Having flown from La Paz to Rurrenabaque, we decided to take the bus back which would take us a supposed 20 hours instead of flying which takes 40 minutes, but cost us 10 times less!!! We had heard horror stories of this journey, of buses having to be rescued from the cliff edge, but having met people who had done the journey and them saying it was ok we decided to take the risk! After all it was 8quid compared to the 68quid for a flight.
Well what a journey, it took us 36 hours, with a ten hour stop on a cliff edge at night as our double decker bus got stuck along with hundreds of lorries and cars as the rain had completely f*cked up the already shit road! Single track roads hugging the mountain, with sheer drops on the oneside, with only inches to spare! It was absolute lunacy!! We were pretty much the only westerners on the bus, and they all found it highly amusing with me and jo sitting by the open window ready to jump out in case the bus toppled over!! This by the way is the road that had replaced Death Road which is now shut, but to be honest, doesnt seem to be that much better.
Every time the bus moved we would sway and when your on top of a double decker bus you feel it even more. The view of the edge became closer and I had visions of the bus dismounting into the abyss. Every time we set off we would clamber to the left hand side and sit next to a Bolivian guy in his 50s who takes this bus weekly as a commute to his work in Rurrenbaque. At one point I saw him breaking a sweat which didn't lend us any favours, I thought, if the Bolivians panicking then we really need to panic.He was saying to his friend (in what Spanish I could understand.) Pointing to the rocky mountain edge, if those rocks fall down,will fall down and made a face to signal a "Kaput" action which I presume was the bus falling to the cliff edges mercy, then he laughed. I just stared at him horrified and took a great a gulp,I was really saying my prayers at this point.
We managed to get out the mud traffic jam to then make a 5hours!!! pit stop at some village.The bus drivers just do what the hell they like here, never mind we were already 10hours late, he was going to have a 5 hour break. Which at first was 3 hours that turned into 5 hours, Bolivian time. Although slightly irritated that we spent 5 hours on a bus that was parked, we were grateful we had made the worse of the journey...or so we thought. We then set of and though the roads were less mucky as the sun had come out and we were now travelling on higher mountain tops on more narrow roads. There was traffic everywhere, cars trying to cram at each side of the bus and even trying to over take, the bus looked like it was about to topple over and still some car would try to cut us up.
I think because it was day time it was even worse as the temptation to look over was just to much. Me and Michael clinged onto each other as we bounced along, wobbling, each sway making us close our eyes and tense up. I don't think we relaxed for the entire journey which was physically and mentally exhausting. I don't know how the bus drivers do it and we have to say they are very skilled at what they do, it cant be an easy job.We finally arrived in La Paz 36hours later and found we weren't even at the bus station, he just dropped us off some random road miles away from town.I am convinced it was outside his house, like I said they just so what they like over here.
Anyway we made it safe and sound, never again! Here are some pics!!
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