La Paz

02/09/09

I spent the rest of the day walking around the ´big city´end of La Paz, it wasn´t too bad, but to be honest its just a bit like anyother big city. Apart from the traffic that is! The drivers here are either stupid or great, I haven´t made up my mind yet. Each junction is absolute chaos! At some of the bigger ones there are traffic police to try and restore some order, but the majority of their work seems to revolve around just standing there and blowing their whistles.

Along with all the normal drivers, the streets are clogged with taxis, busses and people carriers. It´s the people carriers that are the most interesting: they are used as small busses and drive around the city with their side doors open with someone hanging out calling out the destinations in one long breath! If you want to get on one, you signal it, it pulls across however many lanes of traffic it needs to to get to you, and then you leap on as it slows down. I´ve rarely seen any actually stop for a passenger!

Everything in the city seems to move very frantically, but without really getting anywhere!

In the evening I got a call at the hostel to say that because of the rain (it was really going for it) I wouldn´t be able to do the Death Road the next day, but I could do it on the 4th instead. I didn´t mind too much, as that gave me the chance to go and tour San Pedro Prison on the 3rd - During the day, walking through San Pedro Plaza an American (an inmate of the prison - he´s let out to talk to tourists and is under the watch of the Warden and a Guard) came over and started talking to me about going on a tour. If I hadn´t already heard about the tours I would have thought he was mental! He mentioned that there was one on the 3rd, I just needed to be back at the Plaza at 14:00 with the other tourists, and then we could do the tour.

03/09/09

Started the day exploring the other end of the city, the one full of market stalls, the Black Market and the Witches Market. The amount of different things that you could buy was incredible. In the Black Market it ranged from household goods, electricals, clothing, toys, shoes, food, you name it. The Witches Market was chock full of (don´t read this Sophie, Layla or Mum) llama fetus - I´m not entirely sure what they´re for, but they were everywhere. I spent a few hours just sat watching all the different people pass by, the place was phenominal.

After that I took a walk out to one of the other main Plaza that ringed by government buildings and a huge church. When I arrived at the Plaza there were a fair number of police about with riot shields - I didn´t really know what to make of it at first. I ducked into an internet place in the corner of the Plaza quickly, and just after I got upstairs I heard two load crashes. I ran to the window and the police were clashing with a small group of people right outside the building.

I scooped up my camera and ran back outside to get some photos. The police were really forcing this small group back and back, in what seemed to be a very disproportionate way given that these people didn´t have any weapons and weren´t being aggressive. The whole lot was surrounded by media - video cameras, cameras and microphones. I stayed taking pictures until it all died down and everyone moved on. I haven´t been able to find out what it was all about, but it made for some good pics.

At about 14:00 I made my way back over to San Pedro Plaza where I found someother people waiting for the prison tour. We were stood around for 40 mins, but it didn´t happen which is a real shame. By the sounds of it though, whether the tours go ahead really depends on the mood of the Warden, so he could well have just changed his mind. Oh well, we hadn´t paid anything, so no money lost.

Crashed out early ready for the ride.

04/09/09

Up at 05:30, got my stuff together and went over to the company offices. There I met another Brit, Natalie, and we were promptly told that we were the only two going today! Great, a guide to rider ratio of 1:2, not bad. We had some breakfast at a small cafe and then got kitted out with waterproof trousers, gloves and a helmet.

A 40min van journey later and we were at the top of the decent. A quick introduction to the bikes and then the start on 30km of tarmac road. The guide went up front, with the van at the back. I stuck up near the guide all the way, matching his pace, and in what seemed like no time at all we arrived at the first stop point - 30km was done. It´s decent nearly all the way, with only about 1700m of flat to pedal.

After the 30km tarmic it was the start of the Death Road. A gravel road ranging from about 6m wide to 3m at some points. Although a newly completed by-pass means that the road is less travelled by vehicles, it´s still the only way in and out of a series of villages along its course, so vehicles do still use it. The whole length of the road is loose gravel, with streams cutting accross it every now and then, and you ride on the left-hand side, right next to the cliff edge. Pretty interesting! I was concentrating so hard trying to keep up with the guide (which I managed! Go me!), watch where I was going, look out for cars, and avoid big stones, that I didn´t really get a chance to see the veiw of the valley as it unfolded to my left. It was only when we took breaks for snacks and water that I was afforded a little reprieve to check out the incredible view.

After 3hours and 15mins, lots of tight bends, loose gravel and a scrape on my leg (I still don´t know how I got it, I didn´t crash out at any point so I think it must have been a stone flying up) we crossed the finish line. Triumphant, tired, and in one piece. After dropping all the kit back in the van it was time to relax with the guide for a well earned beer. Two paragaphs doesn´t do it justice. The ride was incredible. I´ll try and post some of the photos that were taken by the van driver throughout the day some other time, the CD is packed away in my bag now. A few minutes in the van again and we arrived at a hotel for a swim, a shower and some lunch. We rolled back into the La Paz at around 16:30. A few minutes at the company office and I had a CD of pictures and a few videos, and a t-shirt saying that I have survived the Death Road. An amazing day, but an exhausting one. It´s only 19:25 here, but I feel ready to drop!

Take care,