The Demise of Butch and Sundance

The first impression of Tupiza (and the middle and last ones) is of a quaint, sleepy town where little happens day to day that wouldn´t have happened any other day. People hang out in the streets doing a little selling in their kiosks and stores, kids go to school, and dogs wander the streets.

Yet my Kiwi friends, Ester and Steve, and Laura the Brit, and I were there to enjoy what we could of the town as we figured out where the next stage of each of our respective journeys would lead. The three days in Tupiza were quiet, but full of outdoor activity.

Tupiza is best known (if it can be said to be known for anything) for being the last place that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ever robbed before their infamous shootout and subsequent death about 20 k from the town.

I spent the majority of my time wandering the surrounding area, which is a maze of red-rock canyons and gorgeous mountains. On one ambitious day I made a 23k trek through the canyons that ribboned back and forth, studded with towering monoliths. I wound my way to Cerro Elephante, a massive mountain covered in cactus and thorny bushes, capped with a gigantic rock shaped by nature into the likeness of an elephant.

For now, I move on to the next adventure - in a place I´ve wanted to go for years. It shall be a huge journey, but worthwhile...