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Published: January 22nd 2017
So I managed to convince a reluctant jo to do the death road bike ride. We woke up in the morning and all I could do was throw up- I'm not sure about death road, I felt like death already! Nothing to do with alcohol, maybe altitude but most likely a bug.
So a 40 min bus ride to the top of the mountain was challenging to say the least! 4800m up we suited up with pads and biking gear before heading off. The first part of the ride was nice and smooth downhill on flat paved road- but cars were passing us, so a wee bit hairy at points! Bikes back on the bus, quick 10 min coach ride and a bite to eat before heading off on the real death road! Now the reason why this is such a renown road is because it's literally hair pin bend after hair pin bend with a sheer drop off the side and when cars were allowed on it/ still using it there was hundreds of deaths a year! Now days there is a new road which the vast majority of traffic uses leaving the old road for the tourists who want
to cycle it!
So back onto the bikes!! Shit me it's bumpy-my bum will deffo feel this in the morning. Me and jo had agreed to stay at the back and take it nice and slow. Long story short Jo left me to eat her dust- so much for being scared of doing this!! A few hours later we had done it! Hot and sweaty it was into the pool with a beer!
The next couple of days we bummed around La Paz and even did the walking tour. Found out loads about the local politics, culture and flirting rituals! Turns out we're both hussey's for walking around in our shorts with our muscular calves out. In Bolivian culture you show a muscular calf as a sign of flirtation and men go crazy for it ( turns out we were born on the wrong continent, we'd be married off with 7 kids and a llama by this point!)
Today we did the cable cars and got a feel for how big La Paz actually is and how variable and vast the landscape is.
Pray for us the next 27 hours as we will be on our coach heading to Buenos
Aires!
Lauren and Jo- not married yet!!! Xxxx
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Rachel Okarimia
non-member comment
Death roadnews
Hey Lauren, your trip seems to be so exciting. All I can offer is the news that we had a little bit of snow and it's freezing cold each day and night. Missing your weekly drawings on the patient list but have introduced Charlotte to the highlighter and convinced her that the only way is " smiley". Do take care and I enjoy your bog news ( not that I'm jelly)....not. Take care xxx