Photo of the Day - Galapagos Islands

Sea Lions resting near the shore. Floreana Island, Galapagos

 

Happy Wednesday! We are half way through the week! Woo hoo! Hope everyone is enjoying the winter weather above the Equator and warm summer below the Equator! :)

 

Love,

 

Reima

Photo of the day - Amazon Wildlife

 

Amazon River, Manaus, Brazil

 

What an incredible site to see! A beautiful alligator resting on a board with leaves upon its back in its majestic home, the Amazon. One of my favorite places in the world.

 

 

Love,

 

Reima 

Photo of the day - Argentina

Taking in the breathtaking and mesmorizing Iguazu Falls.

This is my fifth and last post on trying to figure out my mixed feelings heart and where I'll live pre-World Cup and my start of expat living. If you missed my past photos of the day, check them out here: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile!

Oh Argentina, how I love you! Argentina has everything. City life, the tango, incredible nature, the Andes mountains, Patagonia, and a short flight away from the Falklands and Antarctica! 

I loved Argentina from the start (well I've loved every country I've been to from the start!) and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I enjoyed the beef, the asados, sharing yerba mate with locals, dancing the tango, trekking and rappelling in the Andes, and so on! With so much to offer, Argentina would be a great expat destination for me!

*Although I haven't posted about every country in South America, I'm still considering those ones as well!*

Out of the 5 countries I posted about this week - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina - Which country leaves you wanting to learn more?

Photo of the day - Chile

Enjoying the Chilean vineyards.

Onto my fourth country in search of what I'm going to do next year as I hope to finally start my expat life! If you missed my previous three posts, you can check out Brazil over here, Peru here, and Ecuador here!

The country of Chile is long and skinny yet full of culture and history. My time in Chile a few years ago was short and I left with so much I wanted to know. At the time, I really didn't feel connected to the country and still needed more answers. Perhaps I could use the time now to get to know Chile better? From the coastline, to the city life, vineyards, and part of Patagonia, Chile has everything I enjoy. I'll have to keep this in mind when I figure out my plans...

Tomorrow is my final photo in my search of expat life! I'm hoping these posts will help me make my decision. :)

Photo of the day - Ecuador

Here I am almost at the top of the volcano Cotopaxi, the highest volcano above sea level in the world.

Still continuing my search for my home in 2014, the next country I'm stopping in is Ecuador. If you have not seen my previous posts, check out Brazil over here and Peru here!

Ecuador is one of my loves that has so much to explore. With spring-like weather year round, it fits my ideal weather conditions. :-) Some sun. Some clouds. Some rain. Ecuador has part of my love, the Amazon Rainforest, beautiful coastline, majestic Andes mountains, and the incredible Galapagos Islands. Plenty to offer for those who choose to live here. 

Stay tuned as I continue to post a picture from each country I'm considering moving to! Maybe this will help me make my decision? :)

Photo of the day - Peru

So yesterday I posted a picture of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to show where I could move in early 2014. If you missed that post, check it out over here!

Today in continuation of trying to figure out where to move next year, here is a picture near the ocean in Lima, Peru. I was absolutely taken away by all of Peru. Just a beautiful country. The scenery. The history. The food! Even for the short time that I was there, I felt at home. During my trip, I managed to see Incan ruins in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Pachacamac in Lima. 

I was happy to get off the tourist trail as much as I could, which I found was where the best things of Peru were. I truly spent more time with the locals than with other travelers and that is what made my trip even more special. In the picture above, I just sat and watched the fishermen in their boats, the families wandering around, and the seagulls doing there thing.

I went to the fish market and watched a fishermen who has been doing is job for many years quickly clean, gut, and fillet his fish. A master at work. I'll have to find that video and post it on here. I enjoyed looking at the abundance of beautiful and fresh seafood. If I had my own kitchen at that time, I would have made a big purchase and sampled everything! 

