25th August - World's Most Dangerous Road, Bolivia
Known as 'The World's Most Dangerous Road' due to the number of deaths per year, this is clearly the place to try a bit of mountain biking! It's actually quite a tourist thing to do but that doesn't stop you pooping your pants when you're flying down the single track dirt track, 1000m drop on one side and crazy trucks and buses weaving up and down!
The road starts at 4700m above sea level where it's bloody freezing! We shot off down about 22km of smooth new metalled road at speeds up to 55mph (well some of us did whilst others bimbled down quite nicely taking in the scenery between gulps of icy cold air!)
After the warm up we hit the official beginning of the dangerous bit - 44km of dirt track mosaiced with boulders, streams, dogs and children - and if this wasn't enough to keep us entnertained we had to avoid the knackered old trucks and buses laden with goods and/or people using the road for their daily business.
The ride was truly stunning (although you're not supposed to look at the view whilst riding as some monkey did this last week and cycled straight off the edge!) and we managed to descend the 3600m without any injuries (or indeed without needing to change underwear!). Pol went from bimbler to downhill mountain queen after she realised that trying to negotiate rocks at high speed with a full bladder doesn't do anything for the concentration!
A great day with a great bunch of people and superb guides (www.gravity bolivia.com if anybody wants to do it). In fact, the scariest part of the whole day was the bus ride back up the road!
Flying to Rurrenabaque tomorrow in the Bolivian Amazon to go and explore the jungle and Pampas in search of Aligators, Piranhas, Annacondas and other tropical beasts - wish us luck!
Oh yeah - 1 month exactly till we get home (and till Erika's birthday!)
The road starts at 4700m above sea level where it's bloody freezing! We shot off down about 22km of smooth new metalled road at speeds up to 55mph (well some of us did whilst others bimbled down quite nicely taking in the scenery between gulps of icy cold air!)
After the warm up we hit the official beginning of the dangerous bit - 44km of dirt track mosaiced with boulders, streams, dogs and children - and if this wasn't enough to keep us entnertained we had to avoid the knackered old trucks and buses laden with goods and/or people using the road for their daily business.
The ride was truly stunning (although you're not supposed to look at the view whilst riding as some monkey did this last week and cycled straight off the edge!) and we managed to descend the 3600m without any injuries (or indeed without needing to change underwear!). Pol went from bimbler to downhill mountain queen after she realised that trying to negotiate rocks at high speed with a full bladder doesn't do anything for the concentration!
A great day with a great bunch of people and superb guides (www.gravity bolivia.com if anybody wants to do it). In fact, the scariest part of the whole day was the bus ride back up the road!
Flying to Rurrenabaque tomorrow in the Bolivian Amazon to go and explore the jungle and Pampas in search of Aligators, Piranhas, Annacondas and other tropical beasts - wish us luck!
Oh yeah - 1 month exactly till we get home (and till Erika's birthday!)
posted by Polly and James at Friday, August 26, 2005
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