Bolivia fought its eastern neighbor, Paraguay, in the Chaco War of the 1930s. Paraguayan prisoners of war were put to work on construction projects, including building a road from La Paz to its Amazonian region. For decades, this narrow road made of mud and loose gravel was the only overland connection between the two. Annually, about two hundred people plunged over the cliffs to their brutal deaths on the road due to its narrowness, complete lack of guard rails, poor driving conditions, fog and extreme weather. Why am I telling you this? Because today I biked it.
Death Road, as it's most commonly known, is now a popular day trip with travelers. It can be somewhat daunting to pick a tour operator since there are so many, so I went with Overdose, an operator recommended by a friend. It took a little effort to find the company however, as googling "overdose la paz" did not exactly yield what I was looking for (yikes...!).
Overdose was great. They provided us with elbow pads, knee and shin pads, gloves, heavy duty pants and jackets, sturdy helmets and mountain bikes with good suspension. It was definitely unnerving to see other companies give their customers only neon orange vests and helmets for safety gear.
The first twenty four kilometers were paved. I barely peddled a dozen times as I zoomed downhill. Because there was still vehicle traffic on this portion of the road, we rode in single file with ten meters between each of us...which meant I was all alone...so I had a grand time singing at the top of my lungs to myself!
In 2006, a new, wider section of road was completed after twelve years of construction to replace a portion of Death Road. Cyclists can use thirty kilometers of the old Death Road without having to share it with cars. Seeing how sharp the hairpin bends were and how sheer the drop offs were, I can't imagine what it was like in the 1990s when cyclists first started to ride Death Road en mass alongside two way traffic!
Even though I'm fairly competent with my road bike in New York City, this was my first time mountain biking and it took some getting used to. A typical bike ride for me involves dodging city buses as I cycle to work or dodging slow moving tourists as I bike through Central Park. Loose gravel, cliffs, and waterfalls are beyond my experience. Since I've starred in a couple of noteworthy bike crashes during my life, I was aware that it would be in my best benefit to figure out how to stay upright. I had to find the right mental balance of both paying attention to what I was doing (hearing Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett providing commentary on my brilliant performance) and letting my mind wander (that is, singing).
I didn't take any photos while cycling as that really would have been stupidly dangerous. The company actually provided each of us with a free DVD of photos and videos from our trip to make sure we weren't tempted to snap our own photos and accidentally die in the process. We past a handfuls of monuments in Hebrew along the way and afterward our guide told us they were to mark where Israelis had died while biking. The last tourist to die was an guy from England several years ago. His family later visited Death Road and donated an ambulance.
The scenery, from what I could see, was lovely. Huge mountains, green hills, cascading waterfalls, and the occasional small village. Not a bad place to live, but I wouldn't want Death Road for my daily commute!
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