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Day 3 DownUnder

June 13, 2013 — 1 Comment

 

Day 3 DownUnder entailed our first ‘OFFICIAL’ day with Tourism Australia. We got to spend the ENTIRE day at the Tourism Australia offices in downtown Sydney, meeting their amazing crew, and learning all about this incredible adventure they’ve been planning out for us for OVER A YEAR! We could FEEL the excitement in the air as we passed through the office space- knowing glances, broad smiles and hushed whispers as we walked through to the Conference Room- everyone at Tourism Australia has been working so hard to bring this all together, and now, it’s all about to KICK OFF. It was a strange sensation, in a way- both between we Finalists ourselves, as well as between us and the Tourism Australia staff that have been following us for the past several weeks. It was like a reunion of old friends, but with people who had never actually met… A unique situation, to be sure, but it felt so natural to start putting faces and physical forms with names and titles we’ve come to recognize throughout this process. I think they may have even been more excited to be meeting us, which is saying something… Handshakes and hugs, smiles and stories- everyone finally getting together as Finals Week kicks off. It was a great day at the office, and I’m definitely looking forward to getting to know everyone better! 🙂

 

 

 

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BestJobsCrew

 

What.a.CREW! So great to meet everyone, and cannot wait to see what these 10 day shave in store for us!

A great day at Tourism Australia was followed up by a delicious meal at Palings Kitchen & Bar at the Ivy. Lamb kebabs, baba ganoush, and tabbouleh- YES PLEASE! Good wine, great food, and better company- I even got to talk some Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and even cricket! Good times all around on a beautiful night out in Sydney…

 

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Day 2 DownUnder

June 12, 2013 — Leave a comment

 

Here’s a quick photo-journal of what I got up to on Day 2 in Australia… Somehow, it just keeps getting BETTER!

 

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First things first- opening our BestJobs accounts @ Citibank Australia… That reminds me, I STILL have to go and pick up my card… Maybe tomorrow, if I have time… (???)

 

Then I hit up the Australia Museum for the 2013 Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit– AMAZING!

 

 

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So, one of the challenges we have to complete while on Kangaroo Island later this week is tracking an echidna in the wild- I’m guessing it will be a bit more mobile than this poor chap…

 

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After all that, it was time to relax down on Macquarie Point- one of my favorite places in all of Sydney- and enjoy the sunset over Sydney Harbour… I know, it’s a lot of photos of the same sunset, but still- it was a beautiful night…

 

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Stay tuned! There’s HEAPS more to come…

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/11Vy2tx

Twitter: @n_tilley

 

To learn more about how YOU can plan your own EPIC adventure through Australia, click HERE.

Day 1 DownUnder

June 11, 2013 — 3 Comments

 

 

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Just a quick photo-journal of what I got up to on my first day back in Australia…

Flights were all on time- great traveling with Virgin Australia

Picked up at the airport for transfer to the QT-Sydney… Very niiiiiiiiiiiiice!

 

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Tourism Australia has put us up at the QT-Sydney… GREATonthem!

 

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Getting settled in…

 

Hopped a cab out to Bondi to meet up with some friends and enjoy the beautiful arvo…

 

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Enjoying a beautiful day along the Coogee-Bondi Coastal Walk

 

 

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Checking out the old stomping grounds at Bondi Beach

 

Then down to Circular Quay to meet up with some other friends and enjoy the last night of the AMAZING VividSydney Festival…

 

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Down on Circular Quay for the last night of the VividSydney Festival

 

 

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Turned out to be a GORGEOUS evening on Sydney Harbour

 

 

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Incredible light displays on the Sydney Opera House

 

 

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SO COOL!

 

 

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Simply unreal…

 

 

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A James Bond-themed motif…

 

 

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Hangin’ out under the Bridge

 

 

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Very appropriate, from a Wildlife Caretaker’s point of view…

 

Obviously, it was a GREAT day in Sydney, and I am STOKED to be back DownUnder! What’s on next? I CAN’T WAIT to find out… Stay tuned!

