There´s an area outside of La Paz called The Yungas, which is on the verge of being in the jungle. While La Paz is dry, cold and above 4000m, The Yungas is wet, full of oxygen and at around 1100m. To get from La Paz to the Yungas you take The Worlds Most Dangerous Road. Aptly named as it has the most number of accidents on it per year, with an average of something like 20 bus accidents I think. Really it makes the sea to sky look like a picnic. A year ago they built a new road, but the old one is till open and the popular gringo tourist thing to do is to moutain bike down this road, so thats what a did a couple of days ago! They gear you up with fancy mountain bikes and protective gear, none of which will actually help you if you happen to fall over the 100foot drop on your left hand side while biking down the road. While you´re biking along it doesnt seem that bad, until you catch a glimpse of the cliff beside you and you´re reminded of why the road has its name. Our guide told us plenty of horror stories to scare the crap out of us, of people almost falling off the edge, or flipping over their bikes and losing their teeth. And told us that the main cause of accidents on the road is testosterone exceeding ability … it was a pretty fun day allround. To bike downhill 3000m is really neat, you start in this cold dry barren area, and by the end of it there are tropical birds and flowers all around. We also ended at a wildlife rescue center where we got to play with the monkeys!
Then my Danish friend and I spend 2 nights in a tiny town in the Yungas named Coroico, lounging by the pool enjoying the views and jungle sounds. The best part was that for the first time in a couple of weeks I was able to take a full breath of air, oh the wonders of oxygen! Tomorrow I am leaving La Paz and heading to Sucre for a few days, and then on to the Salar de Uyuni, perhaps Bolivia´s best tourist attraction.
Posted by tracybw 