Peru has an abundance of seafood, fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, and many more! They do not need to rely on other countries because they have everything they need.

I truly cannot wait until I return here on day.

Stay tuned as I continue to post a picture from each country I'm considering moving to! Maybe this will help me make my decision? :)

Photo of the Day - Brazil

In honor of trying to figure out where I'm going to live in early 2014, I thought I'd post a lovely picture of the crowded Copacabana Beach in Rio de Jainero, Brazil. Brazil is full of color, life, a melting pot of people, beautiful beaches, views, food, and many more! I am also excited to go back to Brazil for the World Cup! I'm not excited that my Brazilian visa expires in January. :-) Living here would be wonderful...but still keeping my options open!

Stay tuned as I post a picture from each country I'm considering moving to! Maybe this will help me make my decision? :)

Photo of the day - Galapagos Islands

Floreana, Galapagos Islands. 

Off the coast of Ecuador are a beautiful set of islands known as the Galapagos. Pristine and calm islands that are almost all untouched. What I mean by that is these aren't like any normal island you can just head to and go wherever you want. The islands are protected. You can't wander wherever you'd like, like you can on most other islands. You must have a guide outside of the normal ports. One touch on an animal, wildlife, or anything of concern on the islands and you may affect the ecological system. Makes you sit back and appreciate your surroundings and life.

Happy Friday!

Galapagos Islands

To take away the unpleasant taste that I got from the last post about travel safety, I thought I'd make it up to you all by posting Galapagos pictures from the stunning islands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel better already!

Are you really safe with a tour guide?

The other day I posted a picture I took in the Galapagos Islands on Instagram and although it looked very calm and relaxing, which it thankfully was and definitely is, it hid what I went through that whole week in those incredible islands, which I highly recommend you visit one day.

 

Dolphin Beach, Isla Isabela

 

Tortuga Beach, Isla Santa Cruz

 

 

Isla Floreana

 

Now when you go to the Galapagos, you do not need a tour guide to visit the islands and stay in the main ports of each island. BUT you do need a tour guide if you plan on getting out of the main ports. You cannot go off exploring alone. This is their way of protecting the islands, keeping them clean, and for us humans not ruining the wonderful ecosystem. And I respect them for that. I was happy to oblige just to be able to explore this beautiful area of the world.

 

Now before I continue, I just want to be clear with tour guides, which was the first thing that popped up in my head when I posted that Instagram picture.

 

I prefer not to take tours. I think they take a lot of time out of your day, some are overly expensive, and are somewhat rushed. That and I like to be one with the locals, not part of a tour group.

 

But with this said, there are a few points that do make going on a tour worthwhile:

 

When it is cheaper to go somewhere with a group then to go on your own.

• I paid US$10 to climb Chacaltaya and go to the Valley of the Moon in Bolivia. If I went on my own, it would have been double to triple the amount.

When you want to do something adventurous and/or dangerous.

• You can't go zip-lining on your own in Costa Rica, Rappelling in the Andes mountains in Mendoza, Argentina, or Bike on the Worlds Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia. (Oh and you don't really need a tour guide in Machu Picchu. Unless you hike the trail, of course.)

Cooking classes

• The best way to learn how to cook a certain cuisine is to learn from someone who is familiar with this art or make your way into a locals home or restaurant and just ask!

History

• Some people travel to enjoy art, history, museums, and other historical landmarks. The best way to learn is visit the location or go with someone who can teach you something new. 

Safety*

• Maybe there is a place you'd like to go to but not safe to go alone? Or maybe you love to travel and don't mind taking a tour to make you feel safe? Everyone has their own way of travel.

*Are you always going to be safe just because you choose to go on a tour? Read on.

 

Anything you want to add to the list? Let me know!

 

Now where am I going with this? Mainly it's about the last point on the list above. How do you know you can trust your guide and feel safe? What if you are a solo female traveler and you are alone with a guide? Are you really safe?

 

It may be the best experience of your life. Or maybe it is the worst decision you've ever made?

