THE DEATH ROAD. WE SURVIVED

La camina de los muertos - the Road of Death. The name slips over the tongue like a deadly omen.

Last Friday Nick and Peter were brave enough to MOUNTAIN BIKE the world´s most dangerous road. I was only brave enough to creep down in the support van behind them.

The road manoevres through the Yungas - stunning, lush emerald coloured mountains which grasp the sky. The Yunga mountains are precipitous, steep and deadly.Along the road there was a Narcotics check point, road works, dodgy vans and vendors selling trinkets and junk food.

The guide from Gravity Assisted tours made us peer over the edge of the cliff at one point to see a crushed mini van at the bottom. 10 people had died. It was a sobering reminder of the dangers of this road.

Along the Death Road there are numerous crosses to commemorate the lives of those who have perished on the road. At one particular bend there was an overhanging waterfall, the road was barely 1.5 metres wide and rocks were crumbling away from the road. At this particular bend I could see numerous religious crosses.

At the bottom of the road we were rewarded with a cold beer, and spent some time gobbling up a yummy lunch at Senda Verde wildlife refuge. A capuchin monkey climbed all over Nick and Peter - rather cute.

That night we bunkered down at a hostel in nearby Coroico. The hostel we stayed at was run by a crazy French couple. The Lonely Planet warned us that the hostel was scarily akin to Faulty Towers...But the filet mignon was out of this world! That French couple sure knew how to cook! In the evening we could see condors (eagles) soaring over the cliffs and emerald green jungle of the Jungas mountains.

I will get Peter or Nick to write in more detail about the Death Road,

Brittany