The worst road in the world!

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Last night I came up to Rurrenabaque from La Paz on a 15hr overnight bus and the first 5hrs(in daylight) where on "the worst road in the world", and yes it was bad. Rurrenabaque is a really cool town though, it's more of the Bolivia that I was expecting to see and it's actually hot here which is cool. I came here to go into the jungle for a while, so this morning I did a bit of asking around and found a guy who "knows the jungle" - so I talked him into taking me out there for 6days of treking and rafting solong as I pay for all the food and a little bit extra for his time. So thats where I'll be for the next little while - I hope I don´t get eaten by anything 😊

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Photos

Worst road in the world - Bolivia
Oncoming traffic was always really interesting

Me upfront
after the aisle was totally full with locals and chickens and bags and little kids piss, I found a better seat up frount between the two drivers that were having turns driving and drinking 96% alcohol to help cope with the overnight haul.

the paved street in Rurrenabaque
and that motorbike in the foreground is the local form of taxi service. And they pack them on if they have to, one time I saw a family of four on with the driver!

Me enjoying the view and the shade from the upstairs of my hotel.
I thought I better treat myself to something nice because I was going to be rouphing it in the jungle for the next week, so I dished out the 30B's($6) for this place, where I 've got my own room, my own bathroom(with toilet paper AND toilet seat which are both very hard to come by in Bolivia) and breakfast included.

Swimming with Piranas
I got a couple a couple of locals kids who I accidently busted smoking weed in some abandoned old house by the river, to help me to overcome my child fear of swimming in an amazon river where "piranas live and wait to to eat peoples toes off when they go swimming"

Comments

[Earl Smith]

Altitude sickness
I felt great physical discomfort in Austria at 1000 meter level - many people in Peru, Bolivia and surrounding area live and work at levels of 5000 meters. Chewing the cocoa leaf at these high levels eases the nausea and physical discom- fort.

[Ben]

COOL TRIP
youre nuts for having gone down the road in a bus with drivers drinking alcohol. ive gone down that road more than 300 times as i am a guide for the bike tour!! but i ive never done it in a bus!! seems like you had fun. however i have to say that some of your comments are incorrect since there is not one single piranha in the Beni river where you are swimming, and the plantations are of coca leaves not "cocoa".