 

I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just trying to make it aware that you still need to have your guard up whether you are on a tour or not, especially as a solo female traveler.

To be fair, I have had many taxi drivers offer to help me out, keep me safe, and drive me around for the same cost as taking a bus or any other transportation. And they were some of the nicest people I've ever met. So kind and helpful. The untrustworthy tour guide scenario is not always common but it can happen. Better to always just be prepared.

 

Nature is beautiful

Friends for life. :-)

 

So to continue with my story...

 

I found a great deal with a tour guide for my week adventure in the Galapagos Islands. I was there in July* of 2010. It was about $550 for a week! That's like 1/4 to 1/2 less than what you'd normally pay for a tour guide there. Amazing deal! It covered my guide, trips, places to stay, boat rides, and any tickets I needed. (I paid the round-trip flights and $100 entrance fee at the airport separate from the guide.)

 

*Water was very rough during this month and you will probably have the worst seasickness of your life. Many boats later after this trip and my body has yet to recover from the rides in the Galapagos!

 

I didn't know if others were going to be there with me or if I was going to be alone. Either way, I was just happy to be there.

 

After I arrived and everything was taken care of, I found my guide, and saw that I wasn't going to be alone. There was a German couple with me, who also booked the same days I did, though leaving a day after me.

 

Everything was great and well-planned. I ended up staying on both Santa Cruz and Isabela Island and spent time on Floreana Island, the oldest island in the Galapagos. Still many islands left to explore which means I need to go back!

 

We went to different restaurants and ate the amazing food, visited the Iguana man, and saw as much nature as we could. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

 

Concha Perla Bay

Playa del Amor

 

Night 1: He was trying to get us to go out and get 'wasted'. The German couple were tired* and went to bed. And I was not going alone with him. Didn't think too much into it.

 

*Time difference: They were tired at night and awake in the morning. I was wide awake at night and could not get up at 6 in the morning (4am Pacific/California time)*

 

Night 2: Guide: Let's go out and drink Coco Locos! The couple went to bed and I took in the beach/ocean on my own to relax.

 

Day 3: We spent time at Playa del Amor. He asked me how many kids I wanted and if I was single. He also said he wouldn't mind having a child with me because our kids would be 'beautiful'.

 

Night 3: Guide to me: Let's go out and have fun! Drink a lot! You are young! And very beautiful. I'll take care of you and make sure you make it to your bed. Can I kiss you? Me: No thank you!

 

- This whole time, I want to make clear the German couple were having fun and we were both doing our own things but they were also noticing what was going on and making sure I was okay. They were great and I still keep in touch with them. -

 

Day 4: At another beautiful beach, one of the island boys was being 'flirtatious' with me. The guide was obviously jealous. His actions showed pretty well. He also told me I didn't need a boy. I needed a man.

 

Night 4: (I was so embarrassed) We wanted to have a big dinner as a group and some others who we met that day at a nice island eatery. The guide had to announce to me loud enough so everyone could hear:

 

"I want to mix my genes with your genes!"

 

WHAT?!?!?

 

I was in complete shock. The German guy whispered in my ear: "I have had enough of this. We are not letting you out of our site and you need to be careful. We don't want anything bad to happen to you. His behavior is not okay and we are going to report* this if able to."

 

*You are allowed and are encouraged to complain about a guide not complying with the rules and/or has poor behavior while in the Galapagos.

 

Night 5: We all went out but the couple weren't feeling well so they left. I went to grab my things and the guide tried to stop me to dance with him. I politely and firmly said I was leaving and no thanks. I left and hurried back to catch up with the couple. The guide stayed out late and returned back to his hotel room in the wee hours of the morning. But before that he was knocking on my door loud to, I'm guessing, 'make sure I made it safely back to my room alone'. I didn't open the door.

 

Day 6 and 7: Because he didn't get what he wanted, he pretty much left us with someone else to fulfill his end of the bargain with our week deal and went back to Ecuador to take care of a tour he had in Banos, Ecuador. I was so relieved!

