Ah La Paz...it might be the best city yet. Sorry Buenos Aires. Actually that´s a bit of a close call...will have to get back to you...

WHAT a city! Again crap photo, sorry, but I wanted something up there to show the mountains. It´s crazy here, the commercial centre (and, naturally, nice houses ad tourist zones) cupped in the basin created by the surrounding mountains - and they totally surround it, with the city spreading up the mountainsides like so many house-snakes. It´s pretty awesome.

And lots to do too. Although we spent a couple of days recovering from our speedy travels, we spent them not eating very much (thanks, altitude), buying too much Alpaca (I think Caroline is personally responsible for shearing 3) and catching our breath. We also did a tour of the city on an open top bus, which was very interesting - did you know that if a Bolivian woman is wearing her bowler hat at an angle, she´s single; if it´s on straight, she´s married? And it was great to get out and see a LOT more of the city than we otherwise would have done. It´s all quite crazy, and in places a bit stinky, but if you´re in La Paz do what I regret not doing - take photos of EVERYTHING (sort them out later) - there´s no better place to capture Bolivian Life. We also went up to the Valle de la Luna on the bus, which was quite impressive - a limestone moonscape - but I think I was a bit passed caring with cold by then, and I was more impressed by the hot tea I had.

And then today...well it seemed like a good idea to throw ourselves down the World´s Most Dangerous Road on mountain bikes. Now I´d never call myself a rider or any other form of mountain-biking-esque terminology that would make me sound vaguely accomplished, but...64km in 4 hours, 30km down some nice paved road but pretty steep, reaching high speeds (don´t ask me what, but high) and flying round corners that had drop-offs you didn´t want to consider. And that was the easy bit. The rest is the Death Road - 8 riders killed in the last 2 years, and an average of 100 people killed a year in bus plunges - the most recent being 35 deaths 2 months ago. This is not a road you don´t take seriously. But my GOD it was phenomenal. The biking is really cool - it´s dirt road that goes from snow and rolling mists at the top, down through wintery rain into temperate rain into tropical climes and rainforest, with waterfalls gushing over cliffs onto the road (and you), creating huge puddles you fly through before they continue on down the 400m drop off on the corner onto you´re hugging. Whenever you stop, you have an opportunity to take your eyes off the 40 or 50m in front of you and look around, and it´s breathtaking. The only downside? I wouldn´t recommend it to anyone with knee problems unless you know what you´re in for! The jarring along the stony road has some interesting results (like not being able to walk afterwards).

From here we fly to Rurrenabaque in the Amazon Basin, Caroline´s bit of the trip, a week in the pampas (wildlife-filled wetlands) and the jungle. Bring on being able to breathe. We´ll be a whole 300m above sea lever.