JOURNEY FROM COPACABANA TO LA PAZ

Remaining bus journey from Copacabana to La Paz was OK and we had an entertaining interlude. You need to cross a narrow section of the lake (about a kilometre) so tourists get off boat and are ferried across in small boats. Poor bus, meanwhile, has to drive onto a flat barge barely bigger than the bus itself, then a tiny outboard motor on rear of barge propels the barge across the strait. IUt is quite terrifying to see a large bus bobbing up and down like a toy and you just thank the Lord that you are not onboard. Then you remember that all of your travelling belongings are stored in the bus you start to worry again. Nevertheless, it arrived OK and we recommenced journey to La Paz.

Arrival into La Paz by bus is clearly not the route for senior foreign dignatories. It looked like a bombsite but soon we came to the edge of the huge plateau we had been driving along and we saw the "real city in the canyon below us. Quite amazing, they have built the city in a gorge / canyon which has been scoured out by a small river (clearly it was large once). Good sized city and the highest capital in the world (another record!) somewhere over 3,500m alt. Found OK hoteland crashed-out.

Next few days are a bit of a blur but I´m sure M will update this entry with extra bits if necessary.

I recall: that we visitred a few sights and tour agencies to see what was on offer. We booked the downhill bikeride and jungle / pampas tour. We also enquired about a supported hike with guides to climb Hyuana Potosi, a mountain of 6,088m alt (circa. 20,000ft) which sits above La Paz.

BIKE RIDE

This was marketed as the longest, wildest dowhill ride in the WORLD! Probably it is not but it is no doubt the "original" long freewheel touristy trip. We agreed with agency that we would hire "downhill" bikes, these are increadibly heavy mountainbikes with full suspension (basically a scrambler motorbike without engine). These are GREAT downhill but when you get to a flat bit or uphill, you change your mind instantly. Trip started with a full kitting-out in La Paz, safety gear, full-face helmets etc. Then an hour minibus journey with bikes to 4,700m alt. Here we had another safety briefing and tried our bikes. We noticed that all bikes had their top (fastest gears) removed obviously for safety reasons!

Ride started (downhill) on wide tarmac road with swooping corners etc, how I missed my road-bike. We had to stay behind guide who was sensibly setting a maximum speed of something less that "ridiculous". After a few stops and regroupings we arrived at the end of the tarmac section (about 30km, 1.5 hours). Then the fun (and reain) started. The road changed into a single lane rough dirt road with regular large trucks thundering up and down. As we headed down the guide regularly pulled us up sharpish as he had spotted a juggernaught coming up the hill, not something you would wish to meet. Rain started and soon became a solid, tropical torrential downpour which simply did not stop for the remnaining 2.5 hours. We were soaked but it did not detract too much from road. It snaked down the side of the valley atop a vertical cliff which must have dropped 300-500 metres down into the valley below, NO safety railings at all. Sadly we were told by our guide that on a non too irregular basis, trucks and buses do go over the side with significant loss of life. They are building a new, tarmac, safer road on the other side of the valley and we are told that it will be open in months.

Towards the end of the ride the ground became increbibly dusty, I´m talking 6 inches deep in dust, so deep that the rain had not wetted it. This created huge clouds of dust behind the cyclists ahead so you simply could not see where you were going. Unfortunately, 1o minutes from the end it got the better of M and she tumbled. No major injuries just sore elbow and shoulder, almost better now. At end of ride we had a good feed and shower then returned UP Deat Road in minibus to La Paz. This journey allowed us to see the real terrifying extent of the road we had just ridden down.

WOW! (I say again)