There's no better way to kick off an episode with the amazing rock formations you see in Northern Argentina. Normally I travel alone, but today I am cycling with Alfredo. Together we drive through a terrain that could be used for a Star Wars film set. Pointed rocks that jut out for meters and views that stretch for miles.

At an altitude of 4000 meters we stop for a while. It can get chilly tonight and we need a place to sleep. Fortunately Alfredo speaks the language and a local resident asks for a place to sleep, with the result that we can sleep in the barn. A warm overnight stay is fortunately a fact!

The next day Alfredo and I climb higher to 4500 meters and it feels like I'm suddenly out of shape. The air here is different from what I'm used to and I can put as much force as I want, but I can't move well anymore. Not only does my body have trouble with it, my brain doesn't exactly cooperate at this height either. Like I'm drifting down the road drunk instead of driving in a straight line.

The next few days should serve to complete the route to Chile. For this we have to cross several mountain passes in the Andes at an average height of 4500 meters. The first pass is really terrible. A terrible headwind and if more sand blows up, it's like being sandblasted. This allowed us to make fewer kilometers than expected and we decide to sleep in an abandoned building. The tents are set up and luckily there is no wind at all! That's something different! After breakfast we continue. Soon I notice that I am faster than Alfredo, so we decide to go on alone for a while and meet again later.

After driving through the gravel paths for a few days, the road surface is approaching! And I'm lucky, because normally it's very windy here, but today it happens to be windless. After a lot of miles in the legs, a milestone has been reached! After 5 months on the bike, I have now arrived in the fifth country.

Welcome to Bolivia! Alfredo and I have met again and we decide to drive a long way together through the rough road surface. After traveling many miles together, Alfredo is heading in a different direction, but I am sure I will meet him again in the future. Alone I continue through the rough landscape of Bolivia.

The highest road in the world is found in Bolivia. And today I'm going to cycle over it! But the thought that I have to continue to perform at more than 6000 meters altitude, I get a bit anxious. The oxygen level is less, the road surface is terrible and I have to walk a long way. But I managed. I have cycled on the highest road in the world! And I don't feel bad at all. I think I've gotten used to the air at heights. And now it's time… for the descent!

They say Bolivia has the worst roads in the world. And they are right. Sand, rocks and soft road surface. The best bike for this trip should really be a full-suspension with extra fat tires or a Fatbike. Despite these conditions, I wouldn't have missed this for anything.