We woke up at the hostel just outside Coroico Bolivia. I didn’t sleep well because the bed was short with a footboard (I’m taller than most Bolivians), and the mattress left a bit to be desired. My height got in the way during the night as well. I made a trip to the bathroom and in my half-awake state forgot the doorframe was short. Door frame meet top of head. At this point my thinking is we grab breakfast and then hit the road. I’m ready to move on.
Breakfast was wonderful. It was a traditional Bolivian breakfast including a thin slice of beef, over-easy egg, fried banana, rice, and fresh orange juice. The best part was fresh rolls baked in a wood fired stone oven. The breakfast at the previous hostel left much to be desired. This was a nice treat.
One of the owners offered to take us on a three hour hike to a local waterfall. The waterfall isn’t anything special, but the views along the Andes are spectacular.
The path 
Coca crop 
Our guide 
On top of the world 
As we leave the remote area where the hostel is located, we get to drive back out on the road we couldn’t see the night before. Tracy is driving the manual transmission car with her right hand and holding her phone out the car window with her left so she can grab this video.
Our next stop was an animal refuge just outside of Coroico. We had incorrect information about their operating hours, so they were closed when we arrived. Tracy used her tour operator magic to convince the owner to see us and we received a private tour. The owner and her husband had no experience in this field when they moved to Bolivia, but decided they had to do something for all of the animals that cannot be let back into the wild because they were kept as illegal pets or injured in some way. They house over 800 animals in a very unique setting. Humans are in the cages, not the animals. Walking through the refuge we were in a small caged-in walkway. The monkeys in particular are free to come and go, but never leave the compound because they are fed and cared for here. Much of their tour business comes from the people that participate in the bike rides down death road, but as you would imagine funding is an issue. It’s a very inspirational story.
After visiting the animal refuge we started the drive back to La Paz. For some reason Google decided to take us down death road instead of the new route, and it took us a few kilometers to figure that out. But, it did give us a chance to grab a couple of pictures.
Death Road 
It was a very rainy night, so even the newly built road required every bit of attention as we were winding around the curves and managing the steep inclines.
Back in La Paz we checked in at the hostel, which does not resemble a hostel in any way. We’re not quite sure what the distinction is between a hostel and a hotel in Bolivia, but we’ve just checked into a very nice hotel.
Here’s to a good night’s sleep.
Will