| |
Burma. These peasants walk a
bridge few of us would care to
trek. (Above)
This breathtaking bridge now
links France and Spain. (Above)
|
After these unusual roads, all other roads seem tame
<--->
Believe it or not, some people take this road for FUN.
Daring mountain bikers come here from all over the world to experience the thrill of riding down Bolivia's notorious
"Road of Death"
Now that's an
unusual hobby
Many cyclists reach sustained speeds of 50 mph, hurtling downhill among spectacular scenery for mile upon mile, sustained coasting at breakneck speeds --
with NO pedaling required.
..And that's an extreme sport
...because you never know what's around the corner
--->
|
Camino Del Morte
It must take a lot of nerve to
drive Bolivia's "Road of Death"
.
Starting high in the Andes at
over 15,000 feet, this narrow,
bumpy, mostly unpaved road
plunges 12,000 vertical feet
in
just 40 miles.
On most of the road, there
are
NO guard rails.
A
sheer
cliff
drops thousands
of feet to a
valley below, a guarantee of
almost certain death to anyone
venturing too near the edge.
Contrary to normal Bolivian
driving rules, vehicles
on
this
part of the road keep
to the left,
so the driver
with the
best
view
of his outside tIres
drives
closest
to the
precipice.
There's a number of small
tunnels blasted out of
the
sheer rock face.
Here a waterfall
makes
the
surface unexpectedly slippery.
This is one of the few areas
that actually has a
guard rail.
In some areas the road is
smooth blacktop. Then with no
warning, it changes
to a stony, unsurfaced
track hacked out of
the
sheer mountain, thousands
of feet above
the valley floor.
The
scenery on the entire road
is spectacular,
but
the anxiety
toll for drivers
(and for their
passengers)
must be off the
charts.
Their fear is well justified:
On average, 150 people
die on
this road every
year.
|
|
|
A fatal accident once every
other week is quite common
on
the Coroico road.
They say that even
when you
can hear oncoming traffic, you
can't
tell how far away it is --
or
even which way it's going.
Above: The notorious San
Juan section, with its
rough, unpaved
surface
and extremely narrow
track, has
frequent landslides
and
washouts. Those who are
willing to brave the dangerous Road of Death are rewarded
with some spectacular views.
But who could enjoy the
scenery? The narrowness and
the total lack of any guard rails
is enough to
frighten
even the
most
stout-hearted. Being the
driver would be bad, but being
the passenger might be even
worse. Either way, being in the
outside vehicle must be quite a
memorable experience.
Along the way, travelers often
see llamas and
wild
dogs.
Other common
sites include
frequent crosses, flower bou-
quets and other memorials.
|
|
