Monia on the DEATH ROAD, La Paz to Coroico...

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Just after coming to La Paz Monia got pretty excited about biking on the World Most Dangerous Road. Both she and Kiki had heard and read quite a lot of scary stories about it. Kiki therefore chose not to do it, as she gets quite scared biking downhill.

There are many travel agents in La Paz who organise similar tours but to the best of our knowledge Gravity Assisted is the best, most popular and most expensive too. At least the price goes with the quality as they provide 2 guides per group. One of them is English speaking and the other one Spanish. Gravity Assisted is the only agency in La Paz which carries rescue equipment with them and can save tourists' lives if they were to fall down the cliffs as apparently there is only one helicopter in Bolivia which is used mainly by politicians.

Our group gathered early morning at the Terrace Cafe to meet our guides Dale and Goose who took us to La Cumbre 4700m, a place surrounded by the Andes and a beautiful lake.
After getting our bikes, gloves, the ugliest helmets and vests distributed, we rode in circles for a while to get used to the bikes and we were off!!!! Pulled by gravity we were flying downhill!

We biked over 20 km of tarmac with loads of curvas peligrosas when we finally entered a 3m narrow gravel track which is the start of ,,the world's most dangerous road''.
We were stopping approximately every 10-15 minutes, getting loads of advice on how to survive. We had to remember that on the narrow gravel section of the road normal Bolivian rules of passing don't apply. Normally, vehicles pass on the left. Not here. On this section, the vehicle with the driver's seat closest to the edge passes on the left. Most of us were squeezing the brakes continuously. Most of the time through the narrow, hazardous loose gravel section, Monia was focused completely on the road, avoiding the scenic distractions of the cloud forest on either side. Fortunately, there was not much traffic in either direction, but when there was, it was terrifying.

To be absolutely honest, getting so much advice, stopping all the time and most of all hearing about all those accidents and tourists who were not so fortunate to survive the road of death, KILLED 60 % OF THE FUN Monia was expecting to have. She got anxious and paranoid and started biking extra carefully after the 3rd stop. She complained to Dale (one of the guides) who was quite clear explaining that if they don't warn people, then there are accidents. If they do there are no accidents! Well, she understood but she still thnks she paid to have fun and high adrenaline, not just to get scared.

In one single day, we crossed from snow-covered plains and plunged down through the steamy rainforest of the Amazon. Hardly peddling at all, we dropped 3,600 meters, defying death all the way to reach a bar at an animal refuge located in tropics where we sat, sipping beer.
We all surrvived and it was a real adrenaline-rush which Monia would love to do again! This time only with her friends!

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