July 13, 2006
Day 288
The only walking we had to do today was an easy two hours downhill to Chairo, an old mining town with only a few dozen residents. From there, we rode in a truck up to Coroico, a nice little town, which at 1600 meters, is a relaxing weekend vacation destination for La Paz's middle- and upper-classes. The Choro trail wasn't a very difficult trek, but my feet took a lot of punishment. I got big blisters on both ankles and one of my tonails fell off. I guess it's time for me to get some new hiking boots.
We decided to stay overnight in Coroico and planned to ride mountain bikes down the road from La Paz to Coroico, which has been billed as “The World's Most Dangerous Road." The bikes will be ready tomorrow morning, and we bought tickets on a local bus back to La Cumbre, where our bike ride will begin.
Tonight we went out to a huge pizza buffet dinner at a nice restaurant. The meal was a splurge at $3, but I had built up a big enough appetite after three days of trekking to make it worthwhile. We were joined at the restaurant by several backpackers going to Rurrenabaque for their jungle and pampa tours. Besides catering to the residents of La Paz, Coroico is smack dab in the middle of the Gringo Trail.
The photo album for this entry is here.
