I mean what I m doing here. I make a ride by bicycle
with my friend Lorenzo Steve and my adoptive soon
Kermit Junior. With us 2 guides and a van. The goal
of this ride is to get down to Coroico starting
few km after La Paz. If we arrive at the end we
will end 3000 meter less as when we started. I say
IF because this road is the most dangerous world
in the world. Over an 100 average death people each
year on this road.
When you get the bike and go through all this landscape
in a small dirt road you understand why this number
of death. I m seating on my bike and look down,
just 20 cm of me some 800 to 200 meter cliff. And
to fall that s not that much difficult:
1) the brakes go out
2) you have 1 minute inatention
3) you drive to fast and miss the curve
4) an italian and a american just push you down
5) you feel in a deep sleep (but not on the bike
okay)
6) a truck comes in front of you. You hit it or
you go out of the way. Some 400 down.
This road is unique. Just because you have no choise,
up or down. If you go down, take the bicycle, it
takes 3 to 6 hours depending on the rythm and the
condition. Up, a mini bus takes you back to La Paz.
Not a big bus, we saw to much of them lying some
300 m down the hill, burned rosted and flat. There
are so much people died on this road that you just
wisch not to be one of this. W
(insert)
We quit La Paz to go to a highspot where our trip
will beginn to the "death road", on the
edge of the road a lot of wild dogs are waiting.
Some run after the cars and bell. Is that the sound
of the death. Strange feeling !
This morning as we get to the agency Extreme, we
were just 3,5 people. Lorenzo, Steve, Kermit (1/2)
and me. And for us 2 guides. On the highest spot
of the trip we meet another agency recommended by
the Lonely P. with about 15 people. Now we knew
how much chance we had. We the litlle group, a friendship
of 3 peoples leaded by Juan. They a group of 20
people, unpersonnely Gringoland !
 I
mean with our 3 the guide Juan, proposed us two
ways down the first into the normal street (paved)
the second outside of the road. We took solution
2. Soon we went down taking a kind of miniroad,
passing some rivers, biking on the rocks. This was
great and maybie less boring than the paved road.
The thing is that you have to take care about your
velocity and manage what you can. Because the rocks
and velocity together are a danger, some very sharp
could just cut your head into 2 part if you fall
badly on them (remember the Lost Highway guy falling
on the glass table. Irgg!). In few second you can
reach a 20 to 50 km because of the pent. Thats amazing
on a bad road like that. The first part has no rich
vegetation, just rocks in erosion process and little
of grass. We are in a high altitude and its cold.
I go as fast as I can, enjoying this funny way and
the beautifull surrounding nature. Suddendly biking
in a midle of a big pent in some fucking 1000 of
mini stones my bike stopped and I just fly over
it falling in this cornflakes hill of stones. I
stand up. Cool I have nothing and Kermit is fine
two. Just a broken pant and a little blood on my
kness. Lets continue the aventure...WWWAAAAOOOW.
Twenty minutes later we pass close to a little river
and beginn to enter into the clouds level. Then
the first biking "up" to the main paved road. A little break. There the
urgency team (The drivers) came to desinfect my
1 cm blooded blessure. I was realy nothing but they
just didn t ask my opinion and desinfected the blessure.
So for the chirurgical intervention I can say 10/10
note.
We continue the trip into the main road, the velocity
up to 60 km/H I think. I don t realy know how fast
we are but on this curved road I feel like in an
introduction of a James Bond movie. Lets say we
go fast, following the first guide and at the end
the second guide. In the midle, me and Kermit (who
strangle my neck because he fear), Steve (always
cool) and Lorenzo (who hates the truck on this road).
Thats funny on him. Once he hates the kids in the
bus (because of the noise), but then on the street
they are ok. Then he hates the Truck on the roads.
because of the dust and because we have to stop
to let them pass. So when he hates something for
a moment, this guy let it know all the world. "Fucking
trucks, what are they doing on this dangerous road..."This
guy is funny, I mean what are we doing on this dangerous
road ???? 3 tourists on adrenaline tour.
 After
an exiting down-the-hill descent we arrived in a
tunnel. There we go into the mini bus because Kermit
Junior don t want to continue in the fog and wet
paved road. Kermit junior made it. The first frog
who when down this road on bicycle. But know he
has to stay in the bus. Its just to dangerous for
him on the next part. I mean I could not support
to lose my soon.
Few kilometer after the road of the devil realy beginns. We made just few meter and see the
first dead-cruz. Here are lying 8 israelis and 2
guys from Netherlands. During the descent we will
see a lot of this cruz. That make you feel realy
alive. You have your bike in your hand. You manage
everything. And we can say that your live is in
your hand. Just few cm from you the road beside
abruptly end and goes into a deep hole. The vegetation
changed and we are now more in a jungle. But we
can just see few meters down for the moment because
of the fog. We are in the cloud level.
  The rules changed and know we have to drive on the
left. Why that? Because the vehicule who goes up
prefer to go the road far away from the cliff side.
So we are driving down few centimeters of the "nothing"
in a dirty road where two cars can t pass at the
same time. Know its raining but its not that cold
as it was before. We are enjoy a lot, laughing because
of the fucking situation. We on bike are kidding
with the devil. I mean look at this image on the
right. Could you ever imagine playing with your
life 4 hours long.
We arrive in the Jungle level where temperature
and humidity are high. Sometime we have to stop
on the left side to let pass a Truck or a bus. The
ride is great, everywhere splendid nature with some
very high waterfall. A crazy trip that end in a
"village" close to Coroico.
 We take the bus tiket, get something to eat and
chill out in an hotel in Coroico. This city is 1500
m high. But the best is to know we did it. I mean
Lorenzo is alive. Steve is alive. Kermit is alive.
And I write this sentence in Coroico, in few minutes
I will take the bus up to La Paz. What is most dangerous,
the way up or the way down ?
So the time is coming to go into the vehicule. I
seat in front of the bus, I know it could be my
last trip. The driver kiss the crusifix hanging
in the car. I m rassured :-(
On road close to La Paz, a lot of dogs are waiting
on the road edge. Who s dog are they? What are they
waiting here on the street. When a car pass their
head just follow the vehicule and you can see they
eyes speaking to you. I m worried, I can t realy
understand what they tried to say? What are they
waiting for ? Hoppefully they don t wait that we
fall down the hill to eat the rest of our body.
I m for recycling but that s a little bit to "dark"
for me.
Later I will know who they are, this cold looking
dog. The spirit of the travelers that have perished
on the road to Coroico. |
