Waking up early I felt slightly aprehensive for the day. Today we would be biking down the infamous 'worlds most dangerous road' starting at 4700 meters and finishing up in a small village called Yolosa at 1100 meters. Ever since we watched the top gear episode I have been curious about the road and Jake has a death wish and has always wanted to bike down it. I am all for adventure and a bit of fun but I would also like to continue on our travels for a little bit longer then just a few weeks. The road used to be the main road linking the northern villages to La Paz but due to the deadly reputation a new two lane road has since been built. Now death road is used mainly by tour operators taking crazy tourists for the ride of their life. Or at least that was what I thought until we got up the top and found out that
many locals still used the road and we would no doubt pass a bit of
traffic coming up the hill. This would be the time to back out and say no thanks I will just stay on the bus but the guides told us the bus actually follows us slowly down the road and then on return you take the bus back up! I am glad we had decided to stay down the bottom after the bike ride in a small village called Coroico to hopefully enjoy some sunshine.
many locals still used the road and we would no doubt pass a bit of
traffic coming up the hill. This would be the time to back out and say no thanks I will just stay on the bus but the guides told us the bus actually follows us slowly down the road and then on return you take the bus back up! I am glad we had decided to stay down the bottom after the bike ride in a small village called Coroico to hopefully enjoy some sunshine.
So with these as the only two options I put on a brave face and started gearing up. We had some pretty bad-ass gear minus the highlighter orange traffic vests. I was glad we had spend the little bit extra to get the kiwi tour guide, new top-of-the-line bikes and all the protection gear you want. We were also briefed individually and introduced to our bike whereas some of the other tour groups near us were all circled around one bike and before our tour guide had even finished with one of us they were off hooning down the hill in a pack. I did wish I had a cooler bike- mine was Mo from the Simpsons (each bike had little stickers to identify your bike) and I would have preferred something more tough to get me down like iron man, at least Jake got Cyclops which is kind of cool. After our safety briefing and a wee tribute to Pachamama (mother earth) to ensure our safety down the hill which included a drop on the ground, on our bikes and in our mouth of some horrific tasting alcohol, it was time.
"Don't all go at once" said Steve our sweet Kiwi guide. Nobody moved. Guess it was finally sinking in with everybody. All of a sudden one of the crazy guys in our group took off and eventually everyone dropped in behind him making sure we were giving each other a reasonable distance in which to brake in case anything did happen. No tour de France crashes on this hill please. Apart from freezing cold and the initial shock the first part of the ride was pretty enjoyable, swooping around wide tarsealed corners with picturesque snowy mountains around us. We were just getting to the swing of it when we stopped at our first point. The ride down is supposed to take around 4 hours with plenty of stops to check in with everyone and explain the next sections of the ride. This first stop point is a bit of a shock point used in order to remind people of the dangers of death road. 150 meters down the cliff side lies remnants of a once green bus that toppled over the edge a few years ago. Pushing the safety point home again our guides double checked everyone was doing ok before we rode down the next section of road.
The next two sections of road were sweet with more wide two lane roads although you do have to be wary of uphill traffic as drivers here tend to take up either side of the road which is a bit scary when we have to bike down on the cliff side (right side). This then gets a bit confusing later as we switched to the left hand side on the gravel road- again downhill traffic always takes the cliff side. Downhill traffic also have to give way to uphill traffic so where the road narrows down to barely one lane the traffic coming down has to then reverse back up the hill till it comes to one of the small passing bays. The ride was pretty smooth and you could get up some good speed flying down this part of the road. Partway down the sealed road we pulled up outside a few small eateries to pay the obligatory 25b which apparently covers us for bathroom use
(none of them were open when we came down so the outdoor bathroom it was), rubbish collection, maintenance of the road, and ambulance if needed.
(none of them were open when we came down so the outdoor bathroom it was), rubbish collection, maintenance of the road, and ambulance if needed.
A short ride later and we pull up outside a tunnel where we watched a large smokey truck pass through and I was hoping there was an alternative route for us. Luckily for us there was. However it was the tester for the gravel road, only a short 100 meter ride, if that, but it is when we appreciated a good bike with shock absorbers and were also thankful for all the protection gear including the treasured gloves. Coming out the other end back onto tar seal where we were to get a ride up the next section (this is gravity assisted biking after all) a few of the girls were hoping that was the end of the gravel.
