We got to La Paz and it really is dizzying - busy, hectic and high.
We stayed opposite the San Pedro Prison where an English man, Thomas McFadden had been held for 4 years for attempting to smuggle drugs. If you haven't read Marching Powder, make sure you do. In this prison the inmates have to buy their cells and often the inmate's wife and children would come and live with him inside. To make money, there's plenty of restaurants and shops that the prisoners run inside as well as the production of some of the cocaine in Bolivia! There have been tours for a few years but after all the latest publicity, the guards don't like it so much anymore and we didn't fancy our chances.
We'd heard about a new restaurant that had just opened in La Paz called Gustu. It was opened as the sister restaurant to Noma (voted the best in the world) and is a social project providing training for local people. All the cuisine is entirely Bolivian, with different plants and all sorts selected from the incredibly biodiverse geography of the country. We found out you could get a 15 course asking menu with wine and we thought por que no?
And it was incredible. We tried everything from mashed muña (a herb which is a cross between mint and eucalyptus) served with trout, to chicken hearts on a peanut purée, to llama shoulder, to shredded rabbit on choclo (their huge corn they have out here), and each came with a wine or beer or spicy cocktail. One couple left after course 11 as they couldn't eat or drink anymore... amateurs, we were in it for the long haul... And after 4 hours we were practically asleep at the table, such a great night.
Struggling to keep up with all the drinks, making a backlog
John had been keen to do the Death Road but I wasn't, as last time I was on a bike going downhill, I managed to go over the handlebars... Anyway, no time like the present to face your fear. Stupid really as apparently there's a serious accident every week. But we were soon kitted out and ready to face the three hour ride on the World's Most Dangerous Road, John's chain came off, good start.
Our group...Dont be fooled by the tarmac, this was a nice warm up before hitting the gravel
'Safe Sarah'. My thumb spasmed for ages afterwards from constantly pressing the brakes.
But this photo looks like I'm going much faster...
Great views and adrenaline rush. Next stop, the jungle.
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