Los Yungas de Coroico: Entre las nubes y la jungla

After flying through the Andes, I got to drive through the South American mountain range as well. The three hour trip from La Paz to the jungle town of Coroico was spectacular and rich in emotion. I have never been on a more exciting road, be it passing through snowcap peaks, clouds, tropical forests, dirt roads or more! Leaving the city proved to be difficult as usual but we soon reach the pass of la cumbre, which sits at 4,670 meters (Wikipedia is wrong) or roughly 15,320 feet (you’re welcome). The descent leaves you breathless as the windy two-lane road overlooks ravines of several hundred feet. The most interesting fact about this 55 mile road is that it is one of most expensive in the world. A regular road in the Altiplano region cost roughly $1 million every 4 kilometers whereas the newly paved part of el camino de la muerte (great nickname!) is said to have added up to nearly $2 million per kilometer! Yes, Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America. However, I must confess that the architecture and layout of the route is extremely impressive. The road turns nearly every 300 feet, there are dozens of bridges built in to contour waterfalls and above all the ever-threatening rock-faces are well-secured. Enough said.
We eventually arrived to a local hotel tucked away in a beautiful valley. Once again, I was awestruck by the dramatic change in scenery and climate. The cold dry weather seemed far behind us as we set foot into the warmish humid forest of Los Yungas. We were also welcomed by the early festivities of el 16 de Julio, which is the day of La Paz in Bolivia. The surrounding villages were seemingly thrilled to have an excuse to make a racket and we realized half way through the night that the music would probably never stop. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time running around this lower-middle class like hotel water-park, jumping off rocks into the nearby gushing river and chilling for lunch in el pueblo of Coroico. A memorable three day weekend to say the least.
I am now back in La Paz and can unfortunately count the days that are left until my departure. This week has been incredibly stress free though with sunny afternoons in lovely downtown coffee shop while Claudia takes illustration classes in la plaza San Pedro. Our last trip with friends will take us to la Isla del Sol on lake Titicaca, which is near the Peruvian border and only a short boat ride away from the ethereal town of Copacabana.