Almost unwittingly, I find myself back in the jungle, slathering on the 40% DEET, staring at a thatch roof, wondering what little bugs will invade my space tonight. I had limited choice of accommodation since it was a holiday weekend, so I ended up at La Senda Verde - a wildlife refuge with guesthouses. The area had been described as "sub-tropical", lying at 3,000 feet above sea level, but it sure felt like jungle to me, complete with monkeys, screaming parrots and mosquitoes. This is not really what I had in mind... I really felt like I had enough of the jungle in SE Asia.
La Senda Verde is in Yolosa, which has the distinction of providing the endpoint to the World's Most Dangerous Road. Unfortunately, my mountain biking adventure down that road didn't quite turn out as planned. The morning of, at about 2 a.m., I woke to severe stomach cramps, which continued through the early morning as I got sicker and sicker. I debated staying in La Paz, but that would mean missing my chance to see this other, different part of Bolivia, so I sucked it up and started the ride. I made it only a third of the way down before I decided to jump in the sag wagon, so weak I felt. Nonetheless, I was able to take in some spectacular scenery, and descend from the Altiplano for a break in altitude.
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