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Well the luxury bus from Sucre to La Paz was indeed comfortable but somewhere in the middle of the night, it broke down. After some minor repairs, it continued on, only to stop a short time later for more repairs. So, the bus was late getting into La Paz by about 4 hours, which didn´t really matter, as I had to wait an hour in the hostel I had chosen, ´The Adventure Brewery, before I could get into my dorm.
I stayed in La Paz a few days, time enough to explore the city and complete a bike ride on the world´s most dangerous road.
The city itself is full of traffic, and you can smell that fact too. After walking around town the first day, I saw Ryan from Potosi, in the hostel. e met up later for drinks in the rooftop bar, where he introduced me to his friend from home, Richard. Some more people joined us and the drinks were starting to flow, but I had to get up early in the morning to meet my group for the bike ride.
I arrived with a few minutes to spare at the meeting point, and as I walked in, I saw a couple of good mates from Buenos Aires, Alex and Dan. They had gone north to Iguassu, through Paraguay and into Bolivia before arriving in La Paz, and booking themselves onto the same bike ride, with the same company as me. It so happened we were in the same group as well so after catching up on our last few week´s travels, we arrived at the start of the 64km ride.
The first 20km or so was on asphalt road, so the time was just used to get used to travelling at speed downhill. After this, the road became a path of 3 to 4 metres wide, filled with stones, rocks and other such debris associated with a cliffside road, with a 400 metre drop. At times, there were waterfalls that bathed the stones below in water, making it far harder to control the bike.
The ride started at about 4,700 metres and within no time we had descended to around 3,200 metres. We were given the option to ride the uphill bit, some people wussed out, but I like a challenge, particularly when it comes to endurance, so set out on the next 6km uphill. Some parts were downhill, so it wasn´t all bad but they were certainly welcome respite from the gruelling uphills.
Throughout the ride, particularly the second half, there were some awesome views. It´s not recommended that you look though, since you´re travelling at speed over gravel and rocks, and the edge is only a metre away. You have to stay that close to the edge for fear of traffic coming the other way, and also as there are more obstacles in the middle of the road.
We stopped a couple of hours into the ride for a snack, then proceeded along the rest of the 5 hour journey. At some parts, you have to be quite careful as we had all heard the rumours about an Israeli guy who fell off the cliff a few weeks before, which was then confirmed by our guide.
As we continued to descend the endless twists and turns of the mountainside, the availability of oxygen became apparent. I could catch my breath quicker but more notably was the smell. The humidity rose, the hot sun was beating down and the smell of the flora reminded me of Thailand. One of the turns in the road curved around the mountainside and only a few metres above me, a type of Vulture drifted on thermals with its wings spread, accompanying me for a time. It was great to watch and as I progressed along the road, more of the valley beyond the mountain to my left became visible. There are certain moments when you´re reminded you´re travelling, this was one of them.
At the end of the ride, we took some photos and relaxed in the peaceful environment of a small resort, reserved just for us. We showered there and relaxed in the restaurant area, where a buffet had been laid on for us. The resort also doubles as a small wildlife sanctuary for rescued animals, such as the little monkey wearing a nappy, the many cats about the place, the macaws, the resident howler monkey and the dogs. After, we headed back to La Paz on the 3 hour bus journey. I arranged to meet Alex and Dan later for a few drinks. They were heading in the same direction as me, so the next day, we went together to Copacabana on the south side of Lake Titicaca.
In the morning before the bus journey, I made a quick visit to the British Embassy to see if my parcel from home had arrived; it hadn´t. On getting out of the taxi, I strode up to the gates patrolled by armed guards, whipped out my British passport, holding it before them and demanded, "Let me in, I´m a British citizen!", or that´s what I´d like to have done. After a minute of explaining I had a parcel on the way, they checked my passport and in I went. They were all really helpful and although the book hadn´t arrived yet, agreed to forward it on to the British Embassy in Lima, Peru, for the price of the postage. It was funny to have a man in his 40s walk past me, and greet me in a very English accent.
So, with Dan and Alex, I proceeded to Copacabana, my last stop in Bolivia.
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