On the bus we got to experience first hand the crazy driving of some other vehicles and the nerve racking feeling having a truck pass you while you look over the cliff edge, just cm's away from our own bus. I was pretty happy to be hopping out of the bus after that and ready for some more riding. During the first few sections the fog had closed in around us so when peering over the edge you couldn't tell if the drop was only a couple of meters or a couple of hundred meters. I am not sure if that was a good thing or not but really once you are on your bike you are concentrating so much on the road in front of you to be worried about the edge of the road. Our group was doing pretty well and most of us had got into a good rhythm with a few of the guys including Jake up the front then an older Australian women, an American girl and me hanging in the middle of the pack with a few couples bringing up the rear.
There was only one annoying guy in our group of 12. He was also the only one who didn't speak English as his first language and didn't really talk to much of the rest of us. For some reason he liked to start off at the front of the group then all of us would have to follow, waiting to overtake him one at a time. At each stop we would then be waiting for him for sometime as he wasn't that comfortable on a bike. I didn't mind the waiting at each pit stop as it gave us all a chance to rest our butts and arms. It was the constant braking and then waiting for an opportunity to pass by him. I would then yell out passing on your right as we had been instructed and instead of just staying in his straight line he would swerve off to the right cutting in front of you. Very annoying and a bit dangerous. In fact this was actually how my little crash happened.
On the bus we got to experience first hand the crazy driving of some other vehicles and the nerve racking feeling having a truck pass you while you look over the cliff edge, just cm's away from our own bus. I was pretty happy to be hopping out of the bus after that and ready for some more riding. During the first few sections the fog had closed in around us so when peering over the edge you couldn't tell if the drop was only a couple of meters or a couple of hundred meters. I am not sure if that was a good thing or not but really once you are on your bike you are concentrating so much on the road in front of you to be worried about the edge of the road. Our group was doing pretty well and most of us had got into a good rhythm with a few of the guys including Jake up the front then an older Australian women, an American girl and me hanging in the middle of the pack with a few couples bringing up the rear.
There was only one annoying guy in our group of 12. He was also the only one who didn't speak English as his first language and didn't really talk to much of the rest of us. For some reason he liked to start off at the front of the group then all of us would have to follow, waiting to overtake him one at a time. At each stop we would then be waiting for him for sometime as he wasn't that comfortable on a bike. I didn't mind the waiting at each pit stop as it gave us all a chance to rest our butts and arms. It was the constant braking and then waiting for an opportunity to pass by him. I would then yell out passing on your right as we had been instructed and instead of just staying in his straight line he would swerve off to the right cutting in front of you. Very annoying and a bit dangerous. In fact this was actually how my little crash happened.
All of us took off in our normal order and of course he zipped in just next to me. Literally 50 meters from where we started I crashed. Instead of waiting to give me space the guy decided to come down at the same time as me. As I was turning the
tight corner I could see him out of the corner of my eye cut across my inside so I had to take the corner wider to avoid crashing into him. As a result I crashed straight into a wall of boulders. Luckily I had half jumped off the bike to protect myself so all I walked away with was a bruised ego and bit more anger directed at the Israeli dude. From then on I tried to always make sure he was far behind me.
Another girl also had a slight crash where she walked away with some minor grazing but nothing major. Our tour guide said the minor crashes normally only happen every 3-4 times he takes people out so obviously me and her didn't offer enough drink to Pachamama at the beginning or something.
The riding from there got a bit more skating with lots of big lose gravel where you just keep somewhat of a grip on the
handles or at least resting on the bars, butt up of the seat and hope for good luck. If you are normally a downhill mountain biker you would probably be fine but I worked out it had actually been two years since I had been on a proper
bike (cant really include the stationary gym bikes) and even longer since I had been mountain biking. But it was definitely fun! My body was pumped up with adrenalin and Jake and I were both really enjoying ourselves. You are concentrating so much and having such a good time that you tend to forget about the sheer cliff drop off to your side and the massive rock overhangs above you.
tight corner I could see him out of the corner of my eye cut across my inside so I had to take the corner wider to avoid crashing into him. As a result I crashed straight into a wall of boulders. Luckily I had half jumped off the bike to protect myself so all I walked away with was a bruised ego and bit more anger directed at the Israeli dude. From then on I tried to always make sure he was far behind me.
