Sunday 12th April

We awake early, and not entirely by choice. At 4:30 am there are voices of ppl returning from a night out. I get up for a drink of water - which means I have to sterilise it.
We get up about 6:15 and Malcolm is feeling ill again and had a shower. I get my things out for the day. We have booked to do a bike ride down the Death Road.
We are down in reception by 7am. I learn later that the meeting had been changed to 7:15. We are held up by one of our members and leave about 7:30. The group that had gone from yesterday had told us how wet they got as was raining. Virtually every layer soaked through. I'd been worried about rain as not lots of changes of clothes! But it was a beautiful fine day when we traveled. Others later where not so lucky'
It's about an hour ride to the top, highest point. We pull over in a gravel parking area next to a lake. There is cake and hot drinks while the bikes are removed from the roof and the gear out. Once we are geared up we are instructed on the trip and off we go 24km down the sealed road. It's quite cold at 4700 meters but it gets warmer as we go down. We take the bus up 8km to the start of the 'old' death road. The new road opened in 2006. The road is still used when the new road has landslides. There was at least 100 deaths a year on the road and it's no wonder. It looks like it's one way for the most part, and gravel. However it's great for mountains biking if your inclined. It's mostly downhill and windy. It's great but very bumpy and hard on the wrists. The view is amazing and I see lots of butterflies. Blue ones, orange ones and black ones. We reach the bottom about 12.30pm. It is very hot and tropical at the bottom. After we de-grear it's about 10 min to the hotel for buffet lunch. Not huge variety, but good veges and fried banana and potato. Malcolm goes for a swim but I just freshen up with a cold shower.
It's about 2.5-3hours back to the hotel in la paz and it gets colder as we climb.
We get our t-shirts and wait in the hotel for the bus station transfer. While we are waiting we pack our bags and go for a walk and buy water.
We have to wait at the bus station for the bus and then we have to wait for it to leave. About 25 min late. We eat snacks for dinner.
Here goes night bus number 3.