La Paz, Bolivia

Aug 20-23

The border crossing from Peru to Bolivia had the longest line you could possibly imagine...but eventually we made it into Bolivia and to our first stop, La Paz. On the way in we got an amazing view over the city. 

We went out for dinner and came back to the hotel to kick start our costume party. There was a cactus, a 'big spoon' looking for a little spoon, some cross dressers, and an assortment of other strange things. 

After a few drinks and some 'awards' (as it was our final night as one big group) we headed out and caused some mischief.

The next morning Bini and I roamed the markets, finding everything to be fairly similar to Peru but a little bit cheaper. 

After lunch we went on a walking tour. 

It started at one of the main plazas, where we could see the San Pedro prison. I had just started reading Marching Powder (a true story about one of the prisoners from San Pedro) so was quite intrigued by this. It's a rather unique prison... Inmates have to pay to stay there and if they can afford it, they're able to live in luxury, essentially...jacuzzis included! The prison is also famous for its drug dealing. Drugs are made inside the prison and thrown from the roof (wrapped inside nappies) to be caught by outsides who then sell it. Crazy.

Another highlight of the walking tour was the witches market. Lots of crazy stuff going on there! They sell potions and claim to put a curse on you if you take pictures without their permission. But the craziest thing is the preserved llama babies and foetus hanging from every stall. These are used as an offering to the gods, often buried beneath new houses (at a time they used to use humans as sacrifice, but this is obviously illegal...so they've moved on to llamas)

Later that afternoon I had a crazy adventure navigating the local buses with Laura and we ended up finding some pretty cool street art.

Our last day in La Paz was spent on Death Road!! This was not something I was planning on doing but was convinced by everyone else that it was a 'must do' while in Bolivia. We were provided with all the appropriate gear to mountain bike down one of the world's most dangerous roads! We drove for an hour or so until we reached the mountains, at which point we geared up and made an offering to pachamama by pouring alcohol on the ground, on our bike and of course in our mouths. The look on my face will tell you just how delicious this alcohol was...

The ride began on asphalt road, giving us time to practice on a flat surface (though still steep and windy) before we hit Death Road. A few nights before this I was skyping my parents and when mentioning this little adventure my parents were shocked I would even attempt it... Infact, Dad said "Cycling has never really been your strong point..." and it was as I began the speedy descent that I realised he was probably right. Even on a smooth surface I was shitting myself. The views were lovely though!!

At one point there was a tunnel that bikes are not allowed through so we had to go around it, giving us our first taste of gravel roads! So so scary. There were loose rocks everywhere. I was fairly certain I would die and we weren't even on Death Road yet.

There was one little uphill part that is optional (remembering we were at ridiculous altitude..so it was even more difficult) so naturally I opted to hop back on the bus for this part. Only a few crazy people rode their bikes fkr that section. Towards the end of that section, when the road began to decline again, we spotted a motorcyclist who had crashed. Luckily he was okay but this was not really what I wanted to see right before starting death road.

Our last safety talk before getting onto Death Road had me so nervous I was shaking. Rachael and I happily took our place at the back of the pack and attempted to go as slow as possible. The road was uneven and full of loose rocks. We were told to ride on the left - which is the cliff side! Insane! But most of the time you could ride on the left and still be at least a metre or two from the edge. 

There were lots of great views and photo opportunities along the way, including dangling our legs over the edge of the cliff twice! I'm so brave!

At each break Steven, our guide, would tell us about the people who have died on the upcoming part. Just what I wanted to hear!! 

At times we rode under waterfalls and through river crossings. 

I only fell off my bike once..amazingly not too near a cliff edge and I somehow jumped off before my bike hit the ground, saving myself from any real injury. One guy fell off right near the end and scraped his arm, but otherwise we all came away unharmed. 

After a long day of riding we celebrated with beers, cuba libres and a buffet lunch. Exhaustion and adrenaline were again an excellent combination (just like after the Inca trail)

We continued to celebrate with cuba libres the entire 3 hour ride home and then headed straight to the bar. We survived! Woooooo!