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La Paz and the Death Road
Leaving Sucre going to La Paz we got on a night bus. Here we met two other Danish girls and by coincident we had book the same hotel in La Paz. It's not many Danes we have met on our first 5 weeks to our surprise. And it's always nice to have someone else who understands what really good bread means and how missing rye bread isn't something to laugh about in the long run. So we decided to hang out a bit.
After checking in, all 4 of us went to see the city by a walking tour. A small organisation called "Red C4P" (yes they wear red caps) arranged a 3 hour tour around the city centre and local markets and gave many good tips of things to do and not to do, and information about culture, history and the people of La Paz.
One of the most exciting and different things they have there is the San Pedro Prison. It's become well known especially after the book "Marching Powder" came out. To explain it shortly the prison has its inmates, but they live with their families in apartments inside the prison walls. The best drugs are found - maybe still produced - inside the prison and sold through the main gate. Everything inside costs money, like food and the cell you live in, and the rumour says that the police can be bribed to do anything for the right amount of money.
Earlier this prison was a tourist attraction, but the stories tell that you had to pay to get out again or worse like tourists getting beaten and stolen from. It might still be possible to get in if you bribe the right people, but I'm not sure many would take the risks that comes with such a visit.
One of the main things to do around La Paz is to mountain bike down Death Road. Just by its name you might already wonder why anyone would do that volunteering - and even pay money for it. The road is an old dirt road and have very narrow passages down to 3-3,5 meter wide. The side didn't use to have safety fences and next to the road it's only a vertical wall up to 175 meters. The Death Road got its name many, many years ago when it had a lot of traffic and many accidents happened, and when it would go wrong it went really wrong.
Now a days the main traffic use a new road, so it's very few cars and trucks on the narrow Death Road, but instead a lot of tourists biking down. Unfortunately, there are still people dying here, but now it's mostly tourists biking off the cliffs! Only 4 days before we went a Bolivian girl biked off the road and died, and in January a Norwegian boy hit another biker and got thrown off the road and died.
So even though it's supposed to be a "nice" tourist attraction we knew there was a bit of danger in it. So no gambling with camera in the hand and full focus on the road! We drove with a lot of distance between us, taking many breaks to get the group together and for our guide to explain the next piece of road and it's challenges. The breaks was also to enjoy the view of the impressive landscape and to notice how it changes going from 4400 to 1200 meters above sea level. It was an amazing trip!
As we ended in the green tropical climate we got the offer of going zipplining. As Anne handed in her thesis just before leaving for the trip, I gave her a present of a adventures thing to try, so she chose this! So together we went zipplining we several meters down, flying over jungle with only eagles around and our screams of excitement!
After a shower, a great late lunch and well deserved beer the bus was silent with tired people going back to La Paz.
The next day we slept in, walked the town, getting cheap food on the local market (big veggie sandwich 9 bolivianos (9 DKK/1,20 Euro), taking the cable cars to a beautiful viewpoint and enjoyed sunset from there and ended at a Japanese restaurant, where we got the most delicious sushi, battered shrimps and vegetables and a glass of wine. Perfect way of saying goodbye to La Paz.
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