Death Road

The week ended with a flight in a mini 18 man pane flying mere inches above the mountain peak that we had earlier that week struggled day and night to conquer. The reason for the flight was that the only alternative route was an 18 hour bus ride along a path famously known as “Death Road.” It is so named because this gravel-covered, thin windy road sits so comfortably between a huge stone rock face on one side and a fatal 100m drop on the other. Friends who I met after they had survived this bus trip described Valium, a necessarily strong sleeping pill, as the only way to stay calm as the driver, who happily does the whole ride in one sitting, speeds along. Those lucky enough to have a window seat will enjoy watching as the two left hand side wheels regularly take turns to leave the comfort of the gravel and dangle over the deep and menacing cliff edge whenever the road isn’t wide enough to squeeze the whole bus onto it.

I never had the pleasure of experiencing this bus for myself, but instead tried the more popular alternative; Death Road mountain biking. This was amazing. The road seems significantly wider when it’s just you and your bike. This is a long downhill part of the Death Road, which since the World Health Organisation labeled it the most dangerous road in the world, has unsurprisingly become a very profitable tourist attraction for Bolivia. As you cycle down, never needing to pedal due to the sheer steepness of it, you pass many beautifully decorated memorials to the many lost over the edge each year. While deep in the valley, wherever the bush doesn’t quite cover the rocks, it’s possible to make out the outline of the litter of vehicle remains. The gravel is what adds the challenge, knocking your wheels left and right, as the bumpy surface causes your fingers quickly to go numb, reaching for the brakes rapidly becomes more than a chore. But at the end of your exhilarating day, the whole group finishes in Corioco, a small town famous for its spas and hotels. Here we enjoy the sun, a nice warm pool and a traditional buffet lunch. Bliss!