a beautifully deadly turn La Paz sucks.
Keep in mind here that neither Chelsea nor I are big fans of cities - they're usually too busy, too noisy, too smelly... we'd both really rather be in a smaller town or out lost in the wilderness. La Paz, Bolivia's bustling administrative capital, is the epitome of all that sucks about cities: streets packed with breaking-down cars and trucks, all constantly weaving around one another, doing their best to decorate their hoods with pedestrian guts while spewing plumes of acrid, black exhaust; sidewalks and plazas crammed with crowds of pushy, loud strangers all pushing their way past the rancid cesspools of garbage and human waste that scatter the streets. I'm sure there are some worthwhile spots hidden within the nightmarish cityscape, though we were so appalled we did our best to stay hidden in our hostel. One of the few times we did venture out in search of a decent meal, we discovered a maggot at the bottom of our (otherwise delicious) compost soup.
Okay, fine, the central market was a great place to stock up on alpaca-wool sweaters in preparation for the coming cold of Patagonia, and the Witches' Market was a perfect spot to shop around for stuffed piranhas and llama fetuses. Alright, I'll admit that there were a couple okay watering holes, some even offering different options (options!) of beer: our aptly-named hostel Adventure Brew even had a decent micro-brewed IPA, the likes of which my lips hadn't touched since leaving Canada.
On the whole, however, La Paz sucks. Unfortunately, however, traveling around Bolivia by bus will almost inevitably leave you stuck there for a night. For us, the only redeeming feature of La Paz was its proximity to "Death Road", the site of numerous fatal vehicle accidents (including a single event in the 80's which took the lives of over one hundred people) and a popular spot for downhill mountain biking.
Keep in mind here that neither Chelsea nor I are big fans of cities - they're usually too busy, too noisy, too smelly... we'd both really rather be in a smaller town or out lost in the wilderness. La Paz, Bolivia's bustling administrative capital, is the epitome of all that sucks about cities: streets packed with breaking-down cars and trucks, all constantly weaving around one another, doing their best to decorate their hoods with pedestrian guts while spewing plumes of acrid, black exhaust; sidewalks and plazas crammed with crowds of pushy, loud strangers all pushing their way past the rancid cesspools of garbage and human waste that scatter the streets. I'm sure there are some worthwhile spots hidden within the nightmarish cityscape, though we were so appalled we did our best to stay hidden in our hostel. One of the few times we did venture out in search of a decent meal, we discovered a maggot at the bottom of our (otherwise delicious) compost soup.
Okay, fine, the central market was a great place to stock up on alpaca-wool sweaters in preparation for the coming cold of Patagonia, and the Witches' Market was a perfect spot to shop around for stuffed piranhas and llama fetuses. Alright, I'll admit that there were a couple okay watering holes, some even offering different options (options!) of beer: our aptly-named hostel Adventure Brew even had a decent micro-brewed IPA, the likes of which my lips hadn't touched since leaving Canada.
On the whole, however, La Paz sucks. Unfortunately, however, traveling around Bolivia by bus will almost inevitably leave you stuck there for a night. For us, the only redeeming feature of La Paz was its proximity to "Death Road", the site of numerous fatal vehicle accidents (including a single event in the 80's which took the lives of over one hundred people) and a popular spot for downhill mountain biking.
Death Road
In a country like Bolivia where drivers routinely speed along poorly maintained roads, passing one another on blind corners and taking risks that have gringo passengers screaming and burying their heads in their hands, a reputation like "the world's most dangerous road" (as officially declared by the Inter-American Development Bank in 1995) carries ten tons of weight. Although in more recent years, innovations such as guard rails on the worst of the hairpin, cliff-drop corners as well as the construction of a new road to reduce traffic have improved safety, there's still plenty of room for error during the 64 kilometre long, dirt road bike ride during which participants descend a total of 3600 meters (starting at an elevation of 4700 meters above sea level). Still, though, if you've got a bit of mountain biking experience, don't let gravity drag you to dangerous speeds, and make sure you go with a company that maintains their bikes (especially the brakes!), you should have nothing to worry about.
We ended up going with Barracuda, the sister-company of one of the original (and reputedly safest) companies "Gravity Assisted Biking". With Barracuda, you ride the same section of the road, have the same experienced guides, use the same bikes (they may be a touch older but are in excellent condition), and pay 40% less to do it. This was a no-brainer for us.
We ended up going with Barracuda, the sister-company of one of the original (and reputedly safest) companies "Gravity Assisted Biking". With Barracuda, you ride the same section of the road, have the same experienced guides, use the same bikes (they may be a touch older but are in excellent condition), and pay 40% less to do it. This was a no-brainer for us.
The ride itself was awesome - fairly fast but not overly technical, and, unless you're totally oblivious or completely foolish (lucky for me I'm just a little of each), you'll make it though without plummeting hundreds of meters to a terrible (but spectacular) death. One of the highlights of the ride is the incredible scenery: gorgeous mountains and cliffs, waterfalls, and a collection of flowery memorials to those poor souls who've contributed to the road's reputation. I'll let our photos do most the talking here (see slideshow below).
Okay, we've got Death Road checked off the list, time to get the hell out of La Paz.
La Paz: you suck! The rest of you: keep bein' chili.
~ Mandrew
Okay, we've got Death Road checked off the list, time to get the hell out of La Paz.
La Paz: you suck! The rest of you: keep bein' chili.
~ Mandrew
To open slideshow in a new window click here
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