What Really Happened to Noraly's Bike in Bolivia – The Untold Story

What really happened to Noraly's bike in Bolivia? Most people assume Dhanno died in a dramatic crash on one of South America's most punishing roads — but the truth is stranger and sadder. In this deep dive into the Itchy Boots Season 2 Bolivia chapter, we trace Noraly Schoenmaker's 30-day, 14-episode journey through the southern Bolivian altiplano. From a solo four-day crossing of the Ruta de las Lagunas at 4,600 meters — higher than Mont Blanc — to a two-hour descent into the Caracoles silver mine on Cerro Rico in Potosí, this is the full story of how Dhanno survived Bolivia's hardest terrain only to be destroyed months later sitting still in a Lima parking garage. We cover why Noraly deliberately skipped the Salar de Uyuni, the six flooded river crossings near Independencia that forced her off the bike, the broken speedometer cable that cost 500 unrecorded kilometers, and her tense COVID-19 escape from Bolivia into Peru before the borders slammed shut. We also look at the mysterious ravine incident — where, according to her upcoming book Doorgaan (Lannoo, 2027), Noraly "nearly loses her life along the edge of a ravine in Bolivia" — a moment that has never appeared in any episode. From geochemist in Rotterdam to the top of the solo motorcycle travel world (3.33M+ subscribers, 778M+ views), Noraly's Bolivia arc is one of the most compelling stretches of the entire Patagonia-to-Alaska ride on her Royal Enfield Himalayan 411.