Isla Santa Cruz

 

This was my first solo adventure. Despite his advances towards me, I was still able to enjoy the trip and the magnificent offerings of the islands. He kept his comments mainly out of all the tours and activities. If I had been alone and the German couple were not around, I most likely would have ate the costs and ditched the guide. My safety, body, and mind are more important to me than money.

 

His name is:

 

Jhover Alvarez
Guia Naturalista 3
Parque Nacional Galapagos

Now you see, just because you are on a tour or with a tour guide, it does not mean you are safe. In some instances, you are better off alone.

 

Whether you are a guy or girl, you still need to be aware of your surroundings and put your safety first - tour or no tour.

 

Have you ever had an unpleasant experience with a tour guide?

Photo of the Day - Brazil

 

 

The Amazon River, Manaus, Brazil

 

Is there one place you just have to see? The one place you have dreamed about your whole life? Of course you want to see the whole world, but there's just this one place that you need to see. With your eyes. In person.

 

Well that place for me was the Amazon. I can't even tell you who told me about it back in elementary school or if I learned about it but since ELEMENTARY school, I have been dreaming about the Amazon. I was fascinated by the river, by the rainforest, by the endless adventure possibilities. I just had to go there. While I had been dreaming about the Amazon my whole life, I never really thought it would happen.

 

But you know what? Dreams do come true when you work hard and you set goals.

My first trip out of the country was Argentina and Brazil and I made darn sure I was going to go to the Amazon.

 

The biodiversity here. The beauty. The natural fruit and medicines here. Endless rainforest. Beautiful people. Just magnificent.

 

My goal now is to see it in every country it runs through.

 

So far I have:

 

Brazil

Ecuador

Bolivia

 

This is the one place you need to really see for yourself.



Photo of the Day - Bolivia

Chacaltaya, Cordillera Real, Bolivia. Was once the highest ski resort in the world. I highly recommend coming here and climbing Chacaltaya if you do not have the extra days to climb Huayna Potosi (or climb both if you do have the time!). Grab some snacks before the climb because you'll need the sugar with the high altitude here, have plenty of water, take your time, and enjoy the mate de coca at the end to relax and take it all in. The views are absolutely incredible here. Dress warm!

Danger AHEAD - Part II

My day on Yungas Road...

 

I tried to figure out the best way to write this and after awhile, I thought I should write it in a time sequence form. It describes my feelings at each stage and what we actually did.

 

This was an amazing and dangerous thing I did that day and after this, I feel like I've done enough crazy things! So don't worry, I have no desire to jump out of an airplane. I'd rather use it to get to one location to the next!

 

If you have any questions about taking the ride of your life there in Bolivia, feel free to ask me! I'd love to help in any way that I can. :)

 

6:20am - Alarm goes off. The day I have been waiting for. *Strangely, I was quite calm when I woke up. Complete opposite of my normal self when facing a thrill such as this one. Should I have been nervous that I wasn't nervous doing this at all?

7:30am - Find the friend I made the other night and off we go to find the cafe for what could be our last breakfast and then group meeting.

8:30am - Paid my $9 for insurance before the ride.

9:00am - Leaving the cafe with the guide, Clinton/group, and headed out to the rode before Yungas.

9:30am - Arrive at our meeting place where other people are picking their bikes, testing their bikes out, getting the 411 on how to ride/brake/control & pick up speed/what not to do/rituals/just breathe. My first bike was just a little too high for me. It made me extremely nervous. I tested it out and the peddles were a little hard to reach. I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE THIS ON DEATH ROAD?! AHHH! I attempted to try and get on/off the bike as our guide was showing us (bike in motion) and I kept missing and falling off the bike and to the ground. Painful. I begged Clinton to please give me a new bike!

