Hotel Gloria Coroico

... all downhill,so no peddling and we only passed 1 minivan(on the dangerous stretch.,..the first 25km is tarseal)so no where near what i thought it would be or what some of the photo´s I have seen show!!!Would have loved to put some photo´s on for you but the disc drives don´t work on these computers!!!<br>But a great day and I have the T'shirt and DVD and sunburn to prove it!!!<br>La Paz is a very busy and dirty city ...

... birds, boa constrictors, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, tortoises, rescued cats and dogs, a small wildcat called a margay, and perhaps most impressive, a highly endangered spectacled bear.<br><br>All of these animals were rescued from the illegal pet trade in Bolivia. Some animals were used in circuses, others were pets and some simply were confiscated while they were waiting to be sold in the market. Most were orphaned, as the easiest way to trap a wild animal is ...

... and ended up being one of very few road users heading up to the heady la Cumbre pass, which at 4750 metres is the highest we have cycled to date. That kind of altitude does strange things to your body, especially when you're exerting yourself with a steady climb like we were. First of all there's the tight chest, only to be expected as we hadn't climbed any real hills since Ecuador, plus I had been suffering from a head cold since arriving in la Paz ...

... beer out of glasses whilst playing water volleyball, a delightful brown ring around the top of the pool and various flotsam and jetsam on the water's surface.  We asked to change our room and I was shown (along with our tour guide) a room that had not yet been cleaned and the floor was covered in fag ends, bottles and dried vomit on the sheets and floor.  We were then shown to our delightful cabin which was two star at ...

... backwards&#8230;..terror&#8230;<br><br> So off we went. To be fair, we had all the gear we needed and the bikes were amazing - with dual suspension and very sensitive brakes. We started off on tarmac a bit b4 the MDRW (most dangerous road in the world) to get us used to the bikes, breaks and curves on the road. Hmmm, I thought, actually this wont be so bad&#8230;. but soon we hit the gravel. Here the rules of the road are if going down you ...

... dumped by the side of the road, the bus heading on to La Paz while we were left hoping to find some type of transport heading in the direction of Sorata, and more importantly, convince them to stop for us. We&#8217;d heard all kinds of stories, but in the end we barely had time to ask a passerby where to stand before a minibus with a Sorata sign in the window came rushing up like tequila from a teenage girl. Judging by the stories I think 45 seconds must be a new Sorata ...

... about Tus´ paperwork, however, than my own. The effects of La Paz´s altitude immediately became apparent when the child in line in front of me puked on my boots. Well, he got most of it on the floor, but I definitely got splashed on. 13,313 feet is no joke, and it makes La Paz the highest capital in the world. I ended up getting my visa without issue and getting Tus through was even easier. She was clearly angry about her confinement and didn´t give me the loving I ...