La Paz

We had an early start on the Wednesday being in the middle of the island along with a sizable drive to our next stop in La Paz. After another egg based breakfast we hiked down to the jetty which was about a half hour walk down a very rocky path before boarding our boat back to Copacabana. It was a more overcast day which made it less intense sitting on the roof deck of the boat as the sun can be really intense sometimes. We arrived back to Copacabana in good time and we were on the road by 9.

Under normal circumstances the journey to La Paz is meant to take about 4 hours. We however had to take an alternative route which made it a little longer. Part of this required us to put Amber on a barge across the lake which we took this awful boat across. It was literally falling apart! We eventually got the other side of the lake and continued driving, although there were a lot of road blocks and off road sections. We didn't eventually arrived in El Alto, a suburb of La Paz that has grown to be a city in its own right. It felt as if they had dug up every road here!

We soon finally got our first view of La Paz, spectacularly located lying huddled in a canyon basin, hiding from the harsh conditions of the surrounding altiplano. La Paz a fascinating city - the old town and more expensive neighbourhoods at the bottom of the canyon in the centre, surrounded by sprawling shanty-towns which extend up the slopes of the bowl, merging into the huge Aymara district of El Alto. The city skyline is dominated by the snow-capped peaks of Mount Illimani, a staggeringly beautiful backdrop that leaves many visitors stunned when then catch their first glimpse of the city as they descend into the canyon. We stopped at the top by the cable car for pictures before dropping into the city.

We arrived in good time in the end, although we were warned of various scams before getting off the truck as the city is notorious for muggings and violent crime. I spent the afternoon relaxing, before going down the pub to watch the Saints game. Dinner in the evening was curry at a local Indian restaurant, although we have now established Bolivia cannot cope with large groups. My rice literally came out first, and then my curry last. They brought me chapattis but thought it was a samosa. And they were clueless in presenting the bill in the end.

Thursday was one of the highlights of the trip, a chance to cycle the infamous Bolivian death road. When open to traffic about 300 people died a year, but in 2006 they built a new road. The road is still open to traffic although a lot less people use it. In terms of cyclists only 18 people have died since 1998. We had an early start and drove up to 4800m where we had a safety briefing and were kitted out in warm clothing as it was freezing. We had chance to test out the bikes which had really strong brakes and the most amazing suspension ever. Prior to leaving to had a pachamama ceremony for good luck where we poured alcohol on the floor, the bike, and then took a sip. It was 96% alcohol though!

We then left, heading down a tarmac road which pretty little visibility as we were above the clouds. It was a very bendy road but we eventually made it to this tunnel and the first off road section. Despite there being massive rocks the suspension made it feel like they weren't there! After this section we stopped for a snack before getting in our support vehicle to avoid an 8km uphill section. This brought us to the start of the official death road, and we soon saw why it had its name. The road soon became a loose gravel track with a sheer drop on one side, with no barriers and the width of just one vehicle in most places. And being the downhill vehicle meant we had to go on the edge.

En route we stopped at various places for pictures, including the point on top gear where Clarkson nearly fell off. It was fun racing the guide down too, and I really got some speed up with the road being downhill, although it was very bendy in places. We stopped often though so everyone else could catch up as most people were more cautious. Lower down the road got wider and we eventually made it to the bottom, even managing to beat the guide on a sprint finish. We had a cold beer waiting for us at the bottom which was much needed.

We had the option to go ziplining at the bottom although it wasn't as big as the one I did in Baños so I decided to stay in the pub. After people came back from ziplining we went to a local animal refuge which had things like monkeys, capybara, and tortoises. We also had lunch here, all be it a very late one. With a 3 hours journey back to La Paz along the new road, we given a choice of party bus or sleepy bus. I ended up on the party bus and it got quite lively, although I got attacked by a dog when going for a wee stop. We arrived back in La Paz by about 9 and went out for a few beers in the city.

When waking up in the morning I discovered the dog attack was worse than than I thought. I think I've had the rabies vaccination but that doesn't immunise you it just buys you time. Luckily on my truck there's a doctor travelling with us and she gave me medical advice and took me to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics. If I have got rabies though I am simply going to die, but I haven't shown any initial symptoms other than aching round the bite area, so fingers crossed. I'm banned from drinking for a week now though.

I spent the afternoon exploring La Paz, visiting a few of the nearby squares as well as a couple of the markets. The old town is full of markets and winding cobbled streets full of people in traditional Aymara clothing selling anything and everything you could ever think of, including dried llama foetuses and exotic potions on sale in the witch's market! I then sat down the english pub for a full English, before relaxing in the hotel in the afternoon. Come evening we learnt from our previous mistakes and went out in small groups for dinner,  where I had the fillet steak which was really nice. I then headed back to the hotel for an early night.