He said he would try the best he could but he couldn't make any promises.. I saw that this guy had the bike that was the perfect size for me and for this other girl but he was refusing to give it up! He obviously was a little too nervous! Finally Clinton took control, took his bike away from him, gave it to me, gave my bike to the girl who needed mine, and gave her bike to him. He wasn't happy but he had to suck it up and deal. The girl freaked out and wanted my bike and claimed she wasn't going to ride. The bike she received was perfect for her. Case of the nerves? Clinton, our guide, finally told her to just try it out before she makes the decision to quit. She tried it and said she was fine. THIS IS WHAT THE DEATH ROAD DOES TO YOU! Crazy, I tell you. 10:30am - Clinton assures us we will be fine, take your time, DON'T BREAK HARD OR YOU WILL FLIP AND WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN... Tells us about a ritual one does before riding on the road. We each took a sip from the bottle, poured one drop on our front tire, and one on the ground to pay tribute to Pachamama (Mother Earth) to ensure we come out alive. It's time. 10:45am - Our ride does not start right away on Yungas road. You have to ride the regular road for, I want to say it was anywhere between 10-15 miles, until we reached death road. *I have to say I oddly thought the ride to death road was scarier than the ride on death road itself. I think my reasoning for this was the fact we were going fast down the road whereas death road is also downhill but you are riding on a dirt road which somehow helps in the speed of the ride.

*Times from now on are assumed*  ~11:00-11:15am - We continue our ride to Yungas road. Around this time, I was hoping that we'll reach death road soon because I wasn't liking this ride. I was still calm but was kind of tired continuously breaking while going downhill. Again, should I have been nervous for not being nervous doing this ride?
And then it happened...   I watched my friend FLIP OFF HIS BIKE, SPLIT HIS CHIN, AND SPRAIN ONE OF HIS WRISTS! This WAS NOT EVEN ON DEATH ROAD! He braked hard going downhill and because of that + the high speed = to him flipping off his bike. He didn't move at first and everyone who saw, including myself stopped, made sure he was okay, and waited for our bus to arrive to check him out. He was done. His ride was over. He was bandaged up and had to sit in the bus until they were able to send him somewhere else to get to a hospital. I felt really bad. He was really excited and looking forward to this day. What a bummer..

After this, we continued our ride.. I'm supposed to ride on Yungas road AFTER seeing what I just saw? Just crazy. :/ At that point, I had to put it behind. I was not going to give up and I could not worry about it any longer. I'm on my bike. I was at the point of no return.

Continue on...

We hit our last town before the tunnel/the road for our last bathroom break and to pay our fee which helps to repair/better Yungas road. Kind of hard to explain, but I actually don't want them to repair the road. Yes, it is painful for many families who have lost loved ones on that road but at the same time, the road has history. I say just don't have anyone ride it anymore. Maybe I'm wrong? I don't know. We then hit a tunnel. We were told we won't be riding our bikes in the tunnel because it was pitch black and for obvious safety reasons so we rode our bikes on the road just around the tunnel. My first taste of riding on dirt. And it was weird. The road was bumpy, rocky, and I was having a hard time braking without skidding. I hoped then that it wouldn't be like this on the death road because if it was, I would be in trouble. After that, we hit up the street again for a few more miles before we finally made it to the road known as....

DEATH ROAD. The WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS ROAD. ~12:00pm - One more discussion before we started the ride. Since we were biking downhill, the cars going uphill have the right of way. Meaning: We would be biking on the side closest to the edge, NOT mountain. If a car were to pass us, we would have to stop biking and stay near THE EDGE of the road. Yeah, don't think anyone was happy about doing that but that's the risk you take when you do this bike ride. Oh and DO NOT ride the person's a$$ in front of you. If you do and YOU crash into them and something bad happens, it's your fault, and they will try to rescue/take care of THAT person, BEFORE you! Take your time and enjoy the ride.

