Kasia and the death road - la ruta de la muerte - Bolivia (part 2)

The death road.

When I first heard that name it hooked me right away!

source

To be completely honest I didn’t even spend my time to read and check why the road acquired this nickname. I only knew I wanted to do it. I was seeking a new experience, an adventure.

It was later when it occurred to me that I could have had this another experience from my ‘bucket list’ because I was born on a continent that is wealthy and peaceful. I never experienced a real hunger. I do not have to risk my life by taking dangerous roads in order to get to my work/family/school…

As today is the last day of 2017, I found myself in a bit reflective mood. Life is not always treating me kindly. I have still many lessons to learn. Yet. I am thankful for what I have already accomplished. My little victories. My little pleasures. My life.
If you feel like it, I strongly encourage you to take a minute and simply express your gratitude for what you have and who you are. :)

But...
let's get back to today’s main story! ;)

It is alleged that since 1998, 22 people died cycling on the “Death Road”.

Preparations.

You can obviously do the ride on your own because the road is open to general use. Although I would only advise it if: you know the road or you know someone who knows it; you have a bike in a very good condition! If anything happens with your bike you find yourself in a middle of nowhere, with bikers passing by.

Anyway, I made some research in order to find a tour operator I will trust. As always it took me some time, I am rather picky. Especially when I am traveling on a tight budget.
My criteria? The best quality I can get for a reasonable price. Seems easy but if you have ever done the research like that, you know what I am talking about. Especially if your budget is limited, but you don’t want to compromise on a value. I choose Barracuda (later on you will read why I would not recommend this company!). I came to their office to ask some serious questions. Among others, I wanted to know is the road dangerous for bikers and if so, why? I have heard that “No if you know how to ride a bicycle and are not afraid of heights or precipices. They explain the rules and look after each person. The most important thing is to have a reliable bike, with working brakes!” And this is something that they guarantee.

Insurance ? I honestly do not remember if insurance was included in the overall price or not. I decided to buy the insurance, including “extreme” sports, before leaving Europe. And let me tell you, I was happy that I did because I used it during my first week! (but that’s another story;))

And the ride starts.

We met in an early morning, drunk a coffee in a local bar and headed in a bus to the highest point of the Yungas road – 4700 m above sea level. We had the bicycles, uniforms, casks distributed. After a brief presentation of the participants, we had a sip of a super strong local alcoholic drink – chicha (made from fermented corn).
Fun fact: The Inca earth goddess -Pachamama- is very important to the locals. It is a well established tradition in the Andean regions to spill a little bit of chicha just before and after drinking. This is perceived as an offerering to Pachamama. This is not the only offering, but i will write about it more in a future post from Bolivia:)

This is also where we were informed that this day the new road was partially closed (which happens very rarely and the organizers were not expecting that hurdle).

The road itself is 64 km from which you ride 56 km on your bike. From the starting point (at 4700 m asl) the road declines to reach 1100 m asl. It's easy to see that the downhill is pretty impressive- reaching approximately 90%! You start your ride wearing long pants, a vest and a winter cap. Then, progressively, you take of your layers. At the end you experience the unique tropical hot and humid conditions of the rain forest.

The drop in altitude is so big that the views are not only stunning but also very varied. Waterfalls, streams of water, mist, mountains, Amazon forest.

The start is rather easy, with 33 km of tarmac leading to a little town called Unduavi.

The challenging part begins with a narrow dirt road, the old part of the death road. The road is so narrow and winding that it’s extremely difficult to observe if there is a car or a bus coming from the other side.

My only negative memory from this adventure is the fact that my bike’s front brake broke during the descent (and that later the company did not even apologise for the situation). I was lucky enough to be able to jump off the bike in order to stop. But if that would have happened later, in more narrow part of the road… Well, it didn’t so I do not want to think too much about it. In order to be able to continue the ride, I was given a replacement bike (carried by the company’s bus).

In the afternoon the group arrived at the final destination – Yolosa, situated at the bottom of the hill Coroico. We took a shower, had a lunch in a company of one beautiful parrot ;) and relaxed enjoying the view.

My impressions?

I’m happy that I did it and I would definitely do it again:) I would also encourage anyone who is in a rather good shape and do not get afraid easily to experience the ride!

So. Would you dare?

Cheers and happy New Year Dear Steemians!!
With love,
kasia