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/11Vy2tx

Twitter: @n_tilley

 

To learn how YOU can plan your own EPIC adventure through Australia, click HERE.

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It’s all happening…

Here I sit, cruising at 37,000 feet, somewhere in between Minneapolis and Los Angeles, on my way to AUSTRALIA! In some ways, I still can’t believe it, but now, it’s starting to actually FEEL real- it’s finally settling in. Now I can actually begin to BELIEVE that this whirlwind dream I’ve been living for the past several weeks is not some fairytale, but reality. Let’s review:

Picked from over six-hundred THOUSAND people, from 196 different countries, to be one of 3 Finalists still vying for THE Best job in the WORLD, and now I’m headed to Sydney for what promises to be the trip of a LIFETIME?!? IN-SANE! I’m fidgeting in my seat, I’ve got a smile a mile wide, I’m telling anyone and EVERYONE that I’m on my way DownUnder… Yes, I’ve gotten a few strange looks, and I’m sure they all think I’m nuts, but heck, I don’t care! I’m headed back to AUSTRALIA, people!

If you missed my last post about Australia, check it out here. It will give you a little background as to why I am so excited to be heading back DownUnder. Not that you should need any though- it’s AUSTRALIA, for crying out loud! The Land DownUnder! The Opera House and The Outback; the land of koalas and kangaroos; the home of surf, sun, and sand- and SO MUCH more… What’s NOT to be excited about?!?

 

Kickin' it in the VIP Lounge at the Virgin Australia LOFT in LAX... SWEET AS!

Kickin’ it in the VIP Lounge at the Virgin Australia LOFT in LAX… SWEET AS!

 

This trip will be unlike any other I’ve been on before. Not only does The Best Job in the WORLD hang in the balance- along with an amazing opportunity to pursue my dreams and passions- but Tourism Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission have gone ABOVE and BEYOND to plan an incredible itinerary for us while we’re in AUS. Now, you all know that I’m used to going ‘Backpacker Style’- hostels and guesthouses, street food and communal kitchens, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, and broken-down busses. Nope. Note here. Top-notch, first-rate, and high-class- that’s how THEY roll… It’ll be rough, but I think I’ll manage… 🙂

Here’s just a taste of what’s on tap for us in Australia:

Roundtrip to Sydney with Virgin Australia

Photo shoots and media calls with all 18 Finalists at exciting locations throughout Sydney.

Pub Tours and swanky dinners at some of the hottest spots in the city

A cruise through Sydney Harbour and a tour of the world-class Toronga Zoo

A scrimmage against the Sydney Swans Australian-Rules Football team

A guided tour of Cleland Wildlife Park in South Australia

Swimming with sea-lions at Port Lincoln

Helicopter rides and guided tours through the pristine wilderness of Kangaroo Island

Leading tours of Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island

Tracking cute and cuddly (?) echidnas in the wild

All that, and much, MUCH more…

 

It's good to be 'HOME'...

 

Now you see why I can’t wipe the smile off my face, why I cannot HELP but tell every ticket agent, food vendor, flight attendant, restroom janitor, and EVERY person sitting around me on the plane all about this crazy adventure? I’m sorry- there’s just nothing I can do about it. The excitement is OVERFLOWING, and to tell you the truth, it’s pretty contagious… I almost had a family bound for Hawaii convinced to alter their travel plans to come to Australia with me! HA! One thing is certain- it’s THEM who’ll be missing out…

This trip is going to be AMAZING, and I’m ready to throw my arms open, embrace the moment, enjoy the ride, and soak up every SECOND… Bring it ON, Australia! I.am.READY!!!!

Stay tuned- things are about to get CRAZY….

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickTilleyForWildlifeCaretaker?ref=hl

Twitter: @n_tilley

Tourism Australia Web Portal (Should go LIVE this week): www.bestjobsintheworldmedia.com

 

 

To learn how YOU can experience the thrills of traveling in Australia, click HERE.