Another girl also had a slight crash where she walked away with some minor grazing but nothing major. Our tour guide said the minor crashes normally only happen every 3-4 times he takes people out so obviously me and her didn't offer enough drink to Pachamama at the beginning or something.
The riding from there got a bit more skating with lots of big lose gravel where you just keep somewhat of a grip on the
handles or at least resting on the bars, butt up of the seat and hope for good luck. If you are normally a downhill mountain biker you would probably be fine but I worked out it had actually been two years since I had been on a proper
bike (cant really include the stationary gym bikes) and even longer since I had been mountain biking. But it was definitely fun! My body was pumped up with adrenalin and Jake and I were both really enjoying ourselves. You are concentrating so much and having such a good time that you tend to forget about the sheer cliff drop off to your side and the massive rock overhangs above you.
Near the end of the ride you have to strip off the layers as you are at a lower altitude and a cloud of muggy, humid air hits you. The fog lifted as we passed through small waterfalls and the views of lush green bush are a welcome sight. Dogs begin to follow the bikes and there are a few more people on the roads either walking or in vehicles. It is also the first time you have to really peddle to get somewhere as the roads flatten out. Working up a bit of sweat for the first time in the day, I realised I could also do this with out struggling for breath with the lower altitude providing a lot more oxygen.
Finishing our last ride we all celebrated with a cold beer down the bottom as we were given our 'I survived death road' T-shirts. In my head I was thinking you guys still have the scariest bit to go- driving back up in the bus but I kept that comment to myself. We were a lucky group with only our two minor crashes. We passed a few other people with a bit of blood and bandage and I am not really that surprised as some of the other groups we seen ride down were flying and some were right on top of each other at times. The two Australian girls we had met earlier in La Paz had gone with Barracuda and although they seemed to be fine one guy in their group had fallen off fives times and got hit by a car. He
seemed ok with no blood so I will take it that they were minor crashes too. Good on him for getting back on again ... and again.
Down the bottom we were asked if anyone wanted to go on the zip lines that had been created recently. Having had my thrills for the day and enjoying our beers everyone declined. Once they said if you go naked you could go for free a few ears perked up but no one was quite brave enough. Maybe if Jake and I get bored in Coroico we will come check it out.
seemed ok with no blood so I will take it that they were minor crashes too. Good on him for getting back on again ... and again.
Down the bottom we were asked if anyone wanted to go on the zip lines that had been created recently. Having had my thrills for the day and enjoying our beers everyone declined. Once they said if you go naked you could go for free a few ears perked up but no one was quite brave enough. Maybe if Jake and I get bored in Coroico we will come check it out.
After our beer we headed down the road a bit further to a animal refuge called La Senda Verde for a buffet lunch. And yay they had vegetables and salad not just rice and potatoes. The deserts also looked really good but I was full by that stage and needed to finish my beer. All proceeds from any extras bought such as beer, coffee and deserts go towards maintaining the refuge which has only be opened 10 years and has
accumulated over 350 animals. In Bolivia when an animal is rescued from homes where they have been mistreated they are not able to be put back out into the wild. Therefore
all the animals at this place are here for good. They seem to have it pretty sweet and apparently most of the animal all get along (mainly birds and monkeys). Secretly glad we weren't going back on the bus up death road we said good bye to our fellow WMDR friends and hopped in a taxi to Coroico for a few days of relaxation and sunshine.
Next stop: Coroico
accumulated over 350 animals. In Bolivia when an animal is rescued from homes where they have been mistreated they are not able to be put back out into the wild. Therefore
all the animals at this place are here for good. They seem to have it pretty sweet and apparently most of the animal all get along (mainly birds and monkeys). Secretly glad we weren't going back on the bus up death road we said good bye to our fellow WMDR friends and hopped in a taxi to Coroico for a few days of relaxation and sunshine.
Next stop: Coroico