UPDATED October 7, 2026 BY Guest Author IN South American Epic no comments A Football Pitch And A Church What We Really Need To LiveBenjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2026 South American Epic.I have not showered for three days. Admittedly I have gone longer, but usually when I am at one of the few places I call home I shower a little more consistently. Nonetheless, here I am in Salinas de Garcia Mendoza, the self proclaimed Quinoa capital of Bolivia, smelling my feet as I write this blog. The last two days we have spent in Ardamarca and Santuario de Quillacas. Heard of them? I had not either until we camped there. Picture a town, 50 km away from any other town. It might have paved roads, it might not. It might have a hotel, it probably does not. It might have a shop, it probably does actually have a shop. But you know what it definitely does have? It has a football pitch and a church. 50 km away from the middle of nowhere in Bolivia, the small town you are picturing has a football pitch and a church.So, what do you really need to live? I do not really need to shower every day. You come to learn, or remember, that sort of thing when you travel like this. On a cross-continental cycling expedition, your idea of what is essential and what is not, starts to change.And over the course of these trips, your opinion on what you need changes. That 4 kg of skincare products you have hidden in your permanent bag becomes a four-in-one shampoo-conditioner-bodywash-facial cleanser Those 4 pairs of rest-day jeans become an overseas express package back to Europe that will arrive after you get home in 2 months. On these trips you are stripped down to the bones of who you are and what you need. And in facing the reality of this, you find that you really do not need so much.Today riding into Salinas we saw some dogs on the road that looked keen to chase some riders and snap at some ankles. We stopped and Cristiano and our Bolivian local support Ana-Marie walked over to chat with their owner to see if she would mind locking them up for a while in order to let our cyclists pass unaccosted. She lived in a stone house. There was no running water, no electricity. When we first saw her, she was walking with a few litres of water from a well 200 metres from her house. She lives by herself with no form of transportation, 10 km from the closest town. None of us can imagine living like that. She does. She lives this way every day. It makes me reflect on what I need.Now I sit in that town, 10 km away from this woman tending her llamas and dogs. And you know what they have in this town? They have a football pitch and a church. And you know what I am hoping to have later? A shower, maybe.RELATEDTOURSouth American Epic This challenging expedition offers you the best opportunity to explore the vastness and diversity of South America by bike. In keeping with the TDA... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "A Football Pitch And A Church What We Really Need To Live" Cancel reply