Before leaving Trinidad we got some more pics of the sloths hanging around the trees of the central park (they are VERY COOL creatures!!), checked out the market for some local grub and bought a new battery for the Kawasaki - we’ve had to push start it a number of times for the past week or so. Then, with info in hand on the tracks leading north we were ready to hit the road.

Our destination was Santa Ana de Yacuma, deep in the Amazon jungle. Unfortunately, we only made it 70km up the road. The small road/track we had chosen was impassable due to flooding. The wet season had just finished and it would take another month for things to get back to normal… We were stuck and it was getting dark, so we decided to make camp next to a small farmhouse by the river Ipurupuro. We pitched our tent right by the river amongst wandering pigs, ducks and chickens. Not exactly the kind of fauna you associate with the Amazon …but we were soon to get a taste of what this part of the world had to offer. With our tents setup, we decided to try our luck with the fishing rod. 30 minutes later we had 10 pirahna!!! The were ‘biting’ like crazy! And they weren’t the only ones… the mosquitos were having a field day on our juicy white flesh as well. We just had enough time to clean the pirahna we caught, glimpse a few pink dolphins in the river and get a few snaps of the setting sun, before having to duck into our tents for protection. The delicious pirahna soup that Iza cooked up, made up for the itchy bites…

The morning brought a respite from the mozzies and we could finally get out of our tents. The ride back to Trindad was uneventful except for Iza’s bike chain which, negelcted by its lazy rider, had become so dry and loose that it came off the rear sprocket and jammed itself around the front sprcket. A loud bang and sudden stop later, Iza was left thinking the Bros had ridden its last km. Luckily no damage was done and a valuable lesson was learnt

Back in Trinidad we set off again on a more direct route to La Paz via San Ignacio de Moxes. Nicolas, a local motorcyclist, helped us find a barge to cross the River Mamrone, at which the asphalt ends and with it all signs of civilisation. On the other side of the river we were greeted by a local fishing community living in spartan huts, without electricity or running water. We also hit a dirt track that can only be ridden on when dry. Still it was tough going. Dried up mud holes and huge ruts made the going slow and rough. On both sides of the road was wetland for as far as the eye could see. This was obviously what the jungle turns into during the wet season.

Traveling in the opposite direction we saw a barge transportng vehicles and people. It was a little surprising as the road wasn’t that bad to necessitate travel by barge. However we soon found out why… A section of the road had been completely cut off by an overflowing river and was now being ‘plugged up’ by bulldozers. We had no option but to wait for the job to be completed. We passed the time by cooling off in the river and then fishing pirahna out of it

The sun began to set but there was no end in sight for the bulldozers, so we set up camp on the side of the road. The mosquitos were out again but in greater force than before. With water on either side of us, we were like meat in a sandwich! The work continued until 2am until finally we heard one of the bulldozers roar past our heads and we new the dam had been finished. And so, 12 hours later with the sun coming up and the mosquitos retreating (fat and happy from the all night blood binge) we quickly made our way across the river, unsure of how long the temporary dam would hold…

It was looking like being an easy ride on the dry strip of mud (ie. road) that we were riding on. Until that is, we got one of those tropcal thunderstorms turning the now flat road into an icerink. Our speed dropped to 5-10km/h. Progress was only made by ‘paddling’ through and using minimal revs. Too much speed or a slant in the road and we were down. One by one dropping like flies. This continued for 7 hours!! Durin which we made only 40km. At one stage the Africa Twin’s battery died because of the constant restarts, use of the headlights when not running and bad charging at low revs. We had no choice but to push start in the mud! We reached Yucuma late at night, totally drained and caked in dirt.

The new day brought out the sun and we thought our troubles were over… but for one small problem. Iza lost her key to the Bros!! We searched everywhere but there was no sign of it or the spare key either. We were forced to improvise. Kamil took apart the ignition casing and enabled starting of the bike without the key. Not the ideal solution but at least we were able to get going again. Unfortunately only as far as the petrol statin. We totally forgot about the cap for the petrol tank, which also requries a key! Luckily there were some mechanics close by with ’similar’ keys to force the cap open and we bought a replacement cap in a nearby bike shop. Finally, with half a day wasted, hot and bothered (it was around 35 degrees) we were on our way.

The route from Yucuma to Coroico was a combination of an easy gravel piste and lush jungle, over a series of mountain ranges. We were loving it! But for the crazy drivers coming the other way. On sections of road barely wide enough for one vehicle and with two hundred meter drop-offs, we had buses screaming down on our side of the road! One just missed Kamil forcing him to brake and slide into a ditch. How did this all work? Why were the oncoming vehicles changing lanes? It turns out that you change the side you travel on depending on which side the drop-off is. It’s meant to ensure that the driver going on the ‘outside’ has the best view of his wheels and can judge how close he can get to the road without falling down the cliff. It was crazy stuff! A bit like a game of Russion roulette as you weren’t sure which driver was going to stick to this rule and which one wasn’t…

So this is what the road to Coroico looked like. And it was supposed to be the safe part because from Coroico to La Paz ran the ‘most dangerous road in the world’ - The Road of Death! On average around 26 cars would ‘go over the edge’ every year killing over 100 people. Was this going to be the end of our trip??? Not likely…… This infamous road has been turned into a tourist attraction. A new, fully paved road, has taken all the traffic off the ‘road of death’ and left it to the tourists, who now whiz down on their mountain bikes. So the only danger to anyone going up the road is an out of control backpacker getting their dose of adrenalin on an organised tour It’s probably still worth taking this infamous route for the views, which are great all the way up to La Cumbre pass (4700m).

From La Cumbre pass you get more great views as you ride down to the valley and city of La Paz. It’s one of the most scenic cities we’ve seen in South America. With Mount Illmani looming large on the horizon, you forget that La Paz is at an altitude of 3600m. However, a walk up some of the steep streets of ‘uptown’ (which is actually the poorer area of La Paz) remind you the air is thin. The hustle and bustle of the morning markets is not to be missed. Nor are the traditionally clad indigenous women…

3 days is definitely not enough time to spend in La Paz, but with unfinished business in this great city, we plan to be back in a few weeks