LA PAZ

Crazy city! La Paz is not the capital, but the place where the government sits, with 3800m above nn it’s the highest seat of a government worldwide and with Evo Morales Bolivia has got his first indigenous president for 12 years now.
On the first day we‘ve been walking around the center, guided by an 19-year-old engaged Bolivian guy who had a new tattoo when we met him again the next day - his initials on his cheek for 20 Bolivianos (~2,30€) - and he told us we should not be worried about security in La Paz, but got robbed out twice - I mean they even took his shoes - while visiting Buenos Aires and Bogota. Anyway he was a nice guy and we learned a lot about the life in La Paz nowadays.
The San Pedro prison is probably the bizarrest place I ever heard about up to now, I need to read ‚Marching Powder‘ asap!
Of course I had to take the opportunity to ride a MTB for 60km down the ‚Camino del muerte‘ starting at 4300m going down all the way to the jungle. A few years ago it was the only connecting road in this area, about 250 people died every year due to bus/car accidents, but luckily there’s a proper street now. The view was awesome, the change of the landscape impressive and I had lots of fun on the bike, but to be honest the two-meter wide, so called deathroad is not that dangerous for cyclists if you’re not super unlucky or super stupid. Sure the fact that it goes down for 600 meters right next to the road can be intimidating, but since I‘ve been on way more dangerous single treks in the Dolomites, the thing I was afraid of the most, was the fact that I‘m in a country where I would not like to go to the hospital at all. But it was a fun day and I enjoyed beeing back on the bike a lot.
Furthermore I felt safe in the areas where I was moving around in La Paz, way more than expected, but spending 4 days in a big city is enough for me.Leia mais