7) Camino de la Muerte
El Camino de la Muerte se extiende por 61 kilómetros, desde la cumbre altiplánica de 4,650 metros hasta las selvas húmedas de 1,200 metros. Durante esta bajada, uno puede atravesar casi 40% de la altura del Monte Everest en sólo 5 horas. Uno también puede ver de donde este camino consigue su nombre: Consiste en autopistas de alta velocidad, caminos angostos, fangosos, y perpetuamente mojados, y regiones neblinosas de visión bastante limitada. Además, uno siempre está acompañado por un precipitado borde que te invita a una caída de no regreso. La manera de aceptar la invitación sólo involucra el menor parpadeo de descuidado.
Cuando descendí este camino, estaba realmente aterrorizado porque las llantas de mi bicicleta apenas tenían aire, y a la vez los frenos no funcionaban muy bien. Más de una vez tropecé, a pesar de prestar mi máxima atención a mantener una velocidad segura. Afortunadamente, sobreviví para contarlo. La única muerte fue la de mi querida cámara, robada por algún pobrecito que sembró las semillas kármicas de un futuro contratiempo que involucrará algo parecido a un robo, en el cuál él será la víctima.
6) Lanzarme de una Cascada de 15 Metros
Normalmente no soy el tipo que hace locuras solamente por la extrema sensación que las acompaña, pero al ver algunos niños de diez años arrojándose uno luego del otro de esa cascada, mi ego se hizo cargo y me obligó a seguirles. No fue tan espantoso como pensaba :)
5) Escalar la Himalaya de la India Norteña
Dicen que una foto vale mil palabras, así que no desperdiciaré tu tiempo con descripciones de la belleza de este místico lugar. Sin embargo, lo que recuerdo más sobre la caminata no era el hermoso paisaje, sino nuestras aventuras de los ¨Hambrientos Siete¨. A nuestros guías indios simplemente no les importaron preparar comida para nosotros. Además, ¡el líder indio encargado de nuestro conjunto de voluntarios apenas sabía hablar inglés!A pesar de estos contratiempos, todos tuvimos un buenísimo tiempo al fin, especialmente al ducharnos con agua caliente en nuestro hostal luego de cinco días de congelación :)
English Version
7) Biking Down the "Death Road"
Officially christened as ¨the world's most dangerous road" in 1995 by the Inter-American Development Bank, the "Death Road" is home to frequent accidents that take the lives of 200-300 people per year. Before the completion of another highway in its replacement, the Death Road functioned as the only path between La Paz and Coroico, Bolivia. Nowadays, it serves as a popular tourist attraction for fans of extreme sports, especially for mountain-bikers who enjoy bursting sensations of adrenaline. The Death Road extends for 61 kilometers from its mountainous peaks of 15,260ft to its tropical rainforests of 3,900ft. During this downhill ride, the mountain-biking enthusiast cuts across almost 40% of the entire height of Mount Everest in just 5 hours. He or she also sees where this path gets its name from, traversing concrete highways alongside high-velocity vehicles and narrow, muddy roads, as well as several foggy regions with extremely limited vision. Furthermore, he or she is always accompanied by a steep cliff that's always beckoning new victims to a fall of no return: All that's required to accept the invitation is a distracted blink of carelessness.
When I cycled down this deadly path, I was really terrified and extremely disappointed in my travel agency at the same time. The wheels on my bike were practically airless, and the brakes didn't cooperate too well either. Despite paying the uttermost attention to maintaining a safe speed, I tripped more than once, and tripping in those areas could've easily been fatal. Luckily, I survived to tell the tale. The only death during this trip was that of my dear camera, stolen by some unfortunate soul who will surely be hit by the karmic boomerang that he unknowingly launched outwards that day.
6) Jumping off a 50ft Waterfall
This act of craziness took place in the Amazonian jungles of Ecuador in the bio-region "El Choco." Situated right on the Equator, Ecuador is home to the most biodiverse ecological reserves on the planet. It also harbors countless waterfalls: I don't even remember how many I passed by during my stay there. The majority of these belong to someone's private property, so you get this funny situation where the landowners offer you the option of paying to jump off their waterfalls. And that's exactly what I did.Normally I'm not the kind of guy who does crazy stuff just to experience the extreme sensation that comes with the package, but after seeing a bunch of 10-year-olds launching themselves off the cliff, what could I do? My ego simply took over and obligated me to follow in their suicidal paths. Good thing it didn't turn out to be as scary as it looked :)
5) Hiking the Himalayas of North India
They say that pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'm not going to waste your time by trying to illustrate the incredible beauty of this place. However, what I remember most about this trip actually wasn't the amazing landscape, but rather the adventures of our survival group "The Starving Seven." Our mountain guides simply weren't that interested in providing us with food, and our Indian volunteer team leader didn't stand up for us. After all, he hardly spoke English! Despite this typical experience of Indian chaos, we all had a great time—especially during our hot showers when we got back to our hostel after five freezing days :)
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