~12:15-4:00pm - Let's go! At first, the ride was fine. I was suddenly feeling more comfortable riding on the dirt and getting used to it. I had better have gotten used to it because that was where I was going to be for most of the day! Then the edges were in plain site. I looked down. Normally I would say DON'T LOOK DOWN, but it actually did not affect me. Not normal if you know me. But what in the world! It was like I wasn't myself that day. My heart should have jumped out of my chest after my first glance of dead air. Anyway, I tried my best to avoid biking near the side. Remained at my own pace. Wasn't fast, but wasn't the slowest in the group.

Riding straight downhill is definitely not easy. Maybe on the street, yes, but on dirt and thousands of feet above, no. My hands went almost completely numb/tightened up by stressing over braking the whole time. We finally had our first break and the first thing I did was focus on my hands. One because it hurt, two because I didn't want them tight the whole ride, and three, because I wanted to take pictures of the scenery with my camera because the views were absolutely incredible! I just constantly opened/closed my hands, kept them moving, and finally after a few minutes, they loosened up and started to feel normal. Funny that by the time we continued our bike ride, I realized how much FUN I was having. It was right after I took my concentration away from my hands, looked at everyone in my group, and the gorgeous views that I had SO MUCH FUN DOING THAT INCREDIBLE FIRST RIDE!

The tables have now turned after only one section of the ride...

  I WENT CRAZY, OUT OF CONTROL, NO LIMITS, ADVENTUROUS, AND ZOOMING DOWN DEATH ROAD!

What?!

I was ahead of the pack. I was swinging around corners, Devil's drop, Collar Bone Road (known to be so bumpy that people have fallen of their bikes and end up breaking their collar bones), and another corner, which the name I can't quite remember, but it must have had death or devil in it!

I remember stopping to take a picture at a famous point known for many fascinating pictures and right after, I hopped on my bike and was about to go when I could hear Clinton shouting/laughing: "STOP! Wait for your guide!" Right after he told me that I had worried him because I mentioned previously before the ride that I was deathly afraid of heights and falling and thought that I would be taking my time and be the last one in the group. NAW! Last thing he thought I would be doing was going crazy and flying all over the place! He thought it/I was pretty cool. Especially because I overcame my fears and gave the road everything I had. After all, you will probably only ride this road once in your life, so you don't want to ruin the experience!

Honestly, this experience was incredible. Rarely in my life I have ever felt that free as I was flying down the mountain. JUST for the record, I told my parents everything when I got home! Didn't want to worry them. My dad's face turned white and my mom, of course was like, what were you thinking and just shook her head. She took it well while my dad, not so much! Scaredy cat!

There was a point where we started to hit big rocks on the road, which I'm assuming were due to recent landslides. We were told that the day we went was an absolute perfect day. Couldn't have been better. No rain and no clouds. Road was visible. Anyway, I skidded a few times and realized I had better slow down because I may skid again and fly of the mountain. By far the hardest part of the ride was trying to avoid the rocks on the road.

I can go on and on, but it would be forever! Literally, you will spend majority of the day biking. You will be tired, exhausted, and go from the extremes- very cold weather - cold - nice/chill - warm - hot/humid. Different elevations, as you know, bring different weather conditions and it is very neat to experience them all in one day. Just for the record, going with Gravity and I'm assuming most other bike groups, you will be given a snack and lunch to stay refueled and energized during your ride. So don't worry, you won't starve.:) Also bring a change of clothes to wear under your warm clothes because it is freezing at the start. Once it warms up, you can take off your layers as you go.

And finally we made it to the wonderful town of Coroico, which is part of the Amazon Rainforest, one of my favorite places on Earth! We biked through the town where we saw plenty of locals, houses, and beautiful nature. Love your Pachamama! We stopped at a local refuge where we saw plenty of monkeys, wildlife, and bugs! What would the Amazon be without the scary bugs?!

~4:00-6:00pm - We enjoyed an early dinner, had a chance to go swimming with the monkeys, and take a nice hot shower. I, as well as the others, were exhausted, sleepy yet somehow alert, felt healthy, brave, and accomplished with what we did that day. It was now time to relax...