 

AUSTRALIA

May 25, 2013 — 4 Comments

 

backpack, backpacking, budget, adventure, explore, U, university, world, campus, field, note, professor, Australa, Sydney, New, South, Wales, opera, house, tourism, best, job,

 

It’s funny how life works out sometimes…

When you’re a kid, it seems everyone wants to know- ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

As a 2nd grader, typical responses include things like ‘I wanna be a doctor’, or ‘I’m gonna be a baseball player!’ You might even get the adventurous ‘I’m going to be an astronaut and fly to the MOON!’ Young minds, full of dreams and a boundless future.

For me, my response to this question may have appeared curious to some:

‘I want to go to Australia, and live with the kangaroos.’

Different, to say the least- definitely not what one would expect of an 8 year-old in the Midwestern United States- but it’s true. I’m not completely sure where the idea came from, but that’s what I wrote on an elementary school survey- an old, wrinkled piece of paper my sentimental mother somehow dug up when I was heading off to Australia for the very first time- for a semester of university in Sydney at the age of 20. At the time, we smiled and laughed, waxing nostalgic about a young boy’s dream about to be realized, 12 years in the making.

So I went to Australia, and my life has never been the same. Sure, I studied, but that’s not what I remember most about the experience. I remember the kangaroos and koalas, the wallabies and the wombats. I remember getting certified to scuba dive in the bays of Sydney. I remember traveling the Queensland Coast, diving the Great Barrier Reef, and venturing deep into the Outback. I remember cheering on the United States at the Sydney Summer Olympics, and somehow finding myself joining in with the exuberant Aussies whenever they weren’t competing against the US. ‘Aussie-Aussie-Aussie! Oi-Oi-Oi!’ I remember sitting on Bondi Beach, a few days before my return home, watching the surfers and feeling the sun on my face, trying to soak up EVERY LAST DETAIL. I guess it worked, because I remember it all like it was yesterday…

6 months flew by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, my semester DownUnder was over. I was back in Chicago, hurdling snow drifts along the cold and windy shores of Lake Michigan- a stark contrast to the sun and the sand of Sydney. Then and there, I vowed to make it back to Australia someday- to do a proper ‘Summer DownUnder’, to go back and explore the rest of that amazing country of which I had only barely gotten a taste. A seed had been planted, a new dream began to take root.

 

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Cape Le Grand National Park, Western Australia

 

Fast-forward 8 years, and I found myself about to realize that dream as well. Giving in to the desire to travel and explore the world, I bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand in 2007, and as fate would have it, found myself meeting up with two travel mates in Sydney in October of 2008, Working Holiday visa in hand. I had an entire YEAR in Australia, and I was going to take advantage of EVERY precious second contained in those 365 days…

And I did. I spent 6 months working in Sydney, living by the beach, learning to surf, and hanging out with some of the best people I have ever met, followed by 6 months of literally traveling around the ENTIRE country- I even made it to Tasmania for 2 weeks! ‘The Summer DownUnder’ turned into an EPIC year in Australia- one full of mind-blowing adventures, countless memories, lifelong friendships, a MASSIVE road trip up the West Coast, and me finding a home on the other side of the world- that is what ‘Australia’ came to represent in my life. But once again, those 12 months flew by all too fast, and before I knew it, my visa was up, and I had to move on…

 

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Sea lion colony on the Neptune Islands, South Australia

 

Since then, I’ve often found myself dreaming (Read: SCHEMING) up different ways to get back DownUnder- apply to Graduate School, seek out international employment, go back on a ‘Tourist Visa’ and just get lost in the Outback- but none of those ever really felt like the right path… In the meantime, I began to pursue my professional dreams- beginning my ‘career’ as a travel advocate and adviser, launching BackpackU, and continuing my travels around the globe. Still, in my heart, I’ve always known that I want to go back to Australia. The question was ‘How?’

