfortunately the day wasent exactly incredibly blue but I decided to use Dru go pro selfie stick and take a stroll as there was pink flamingos in the water lama in the background at the base of the volcano and pretty unreal scenario.  Well after

well definitely didnt think that could happen

smiling ear to ear to myself thinking how wonderful this was I was stopped dead in my tracks go pro flew forward out of my hand.  My throttle hand flew off the grip I slammed into the tank thankfully I was not going fast enough I didnt fly over the handlebars.  But I am thinking what the fuck.  Here I broke through the god damn salt.  Now theres no reason for me to be upset cause how the fuck was I to know you could break through the fucking salt that millions of people have driven across for years in this that weigh a lot god damn more than me an my motorcycle.  So I am definitely thinking to myself fuck but in a way giggling like god damn it I had to go out here today.  There is no one around the salt is bright as fuck I am going to burn a live out here.  I empty the bike off and realize Betty is up to here swing arm burried in mud and water below the salt.  I try to drag her out but I cant get her to move from the mud its like quick sand and I am to my knees in it and not only is it mud the fucking salt is breaking off filling up my boots and ripping the shit out of my ankles.  I take off the boots cause it was a lot less painful and just use my socks.  I can only move the bike at like 5min bursts cause remember I am 3800 meters up 12,500ft in elevation so if you never been to denver times

My hero for the day haha helped me get Betty out

that by 2 oxygen is short just walking up steps will put you out of breath.   So I am huffing an puffing trying the best I can to get this bike out shortly later a 4×4 comes by that I wave down.  I asked the drive does he have a strap that would he be able to pull me out.  Some god damn reason these guys didnt have a strap and im like what the fuck how is that possible what if they break down our here and need towed in by another 4×4.  Anyways there is a british family thats on a tour for the next 3 nights 4 days  on the salt flat and there we could help just pulling it out.  I tell them no you dont want to do that you will get wet the salt hurts like fuck and the mud is knee deep.  The husband says he does not mind and the 2 boys were happy as hell to get out of the the landcruiser.  The husband and the 2 tour guys help me pull Betty back on top of the salt but like I mentioned air is limited so we need to take several break cause were all out of breath (most of you will never know what the hell im talking about when it comes to elevation if you never been there cause it truly is overpowering)  The wife says I might as well help you guys are tiring yourself out.  So she hops down in and in the next 5mins Bettey is back up on top of the salt sitting muddy and salty as hell.  I truly could not thank these guys enough they all said dont worry about were traveling for over a year around the world this what makes for a good adventure helping out others.  Again I do all I can to thank them and I truly feel my words is just not good enough but again they said its okay were glad your okay and were here to help.  So while we are all cleaning up in the water I ask so you guys been traveling around the world.  The wife says yeah we took the kids out of school they know there ABC and how to count there not dumb.  We still teach them theres plenty of homework they can do online for free stuff like that but our kids wont be ignorant to the world. There going to learn a lot of more stuff first hand than the bollocks they tell you in school.  (which i totally agree unfortunately majority of people think the only education to get is the one that is approved by others)  They ask make sure your bike starts before we take off.  I turn the key Betty fires right up and they finish up and take off. I get redress pack the one bag back on Betty that I brought out with me fire her up again and start heading back in front of the volcano.  Within 5mins she shuts off turn the key nothing again so i try again an again nothing is happening.  So there long gone now im sitting here again in the damn salts frying thinking fuck I probably ruined my bike by falling into that water.  I try to text Dru but no luck his phone doesnt work unless it is on wifi so I text my Ashly back in Maryland To see if she can text Dru and or find me a number for a tow company in Uyuni  she has had no luck.  Then I remember the day before I called a motorcycle shop in town in hopes of buying a new rear tire cause mine could use one.  Well

