Our Crash While Biking "Death Road"

Above the clouds, preparing to start our ride.  There were amazing views of the Andean plateaus.

As we drove along the road leading to the world's most dangerous road in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan's stomach began to get a little uneasy.  We had never seen so many crosses along one single road marking where people have perished over the years.  While Bolivia has recently created a newer, safer route for cars to use, this road will forever keep it's title of world's most dangerous road due to the tragedies of its past.

Here we go!  (we are on the right)

"This cross is for 200 people that died when their bus fell off the cliff due to the erosion of the dirt road," our tour guide told us.  While sad, it's understandable given a waterfall falls directly onto an almost one lane dirt path adjacent to the steep drop off the mountain.  During water breaks, our tour guide would point to the bottom of the valleys to show us burnt and wrangled cars that had fallen from various ledges.

Leaning over the ledge to see where two vehicles had tragically fallen into the valley

It's a badge of honor for travelers to be able to say they've biked down "Death Road" in Bolivia.  The corners are pretty manageable on a bike as long as you don't lose control of your bike as you fly downhill.  However, even the most experienced bikers can leave this experience a bit banged up.  We would know...

Before we even hit the portion of Death Road where the road drops off into steep ravines, we were bloody and bruised.  Jan was navigating her dual suspension mountain bike along a narrow path of loose rocks at a snail's pace.  Actually, a snail would have probably passed her.  Yemi came around the blind corner behind her and due to the steep path and loose rocks, he couldn't stop in time.  The next thing we knew, we were both wrangled among our bikes and tears were swelling up in Jan's eyes.

Can you imagine driving on this road??  This is one of the most deadly corners.

After confirming we hadn't broken any limbs and weren't bleeding too badly, we got back on our bikes and set off for THE Death Road.  According to Yemi, there was beautiful scenery all along the next 30 miles we biked.  Jan never took her eyes off of the dirt path, so she only got to enjoy the views briefly when she caught up to the group of five guys that were perpetually waiting on her.  As the men drank water and wiped sweat off their brows, Jan stretched her aching fingers that had been clamping on to the brakes.  On a per hour basis, she sure got her money's worth for this excursion!

Yemi loved the adrenaline of biking through waterfalls and squeezing around the corners of the mountains.  It was a great way to close out our amazing Bolivian adventures.

Perspective Photos at the Salt Flats of Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat.  While it serves practical purposes for the people of Bolivia, tourists love it because it makes a great backdrop for perspective pictures.

Visiting the salt flats was the primary draw for us when we planned our trip to Bolivia.  We didn't realize at the time that the salt flats are just one of dozens of must-see attractions in this country!

We woke up at 4am on the fourth day of our adventure with Tupiza Tours to see the salt flats.  We had breakfast on Incahuasi Island, an island full of cacti in the middle of the salt flats, then drove to the flattest point where the famous perspective pictures are possible.

It's not easy to take perspective photos!  With the "smaller" person or object far into the distance, the photographer has to line up just right to make it look real.  With a little patience, you're left with fun pictures of the unique landscape.

"Behind the Scenes"

Seeing the salt flats was a perfect ending to our four day adventure.

A special shout out to Elena and Peter, Russians who are also traveling on a round-the-world trip.  We met them after our overnight bus from Argentina dropped us off near the Bolivia border at 6am.  We wandered the streets until we found the border about a mile away and agreed to share a vehicle on the tour.  We couldn't have asked for a better couple to share in this crazy adventure!

Photo Friday: Bolivia

The Beauty of Bolivia

We spent four days traveling in a 4x4 full of six people for up to 12 hours a day.

We only broke down once in the middle of nowhere.

We slept in freezing temperatures, wrapped in our sleeping bags under several wool blankets.

Brrrrr!  We couldn't layer enough clothes on at night.

We suffered from altitude sickness since much of our tour was up to 16,500 feet above sea level.   We woke up as early as 4am each morning with splitting headaches, fatigue and numb extremities.

While we hated waking up so early, we had to admit it was always worth it when we saw the sun rise and illuminate breathtaking views.

During these four days we had only one opportunity to shower.

These salty hot springs were a welcome rinse-off after two days of no showers.  We finally showered at the end of day #3.

As uncomfortable as it was at moments, these four days were some of the most memorable days of our trip.

The famous Árbol de Piedra ("stone tree")

The tour has been described as being like you are traveling in Mars. The sights are like nothing we have seen in the 35+ countries we have each visited.  Every few miles the landscape completely changed and we found ourselves oooooh'ing and aweeeeeing so often that you would think we were watching puppies on YouTube.

Aside from the mesmerizing landscapes, we enjoyed tasty food prepared by our group's personal chef and had the unique experience of spending one night in a hotel made completely of salt!

Waiting for our turn to shower at a hotel made completely out of salt

As cliche as it sounds, the pictures don't do Bolivia's landscape justice!

Exploring the "train graveyard" in Uyuni

We highly recommend taking this tour of Southwest Bolivia if you're looking for a cheap adventure that will blow your mind.

Yemi walking around the sulfur geyers

Photo Friday: Bolivia

Jaw-dropping lagoons are a dime a dozen in Bolivia.