Enter Tourism Australia and ‘The Best Jobs in the World’ competition. What started with an afternoon of family fun making the application videos has ended up being one of the CRAZIEST rides I have EVER been on- to imagine that it would ever come to my making the FINALS- that is just ridiculous…

But now, here I am. I AM headed back to Australia, headed back to that incredible place that has become my ‘home away from home’- this time, to compete for my DREAM JOB- a job that will allow me to share my love for Australia and its natural wildlife with the rest of the WORLD. Seriously? Is this real?? They want me to come to Australia, talk about how amazing the country is, and highlight the unique wildlife DownUnder? That’s the job?

Ummmm… Ok…(?)

I was MADE FOR THIS. I LOVE Australia. I love the people and the places, the air and the animals. I love the ruggedness and the rowdiness, the style and the sense of unity. There really is NOTHING like Australia- it’s unique to any other place in the world.

This will be my 5th trip DownUnder, and I can honestly say that the excitement about this trip surpasses all the others. Well, maybe ‘surpasses’ isn’t the right word, because I ALWAYS get excited when I’m headed to Australia… It’s just a different kind of excitement. I’ve been working toward this moment for 6 years- countless late nights developing content for BackpackU; hours spent scouring user forums and online codices, teaching myself the ins and outs of website design; innumerable phone calls, emails, and texts to people that know a lot more than I do- and now, through all of that, I find myself on the cusp of something HUGE… It feels like that moment on a roller-coaster, when you’ve clickity-clacked your way to the top of the first drop, and then everything goes quiet. Your stomach tightens, your pulse races, you suck in your breath, and all you can do is hold on and wait for the ride to begin. It’s a moment packed with emotion- excitement, elation, achievement, promise, gratitude, joy, and above all- hope. That is what this moment feels like.

And now, I’m ready to throw my hands in the air, embrace the moment, and enjoy the ride. This experience is going to be nothing short of AMAZING, and I cannot WAIT to see what happens next…

Again- I was MADE FOR THIS.

It’s crazy- one day, I’m just an 8 year-old boy, scratching out an innocent answer on a 2nd grade survey, and the next, I’m a 33 year-old man, overjoyed at the opportunity to continue to pursue his dreams. Through it all, not much has changed…

‘I want to go to Australia, and live with the kangaroos…’

It’s funny how life works out sometimes…

 

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Sunset at the Twelve Apostles- Port Campbell National Park

 

To learn more about how YOU TOO can fall in love with Australia, click HERE.

 

AUSTRALIA OR BUST!!!!

May 16, 2013 — 1 Comment
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The 18 Finalists for The Best Jobs in the WORLD

 

CRIKEY!!!! I’ve made it to the FINAL ROUND of Tourism Australia’s ‘Best Jobs in the World’ competition!!!

It has been a CRAZY 3 weeks since the Shortlist was announced- non-stop campaigns, long nights editing videos, raising HEAPS of money for the Australian Koala Foundation… what an experience!

The next round of the competition will be held IN Australia, so I’ll be headed back DownUnder in the next few weeks… Obviously, I am EXTREMELY excited, and can’t WAIT to get back to my ‘Home away from home.’

A MASSIVE ‘THANK YOU’ to EVERYONE that has backed my campaign  in one way or another- NONE of this would’ve been possible without your help and support. You ALL are LEGENDS!!!

Ok, I’ve got to get moving- Yoda’s already got his bags packed, and keeps asking when we’re leaving for the airport…

 

Thanks again, EVERYONE! I cannot WAIT to see what happens next…

 

Stay tuned!

 

 

LET’S DO THIS!!!!

April 30, 2013 — Leave a comment

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Ok people, it’s time to rally the support and send The Backpack Professor DOWN-UNDER!!!

Here’s the scoop:

 

A Call to Action- we need ALL HANDS ON DECK!

