D119: Death Road biking! :-)

Death Road. The name sounds terrific and dangerous, isn't it?
Built in the 1930s, the road connects La Paz with the Amazon rainforest in the North. The section nicknamed Death Road is a 69-kilometre mostly-downhill stretch of harrowing turns with up to 600m drops on the side in some areas. There are no guardrails, the road is made of gravel, pebbles, and stones, and is often the width of one lane.

The van carrying the bikes

We are riding with Altitude, (the day-tour organizers), which sounds to be serious and providing all the right equipment as well as good bikes. We hop in the van carrying the bikes, and drive up to the starting point.

The drive to the start is actually quite long, a good 1h30mn, as leaving La Paz and its traffic jams is challenging.

They drove up to La Cumbre, standing at 4,650m, where we will start the paved section of the trip for about an 1h30, descending 1,600m lower at 3,000m, with probably 40 Km to ride I would say / estimate.

Getting geared is fun: they have amazing mountain-bikes, with front & back absorbers, and we will wear a full protection, with integral helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist-guards... wow, feel well protected!



SECTION 1: PAVED ROAD
Once all geared up, we test a bit the bikes at the top and check bikes & co... well, at that high altitude, despite we've been high since 10 days, doing just a bit of paddling around is already much more exhausting than it should be, interesting to experience.
The panorama is nice, we are just close to the snow limit, with 6-7,000m peaks surrounding us. The temperature is cold... probably not more than 5°C, and it's windy so feeling is less. We're lucky as the day is gorgeous, with blue sky and sun helping to enjoy the day.

The 1st section is pretty smooth to ride down. Except the start where indeed altitude adds a challenge, most of the road is well maintained, so it is easy to ride. There are some crazy trucks & cars passing to watch-out, and amazing 180° sharps turns to handle with low-speed, but all is good.
The scenery is nice, with very dry and arid mountains: it contributes adding a special feel going down this lost road somewhere in Bolivia, in the middle of the Andes, I liked it.

La Cumbre lake & pass, from where we will start - 4,650m high

At the top just before starting, cheering!
Marina - Valerie - Nina - Dave - George - Andrew - myself

Top view of the paved road to ride the 1st valley

Break & briefing

Riding as fast as possible, of course ;-)

SECTION 2: THE DIRT, REAL "DEAT ROAD" PART
After some time riding down, we do a break and have a snack, then get up in the van another 20mn to reach the 2nd part of the road... which is the one which gave the name to the road, as this is an un-paved, dirt & rocks 1-lane width with no guardrails type of road...
From the start, we can see this tiny dirt road winding through a steep valley, with deep rainforest / jungle all around... we are now close to the Amazon, and around 3,000m, so the vegetation completely changed and is very lush.

We have another briefing to learn the rules on this dangerous road:
- drive on the left... i.e. where the cliff is!! oh, wow, ok... that means passing by the right, I got it ;)
- slow down / stop when trucks / cars are passing by... as they are not really driving safely
- be careful on the bike and always control the handlebar strongly: sure, makes sense!

From the start, I loved it. Our 2 guides are taking care of us well, with 1 in the front and the other one in the back, with the 2 vans on top being here to help in case of issue.
The ride on the road is not easy, but not as difficult as I was expecting. There are big rocks and holes to handle, while taking care of not falling in the cliff on the left, or hitting other cyclists, but once you're really into riding down, you do not thing too much anymore of the cliff, and just stay focussed on keeping the bike up and straight.

The views around are also very nice, with this lush rainforest, waterfalls, the full valley winding in front of us... many breaks are done to check everyone is following and to rest, which allows to enjoy the scenery.

We went down on the dirt road for a good 2h, where just before the bottom I follow a guide into a real mountain-biking track on 200m of descent... i.e. straight into the rocks, wow, so challenging but so fun and sporty! Not sure I can add another sport to all those practiced already, but I would like it for sure ;-)

At 3pm we are down, all alive and happy to move to a hostel / restaurant for 2h, where we'll get lunch then some good time in a pool... It's 35°C down here, super sunny, while in La Paz it's probably no more than 12°C... hehehe, this was a good day option choice ;-)

Overall, amazing experience to ride down this famous road I had heard about for years. I can only advise to do it, if you're not afraid of height and like adventure! And when conditions are ok, with rain and/or clouds/fog it is probably a bad idea doing it, too dangerous. Ride on!

At the beginning of the Death Road :)

At the beginning of the Death Road... view of the 1st kms

A sharp turn!

Me in front of turn with a steep (vertical) cliff on the side... smile! ;-)

The group taking THE picture on the steepest turn of the road

The last part of the dirty road... not as steep cliff anymore, and it's very warm!

Almost arrived... happy group, now it's 30mn down on a smoother dirt road, in 30°C

Yes, everyone is alive and happy to have done this ride! :)

Sunset on the Andes while riding back to La Paz

D118: Crossing to Bolivia & La Paz

Another early bus ride is bringing us from Puno to the Bolivian border, on the South part of the Iticaca lake, where we reasonably cross the border in about 1h.

We can also quickly see that Bolivians hate Chileans, linked to the history of the Pacific war, which made Bolivia lost its sea access. They for sure sure want to get it again, claiming a corridor access since decades, let's see how history develops here...

At 1 of the border stops / city around the lake, we can see the following monument / statue, where you can see a Bolivian soldier (in red) killing a Chilean soldier (in blue so). 
The text says "what was ours one day will be ours again" (Lo que un dia fue nuestro, nuestro otra vez sera)








On the way to La Paz, the landscapes are flatter, it looks like we are driving on a large flat plateau at 3,000m high,  of course surrounded by the high Andes peaks.

