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Published: October 26th 2005
Check out the road behind
...and that was a less steep bit !!!Hi everyone
We are currently in La Paz, and really loving Bolivia. (although we have a 12 hour overnight bus trip to Potosi later, so opinions may change...will keep you posted on the blockades (or hopefully lack of))....
So we left Puno on the bus. It was a great trip across the Alto Plano - the highlands of the Andes - with stunning scenary - farmland streaching out to snow capped peaks in the distance. We sailed through Bolivian immigration and stopped off in Copacabana for a change of bus and lunch. Would definitely recommend staying there for a few days if you have the time...it's a lovely little seaside (lakeside!!) town complete with Pedalos and a row of trout restaurants/shacks on the front. We found it strange that Bolivia was set up for 'resort' tourism when it seemed Peru wasn't.
Anyway, we travelled on to La Paz via a fantastic ferry....across Lake Titicaca (see pics of the bus crossing...glad we weren't on it). Our first view of La Paz was amazing...as it had just finished raining and a rainbow was arching directly into the bowl that is La Paz. It is a stunning location for a city...several
Into Bolivia
..no photos at the Border..oops miles into the sky in a natural bowl...which means all the main stuff (skyscrapers!!) are in a strip down the middle, and the town literally clings to the mountain sides all around. No pics though - we were on the wrong side of the bus :o(
We spent the next day exploring La Paz. It's a fascinating town, with loads of life, people, markets etc. If anyone needs a Lama foetus, just let us know, and we'll pop back to the 'witches market''. The old colonial area is superb, if not a bit run down (we couldn't spot the gun shots in the presidential palace).
Tried to get into San Pedro prison, which is apparently run by inmates, but couldn't get in. Turns out that was a blessing, as we found out later that some tourists had been raped a year ago...which is why the government had banned 'visits'.
In typical Lou and Steve style, that evening we ended up in the best restaurant in La Paz http://www.restaurantvienna.com/home.php, and had a great meal in a beautiful European dining room, complete with Pianist...all for GBP 9.87 !!!
So, the next day...and the point of the title.
There's a road that runs from the mountains outside La Paz (4,800m) for 40 klm down to a town called Coroico (1000m approx). However, the term road is not quite correct. How about....Tiny dirt track, cut and clinging to the side of the vertical mountainside, with 500m sheer drops and every form of truck, bus, van and coach carrering up and down. It's called the 'World's Most Dangerous Road'on account of the 100's of people that die each year through falling of the edge !!!
So we decided to Mountain bike down it !!! (Well it's the thing to do in La Paz)
It was an amazing experience. For Steve, it was fairly tame riding, except for the fact that there was a 500m drop along the whole road... It's quite difficult to explain how fantastic, scary, stupid, great, dirty, rough, and basically arse twitchingly cool it was. Steve woke up this morning thinking of one particular 'drop' that he sped past a little out of control and started sweating again. Unfortunately it was a little too rough for Lou, so she ended up in the support vechicle most of the day, although I have to say, given
Copacabana
or is it Costa del Sol the nature of the road, I'm not sure that was any better. (Wait until you see a 40 tonne Bolivian lorry reversing back up a three meter wide track, and then you have to pass it on the cliff side !!!). Chuckle !!!
Anyway - all back in one piece, with t-shirt to prove it. Not sure if any of the photo's will do this one justice (have a look on http://gravitybolivia.com/view?page=12).
Steve and Lou
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Vickie
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How jealous am I? Stuck in the office in the rainy north!! Sounds fantastic, can't wait to hear more!