On a sunny Wednesday right outside of La Paz in Bolivia, I found myself adorned from head to toe in cycling gear, standing at the summit of a 40-mile downhill road. While technically called Old Road, the path is more commonly known as Death Road, even by locals. While I've written about numerous travel destinations with menacing names, such as Devil's Tooth in Bolivia, Death Valley in Chile and Hell's Gate in New Zealand, the name Death Road should be taken very literally.
The road was originally built by prisoners of war from Paraguay in 1932. Before 2006, Death Road was the only connection between La Paz and the jungle. According to Oscar, before this time there were about 25 cars per year and about 2 bikes per year that would fall over the edge. The terrain is rough and the road is narrow, so there isn't very much space to move over. Along the trail you can even see memorials dedicated to lost lives, like an area called "The Balcony," where several politicians were killed. If you climb down the steep valleys - which I don't advise - you can still see some buses that fell over the edge. Even knowing these facts, I knew it was something I had to experience for myself. It's kind of like flying; yes, people die on airplanes, but a majority of fliers survive the journey. I knew if I kept a positive attitude and focused, I too could survive Death Road.Continue reading How To Survive Bolivia's Death RoadHow To Survive Bolivia's Death Road originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
hiking holidays Finland hiking holidays Kuusamo hiking Kuusamo hiking holidays
No comments:
Post a Comment