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During our first couple of weekends in Bolivia we went on truly incredible trips. Lake Titicaca and the salt flats were so beautiful and unique. However, both involved a lot of sightseeing and not a lot of adventure. All of us felt that we wanted to do some more physical activity, and a few of us decided to go all out.
Perhaps Bolivia's most popular tourist attraction that is world-known is The World's Most Dangerous Road. This 65 km stretch of road was so named a few years ago because of the number of vehicle accidents and fatalities that took place here, a combination of South American style reckless driving and an unguarded cliff-face along one side of the road. The country decided to take some action and block off most traffic from passing through, but since then it has become one of the most famous mountain biking destinations in the world.
We signed up with a British company called Gravity Assisted, who was the most expensive but also the original and safest one. They assured us that they buy all of their equipment new, and that the other biking companies then purchase their old bikes. Our Australian guide, Marcus, picked us up at 7 am on Saturday morning and we drove for a little over an hour to the drop off point. On the way we fitted our helmets, gloves, and put on a few layers to peel off as the day got hotter. When we arrived to a beautiful lake, we were each given a hard-core, heavy mountain bike and a short lecture about its usage. Before long we were on our way, single-file, down the paved, first stretch of the trip. It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous. I was terrified! I am far from an expert bike rider, and we were going down FAST. I enthusiastically volunteered to be in the back, and had Marcus next to me for most of the time encouraging me to loosen my grip on the brakes and breathe deeply. You could say I was a little bit out of my comfort zone.
However, by the time we got to the dirt road, the Death Road, I became a lot more comfortable with my bike (named Martin), and was excited to hear that we would have to slow our pace on the sandy, rocky path. Staying towards the back of the group, I really, really enjoyed the rest of the ride and the fear completely dissipated. The road was absolutely gorgeous. Tropical and lush, the climate was completely different than La Paz. The path was wide enough for buses to drive, so I was not nervous about the cliff ever being too close, and although rocky, I was able to avoid going over terrain that was too rough. Anything I did ride over that was a little bumpy was eaten up by the thick wheels of the bike with no problem. We stopped about 12 times along the way to look at the view (not an option while riding), hear about the history of the place from Marcus, drink and munch on snacks. Within about 4 hours we arrived at our final destination with the bikes, and 4 of us decided to try out the local zip -line. We were fitted with harnesses, and driven to the 1st of 3 platforms. I have never zip-lined before, and the experience was exhilarating! I sat in my harness holding on and looking down at the tropical forest below me. It was not as scary as I thought it would be, and actually went by a little too fast. After that, we were driven to a small wildlife refuge where we were given a homemade lunch of pasta and salads. This really neat place rescues animals from the black market and helps them readjust to their natural habitat. There were macaw parrots, monkeys, tortoises, other strange animals, and apparently a bear that we weren't able to see. International volunteers who live at the refuge in really cool tree houses and cabins run the place. After a little bit of exploring we took showers and then listened to stories of Marcus' previous adventures in South America.
The rest of our group (only 7 out of 14 did the Death Road) was in the nearby city of Coroico. This is a really cute touristy town in the jungle. We decided to join them in the hostel where they were staying and spend the night with everyone. We all went out for dinner together, shared our adventures (the others had gone on an incredible hiking trip through the jungle), and were happy to be reunited. The following morning some went on another hike, and the rest of us slept in and rested, after which we headed back, a little sore, to La Paz on the new much safer road.
- comments
Ima Crazy!!! Love it! And as you know already.....just keep safe!