Wait...Relax? Oh no, my friends!

  I ALSO signed up go Zip-lining in the rainforest! Yes, you can now call me crazy. After everything I did that day, I thought my heart wouldn't be able to take anymore, but somehow it had some room leftover for flying in the air. I found the ziplining to be a little nervewrecking but enjoyable at the same time. For one thing, I don't think I'll be able to not be nervous when ziplining over open space. I still think Costa Rica is the best place to zipline because you can't see the ground there. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the long ziplines that Bolivia offers.

Really allows you to thoroughly take in your surroundings as you are zipping thru the air. I remember just looking around while I was flying to the next post and just feeling at peace. Like everything was moving at slow motion. There were only a total of three lines but I happen to think it was worth it because the lines were long and the package was affordable. Here are just a few pictures of that adventure below.

~6:00-11:00pm - The ride home. It was late and we were behind schedule. The other two groups were probably almost in La Paz when we finally left Coroico.

And how did we get home?

  So for some reason, I thought we would be heading back to La Paz another way but boy was I in for a treat! We rode up death road AT NIGHT. Pitch black status. Now that was a new adventure I had not planned on doing or was ready for emotionally. Everything was fine until I watched Clinton open the bus door and sat on the edge, looking down over the mountain. Out of control. And then I thought, once in your life, and I sat down and joined him.

Of course there was railing there and YOU KNOW I held on for dear life. And you want to know something? It was absolutely thrilling to be sitting there and looking of the edge of the World's Most Dangerous Road. I was like a kid in a candy store! He had to have thought I was a cool one to hang with. Heck yeah! Did I forget to mention he was SO cute? :)


Is there anything else you can think of that could top this adventure? Yes, there is in fact.. The driver stopped driving and Clinton and I had to get up. There was something wrong. Seriously? On the death road? Another van was blocking our way on the road and our driver couldn't and I'm glad that he didn't try to drive around! The van was stuck on death road. Why?

Because one of their tires flew off their van and down the mountain it went. The problem? Well, there were two woman and two men in the van and the men were drunk. I was not okay with that. I thought one of the men were driving and that didn't settle well with me. You are on the death road, you can't do that! After we started a conversation in Spanish with the group, we found out one of the women were driving, THANK GOODNESS. That was a relief.

Of course they were having a hard time putting the spare on because the men were too busy playing around to be paying attention to what was going on. I soon watched as the two women turned on their flashlights and started walking towards the edge of the road and look down to see if they could find/recover their fallen tire. Then I saw them starting to work their way down the mountain in hopes of discovering it. I remember saying: "No! Que no es seguro! No!" ("No! That is not safe! No!").

Our protests finally worked and they stopped. Our driver finally put their tire on, we said our good-byes, and they drove away. And we continued on. Everything died down and we were soon all half-asleep. So hard trying to stay awake! We finally arrived in La Paz and parted ways.

What a story I will have for the rest of my life. I will never forget this day. The day I survived the World's Most Dangerous Road.

*As for Gravity, I 100% recommend them. I felt safe, secure, and was in good hands. Our guide, Clinton, was knowledgeable and you could tell he loves what he is doing with his life. The other guides I saw that were with the other groups seemed to also be just as wonderful as Clinton was. I was able to have fun, bike how I wanted, and felt confident enough doing what I was doing. I was amazed at how I was able to quickly learn how to ride a dirt bike and ride on dirt with ease and control. I never felt pressured and I didn't feel like I was held back. The money value for the ride was completely worth it. Go with Gravity.

**Note: I wish I had an active camera to make a video while I was biking or at least stopped to take more pictures. There was nothing but breathtaking views that day. I made videos on my camera but were made in the van, not on the bike. I'm going to see if it shows enough to put on a post.

 

Would you take the challenge and bike on the World's Most Dangerous Road?