Death Road... smiles and cries
There are no block-parties on this road. Known as “the worlds most dangerous road”, Death Road winds its way through the Andes mountains, hugging onto steep cliffs for dear life. The road earned its name from the number of fatalities… it was estimated that 200-300 people were dying per year in cars and trucks plunging off the road into the abyss!
Narrow dirt path + no guardrails + rainy Amazon weather = mud-slide death trap
Narrow dirt path + no guardrails + rainy Amazon weather = mud-slide death trap
Given all the casualties, a new and safer route has been built for cars and trucks, and the old Death Road is now used by thrill-seeking bike riders who dare challenge its steep cliffs.
Our car set off at 6am with bikes on the roof-rack — a one hour up-hill drive from the high-altitude city of La Paz. Just 12 hours earlier I was jumping off a building dressed like Spiderman, and now whatever adrenaline remained in my body was seeping into my blood stream.
The first part of the journey was a bike ride down the new road. The freshly paved black-top made for a zippy, smooth ride — a bit too zippy for comfort — but it was a HOOT! We were FLYING, and zoomed around winding turns, over-taking the cars we shared the road with.
After a zippy ride down the new road, we reached the top of the old Death Road. By now it was raining heavily, and our guides explained that a mud-slide had avalanched onto the road ahead of us. Typically, a van follows the bikes down the road in case of any problems or injuries, however, the mud-slide made the road impassable by car. Only the bikes could squeeze through over a muddy, narrow pass.
We started down Death Road — a rocky and wet ride. We passed by flowers and crosses on the edge the road, memorials to honor poor souls that had fallen off the cliffs. Sigh. We reached the mud-slide where a crane was trying to clear the road - and we had to carry our bikes to traverse the muddy path on foot.
We started down Death Road — a rocky and wet ride. We passed by flowers and crosses on the edge the road, memorials to honor poor souls that had fallen off the cliffs. Sigh. We reached the mud-slide where a crane was trying to clear the road - and we had to carry our bikes to traverse the muddy path on foot.
After the mud-slide, we started moving FAST. A guy riding next to me fell off his bike and tumbled, but he was unscathed and hopped right back on. Thankfully, it was too rainy to see what perils lie over the roads edge. The rain made the brakes and hand grips slippery, but eventually we started to get comfortable... maybe too comfortable.
Then things took a terrible turn for the worse... Suzanne's bike slipped on the wet rocks, and she lost control. Wisely, she veered right to avoid the treacherous cliffs to the left. She plummeted into a rocky ditch on the side of the road, flipped over her bike, and tumbled hard. The jaw protector of the helmet shattered on impact, but did its duty protecting her face. Her brakes snapped off the bike. After the tumble, she was dazed and confused. She noticed her finger was bent completely side-ways and instinctively she straightened it. Her back was in severe pain -- it took 20 minutes to get on her feet. She could barely walk.
Our guide explained it would take 2 hours for a van to drive up Death Road to get us. We waited 3 hours in the cold rain on the side of the mountain, nearing pneumonia, when finally we heard the van come roaring up the road. It was a 6 hour drive to the hospital.
Then things took a terrible turn for the worse... Suzanne's bike slipped on the wet rocks, and she lost control. Wisely, she veered right to avoid the treacherous cliffs to the left. She plummeted into a rocky ditch on the side of the road, flipped over her bike, and tumbled hard. The jaw protector of the helmet shattered on impact, but did its duty protecting her face. Her brakes snapped off the bike. After the tumble, she was dazed and confused. She noticed her finger was bent completely side-ways and instinctively she straightened it. Her back was in severe pain -- it took 20 minutes to get on her feet. She could barely walk.
Our guide explained it would take 2 hours for a van to drive up Death Road to get us. We waited 3 hours in the cold rain on the side of the mountain, nearing pneumonia, when finally we heard the van come roaring up the road. It was a 6 hour drive to the hospital.
Suzanne was in the hospital for 2 days, barely able to move. Luckily, the x-rays and scans proved she did not fracture her back or hip -- just severe bruising. Her finger was dislocated. I was able to stay at the hospital with her and play Nurse Duffy -- guess it runs in the family (my mom is Donna Duffy R.N.)
Since then, Suzanne has made a remarkable recovery... a few weeks after the incident she was able to visit Machu Picchu -- a full day of hiking steep hills. Now she's doing yoga and carrying her own backpack again.
Fast forward a few weeks... now we're in Colombia on the caribbean coast. Suzanne offered to buy me a full body massage on the beach as a "thank you"... for playing Nurse Duffy, minding her, and carrying her backpack until she recuperated. The gesture was unnecessary... but I couldn't refuse :)
Since then, Suzanne has made a remarkable recovery... a few weeks after the incident she was able to visit Machu Picchu -- a full day of hiking steep hills. Now she's doing yoga and carrying her own backpack again.
Fast forward a few weeks... now we're in Colombia on the caribbean coast. Suzanne offered to buy me a full body massage on the beach as a "thank you"... for playing Nurse Duffy, minding her, and carrying her backpack until she recuperated. The gesture was unnecessary... but I couldn't refuse :)
Videos of Death Road:
