La Paz, Death Road and Lake Titicaca

La Paz, the Death Road and Lake Titicaca

03/06/16 - 11/06/16 

We flew back to La Paz after our jungle adventure and took a taxi to our accommodation, Arthy's Hostel. We haven't heard great things about La Paz, mostly that it is busy, dirty and not the safest city in South America. We had decided not to spend too much time there, but we did have one big objective for our stay in the capital...to do the 'world's most dangerous road'...on mountain bikes!

On that note, we have to say that the dizzyingly high altitude city surprised us. Yes it's busy and dirty and socially acceptable to spit in public, but there's more then just that. 

View of La Paz from El Alto

Situated at 3500m, the city is nested in a crater surrounded by snow capped mountains and all the buildings are this brick colour, so it does have quite a unique feel to it. We mostly explored the cobblestone streets surrounding our hostel. 

Helado!

The next day we scraped all out courage together, said a prayer and headed off to the infamous Death Road. 

The Death Road is situated a little way outside of the city. Its a 64km dirt road that zigzags down the Yungas valley.  You start at a height of 4560m, literally above the cloud line, and finish at just 1200m, so with a mountain bike its a rapid descent, taking only a few hours. The 'death' in the name comes from the fact that the narrow road runs along extremely steep, and sheer cliffs with up to 600m drops, and with little to no railings! So one split second of not thinking, some loose rocks, a late turn or faulty brakes lie between you and a sheer vertical drop... So as you can imagine, this makes for quite an adrenaline rush. 

We joined a company that organizes the trip and supplies the bikes. Only after you have signed a very elaborate indemnity form, get handed your protective gear and told about the guy that rode over the edge a mere two weeks ago and the other guy currently in hospital due to an accident the previous day, do you realize that this might actually be more dangerous then what you thought. 

He's ready...

That said, we dressed like bikermice from Mars and took the steep road down...

She's ready!

The views were truly incredible, but you were constantly reminded to keep your eyes on the road each time you rode past the numerous crosses lining the side of the road where people lost their lives. It was really an experience and fantastic being on a bike again. 

We ended the day with cold bears and good food and all slept soundly knowing that we've survived the Death Road! Below is some footage Albertus took with his go-pro (excuse the random 2014 date at the top left - he says he's still figuring it out!):

The next day we boarded the bus and headed to Lake Titicaca! 

Copa, Copacabana, the hottest place south of Havana...

Lake Titicaca is the largest high altitude body of water in the world, and rich in Inca history. Opposite the Bolivian side of the lake sits Peru with its famous floating Islands. 

The Incas believed that their own ancestors came from here, and that the sun and the moon was created here. There are two islands in the lake Isla de Sol (island of the sun) and Isla de Luna (island of the moon). 

View from Isla del Sol

At one stage on our bus trip from La Paz we had to disembark the bus, take a boat across the lake while our bus took its own ferry and then again boarded the bus on the other side. Late afternoon we arrived at our destination...Copacabana! 

This little lake-side town looks out over the  beautiful blue waters, with hundreds of small boats bobbing about in the harbour. The town is buzzing with backpackers, small restaurants and stalls selling Alpaca jerseys and bright Inca materials all to the hum of a Bob Marley song playing in the background. We immediately liked the laid-back atmosphere. 

As the sun was setting we walked around with our backpacks looking for accommodation and came across a place with a beautiful view and good price...What we didn't know that this room with a view came with a price that we didn't pay in Bolivianos...the rooms were absolutely freezing, we barely slept and the shower water felt, in Simon's words, like you dived into the water at Llundadno. Needless to say, the next morning we packed our bags at the crack of dawn and headed off to somewhere warmer. We found the most amazing chalets, just around the corner,  overlooking the lake. Hostel La Cupula...Double bed, fire place, heater, warm water bottle, warm shower , private little garden with hammocks, fantastic service..we were in heaven! After all these backpackers, dorms, shared bathrooms and cold showers you can just imagine what a treat this was! Im just saying; we are om honeymoon after all;) 

On our first full day in Copacabana, the Veenstra's and ourselves climbed a hill that has an impressive cemetery and beautiful vista. We also had a divine dinner at a Mexican restaurant and just simply enjoyed our chalet. 

Early the next morning we took a two hour boat ride to Isla del Sol. The boat dropped us off at the Northern end of the island, from there we walked a beautifully scenic path to the South end, -+ 4h hike. At the South we stayed in a small settlement called Yumani. 

The little town is on the top of a hill, with steep slopes, covered with old inca terraces where the local people still plant their maize, potatoes and quinoa. The narrow cobblestone streets are all either steep ascents or steep descents, which in the former case was definitely tough on the still acclimatizing lungs! There are also no cars or motorbikes or streetlights, just donkeys, lots of donkeys...We rented a basic but clean 4 bed room from one of the friendly locals, and stayed there two nights.  

Every household in Yumani has a few donkeys, a lama or two and some sheep. The nights are pitch dark and deafeningly quiet and in the morning with the first rays of light you hear the hooves of the donkeys as the locals take their stock to the hills. 

We found a little restaurant with a jaw-dropping view, that said, every direction you look in Yumani is stunning. They had the best trout, quinoa and vegetables dish so we ate there both nights, enjoying our hearty meal, local beer, good company and pack of cards. 

It is an amazingly tranquil place, and it feels like you have slipped back into an ancient time, one in which any soul will find rest and peace. 

After our 'weekend away' we headed back to Copacabana, booked straight into our favourite chalets and enjoyed our last two nights in Bolivia. 

Tou-trek 'Isla del Sol' style - die boot het net net tweede gekom

Bolivia- in a nutshell- has completely exceeded our expectations. We spent three weeks here..salt flats, colonial Sucre city, amazing amazon adventure, La Paz with the death road and the massive, deep blue waters of lake Titicaca.  Muchos gracias Bolivia! 

Adios Bolivia!