Road view from the border to La Paz

Arriving to La Paz end afternoon (we adjusted our watches by 1h forward passing the border), we can have a feel of how big the city is, and the traffic jams, and the essy strets around. The hotel is in a busy street, quite centra and we can have a walk around to have a small feel about how the city really looks.
I haven't really visited the city except for those 2 hours in the evening, as chose to go biking the day after... It didn't seem to me a very pretty city to visit, but there are still few things to see from what I heard. Also, atmosphere is said to be quite good, this will be for another visit to discover!

In the morning of the day after, driving to the Death Road, we can have panoramic views of the city, which huge and spread out all over the valley and hills around, packing-up small red-bricks houses & shacks in a very chaotic way.

Panoramic view of La Paz - downtown far away in the left-center

Street view of a village on the surrounding steep hills... Of course electric cables in the way, as everywhere

Strange shop front window... dried alpacas being exposed... 

Some other strange local products to help...well, not sure which one I'd chose ;)

City center pedestrian street view

Urban art / graph / tag

City center pedestrian street view

City center pedestrian street view

A local bus... looks like it rode several 100,000 Km & decades!

City center view at dawn

Cathedral front

Inside view of the cathedral

The streets of La Paz are completely packed of traffic jams

D117: Titicaca lake & islands

Road to Puno view

After such great days in the Sacred Valley, we are back to Cusco for 2 nights and 1 day, before to head for the Titicaca lake and the Puno town, getting us just on the other side of the Bolivian border. The bus ride is quite long (7h), but we can enjoy the high Andes scenery, of those dry but colorful mountains, with limited vegetation and life... we are going on roads between 3,500 and 4,000m, we can clearly feel the high altitude!

Puno city center, with the Cathedral

Not much to see in Puno, standing at 3,800m high, though the center is pretty nice, with a center dominated by a big cathedral in a Baroque style. 

The key attraction is however the lake, so  the next morning we embarking for a boat tour on this massively huge lake, with many islands and few specific tribes living on them (or on the lake!), with special habits we will discover. 

City & port view, lousy-still water and unused boat-toys in the front, with Puno in the background

Puno city view from the boat: quite big for the altitude

TITICACA LAKE: 

1st feeling: this lake is huge. And I know what I am talking about, as I have been living along the biggest European lake for 7 years! As soon as we leave the Puno bay, the lake horizon is endless, clearly looking more as a sea. 

A Titicaca lake view... no end, it looks like a sea!

Biggest lake in South America by volumes of water (it is large and deep!), it is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 m... Beside its size, it is also famous for its fishes, as well as the "water frogs" living 60m deep, that Cousteau discovered there in the 60s or 70s, not sure. 

TAQUILE ISLAND

After a good hour on the lake, we reach the large island of Taquile, where the Taquileans have set-up here when Spanish conquered the area. The view around are great, with the unmissable white-snowy peaks of the Bolivian Andes rising up in the background. 

We have a show from the local community, which is quite interesting. The Taquileans have developed a culture still alive, which can be seen in the traditional clothes everyone wears and their specific patterns. Textiles produced here are among the highest quality handicrafts not only in Peru but in the world. Knitting is exclusively performed by men, starting at age eight, while women exclusively make yarn and weave.

Yes, you read well... MEN ARE THE ONES TO KNIT! It is actually a key skill for a young man to learn about, as it will be necessary to knit his belly-belt, to ask his girlfriend's hand to her father, who will accept pending the quality and aesthetics of the belt... wow!

A rocky bay on Taquille island

Lake view from an inland hill

Some men show us their knitting performances 

Local & traditional dance show - look at the men's belts!

Island & lake view

Beach on Taquille

Beach & mountains view: at 3,800m high, the far-away peaks still look much higher!

Boats on a Taquille bay

PACHAMAMA LUNCH

After the show, we can enjoy an isolated beach for a while, before to move to another side island where we will have a traditional lunch, done during celebration to Pachamama. 

Have I talked yet about Pachamama? No, I don't think... the word means "mother Earth" and is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Many monuments and festivities are decicated to Pachamama, and you can hear about it very often once you start visiting the region. 

This lunch is cooked in the Earth, with a specific set-up of rocks & herbs, where potatoes, meats and fishes are cooked under it. Interesting, and quite tasty on top of an amazing view! 

Prayer to Pachamama before opening the earth pile

Opening... still burning inside so very steamy!

Inside the pile: hot rocks with the vegetables, potatoes and chicken & fish

Lunch outside, @3,800m, with a view on Titicaca & the Andes

FLOATING ISLANDS & THE UROS

Last stop of the day, the floating islands, where the community of The Uros live directly on floating reeds, kind of ballots of hay attached together to make a floatable-platform... Wow, some people are really living like this? This is just very surprising! The platform is quite stable and soft, though a bit humid and have to be renewed every 3-4 months. 

Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose... when the Spanish invaded the region, they would not chase them until the center of the lake. 

They show us another set of textiles and handicrafts done here, then we have a tour of their special "gondola" (forgot the word for this one!). 

(Pictures from my friend Andrew, my camera went out of battery!)

A floating island view on Titicaca lake 

The "center" of this floating island

Women selling their handicrafts... on the reeds, with the reeds house behind 

The traditional boat, made of reeds... but also empty PVC bottles now, lighter and easier ;)

An Uros woman

View on the back of the floating island

Inside a "house"... that is tough to see

PUNO NIGHT

The last night in Peru delivers another good party, surprisingly, in this small town of Puno, on a Sunday night. Well, it's never a bad time to have fun while in vacations, right? ;-)

Pisco sours & others at a Puno lively bar