Whilst the day started out fairly benignly, I found myself inadvertently riding with some of the fast boys in peleton formation out the front of the group, well for the first 20 odd kilometres, before my energy levels sapped, or they stepped up a gear and I consequently found myself riding alone to the lunch truck, not that I minded the solitude in any way shape or form.
Once I got to the lunch spot, I decided to wait for Julia and Carmen for what we had been warned was a very treacherous because of the extremely steep / fast descent into La Paz (which had resulted in riders being treated in hospital's in past Andes Trail rides).
I am so glad I did, for not only was the road (highway) as dangerous as we had been told, but the ride through the outskirts of the town was an absolute nightmare as well because of the manner in which the traffic treats cyclists. A group it would seem is far safer than one cyclist on their own. Either way, though I made it safely into the Bolivian capital, a city I was keen to explore having spent far to long in Peruvian villages and so forth.
A view of La Paz from the outskirts, though admittedly, it really doesn't do the city justice in terms of exactly how steep the surrounding mountains are, the proximity with which neighbours live shoulder to shoulder with one another or what have you......
Never trust a Bolivian motorist...particularly if you are riding a bike!
ReplyDeleteBolivia would have to be one of the saddest place known to mankind with everyone to a tee being sad, grumpy or upset and I somehow suspect if there was an altercation between driver and rider, no one would come to your aid.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad I'm out of the country.....