well staring at the Llama to occupy my time till im rescued

the number was still in my phone so I ring up that guy and asked him is it possible he can tow a bike in.  He asked where I am at I gave him the area he said there is a town nearby probably not far from you go there I will meet you there in 2hrs (yeah im 2hrs in the middle of sheet of white with a volcano doesnt seem like the best odds right now)  Well I have 2hrs to kill I try to start up the bike again she starts I cruise for like 2mins and Betty shuts off again but now I can see the town. I try to start the bike again n again no luck.  I am thinking there must be water in the gas line.  I end up pushing Betty towards the town.  I leave here about 100 meters 300ft away from where the road to the town starts and just walk up to find some shade cause  I am melting on this white shit even though its not even that hot out.  4×4 were coming in and out of this town I stopped 2 of them in hopes someone could help me but with no luck.  The one I stopped it was 2 couples in the truck and the girl gave me 2 bottles of water and some rittz peanut butter crackers.  So they say you can live 30days without eating lets see if this truck guy can find me. (cause luckily i did have a phone and cell phone service cause yesterday when I was on the tour out here I had nothing the whole time so this volcano must of had a tower built on it somewhere)  So 2 hrs go by and here comes this red landcruiser with a trailer on it. I walk out to the bike we load it up on the trailer thrown my wet ass boots in the back and I hop in.  The guy is a brit and of course he see me and must think I am a fucking lottery cause he mentions if I really needed picked up he would of done it for free.. WELL TWAT YEAH I REALLY FUCKING NEEDED PICKED UP… It wasent like I just got tired and said fuck it I will call someone to get me so any way this british cunt charged me 200$ to pick me up but yet he explains its 240 for a day tour on there motorcycles. O really so its 200 to use just your vehicle to get me but 240 for you to use a motorcycle and for me to use a motorcycle and tour all day around out here.  Was really annoyed by this fucker now cause he is just making himself  look like a complete fuck but one thing that made me feel good was he said “I been doing tours out here for 3yrs and 2 weeks ago a french guy and I broke through the salt as well. Its not dumb if you dont know and you didnt know thats part of learning it was pretty dumb that we broke through but again you just dont know where the salt breaks but it is normally close to land”  So that made me feel a bit better and then goes on to tell me all these stories of how last week 12 people died cause a van and landcruiser crashed.  NOW if your thinking like im thinking Its the fucking salt flats how the hell do you crash when its completely flat an theres nothing really to see but supposedly you know just go to fast and just careless off looking in another direction there off looking in another direction and then boom.  So even if my bike is now dead atleast I lived I cant be to mad about that but my pride would definitely be killed.  Everything I set my mind on I have achieved in a certain way if not more.  So I will finish this trip one way or the other. We talk a bit more on the 2hr drive back into town an start to not mind the guy as much anymore but that 200$ is still bothering me when he would of done it for free. We get into town drop the bike off at his shop he drops me off at my hotel and asked if I wanted to get pizza.  I hate pizza unless its pizza hut or chicago pizza but sure I am alive no reason to bitch about shitty cardboard pizza so I agree. He says he will wash off my bike an grab me in 30mins.  I shower wash my riding pants and boots and head back out of front of my hotel where I see Michael the guy from florida I went to the Panama Canal with in welll PANAMA.   I ask him where is he going he said just looking for a room how much is yours I said I dont know but your welcome to stay there cause there is 2 extra beds.  So rewind a bit when I got back to the hotel Dru left me a note that he left Uyuni and got a flight back to cali a day earlier cause he kinda saw everything he came to see in Bolivia so figured he might as well grab a flight home early to rest up before going back to work.  Not mad at all by it cause he has the worst lucks with flights so this gives him a day extra using his bad luck wisely.  So going forward – Michael says okay yeah I tell him I am about to go eat pizza with this guy my bike broke blah blah an he says well let me throw my shit in the room and Ill come eat pizza as well.  So while Micahel is doing that Robin the guy who picked me up on the salt flats shows up I mentioned my friend is going to come with if that is okay.  He says yeah of course so we all go for some pizza.  Of course it sucked like I thought it was going to but like a tropper I ate the shitty cheese sauce covered piece paper called doe.  Afterwards Michael and I grab some drinks and I tell him about my day and we catch up on our journeys so far and then just head back to the hotel and call it a night.

o what a day on the salt flats