 
Nick Tilley, The Backpack Professor, has been selected out of 600,000 applicants as one of 25 finalists for the ‘Wildlife Caretaker’ position in Tourism Australia’s ‘Best Jobs in the World’ competition. For the next phase of the competition, he has planned a HUGE event this Thursday here in Chesterfield, along with a MASSIVE on-line campaign to raise support for both his cause, as well as for the Australian Koala Foundation. Here is a link to the Facebook page:

Here’s all the information you need for the event, and more importantly, how to cast your vote for Nick Tilley as the best man for The Best Job in the World:
EVENT:  ‘Send the Thunder Down-Under’
               Thurs, May 2, 2013
               International Tap House- Chesterfield (161 Long Rd.)
               5-9pm
 
There will be drink specials, games, raffle prizes, good music, great beer, and one lucky winner could win a round-trip ticket to Australia. Food will include the Australian staple of “shrimp on the barbie”, with donations benefiting the AKF, as well as other delicious food supplied by PM BBQ. There is no fee to attend the event.          

For those of you who can, come out to iTap on Thursday. It is going to be a lot of fun.

More importantly, here is how YOU can cast your vote for Nick: make a donation to the Australian Koala Foundation, and type ‘NICK TILLEY’ in the ‘Further Instructions’ field at the bottom of the form. $1, $5, $10- it doesn’t matter- just VOTE. Here’s the link:
Vote for Nick, save a koala. Too easy, mate!
ALL donations ARE tax deductible, and need to be made by 8pm Sunday, May 5th.

Also, please do us a huge favor- SHARE this- on Facebook, on ‘The Twitter’, through your email networks- send this on to friends, family, coworkers, etc., and ask them to do the same, and then forward it on to their friends. Let’s take this thing VIRAL- it will make an enormous difference in Nick’s campaign to be selected for this amazing opportunity.
Finally, Nick is looking for high-profile support for his campaign, both in the ‘Wildlife’ realm, as well as in main-stream media and entertainment. If you have ANY connections that could possibly help get Nick support from anyone that fits this criteria, please, please, PLEASE get them in touch with Nick- Twitter: @n_tilley; Facebook: ‘Nick Tilley’ and/or ‘Nick Tilley for Wildlife Caretaker’.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!


 

SHORTLISTED!!!!!

April 24, 2013 — 5 Comments

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So, by now, hopefully you’ve seen the shenanigans that were my submissions for the Best Jobs in the World- if not, check them out here.

Well, apparently the panel loved Yoda, because they put me on the shortlist for the Wildlife Caretaker position!

Yes, you read that right- out of over 600,000 applications submitted, mine was one of only 150 selected for the shortlists- 25 applicants for each of the 6 jobs available.

Wait a second… Let’s read that again- together.

I AM ON THE SHORTLIST FOR ONE OF THE BEST JOBS IN THE W-O-R-L-D!!!!!

I still can’t believe it…

Excited, elated, exhausted- I hardly slept at all last night… I don’t even know how to describe how I feel. Just honored and really happy to have the opportunity to pursue this- it’s gonna be awesome…

There are 24 other applicants that have been named to the shortlist for Wildlife Caretaker- you can view all of the videos here.

We’re still getting the details on the next steps of the selection process- I’ll definitely be passing those along as I learn more.

 

In the meantime, I’ll be scheming with Yoda and assembling the rest of the Wildlife Braintrust to discuss how to tackle the next stages- getting on the shortlist is a HUGE step, but there’s still a lot of work to be done before I’m back DownUnder…

 

I guess I had better start brushing up on my SEAL…

 

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Gettin’ some FaceTime in with the seal pups…

 

Best Jobs in the World

April 17, 2013 — 7 Comments

The Sydney Opera House- Iconic Australia

 

Sooo, Tourism Australia is running another round of their famous ‘Best Job in the World’ competition… The previous competition was held in 2009, with the winning applicant assigned to a post on Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, charged with blogging and posting about his experiences and adventures while living on the Great Barrier Reef for a year. Rough gig, right…? SIGN. ME. UP.

I was living in Sydney at the time, and made a hap-hazard video of me running around the city, doing various ‘Aussie’ things in a Speedo. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly what the selection committee was looking for, and I was not chosen for the job. Alas, that allowed me to continue my trip through Australia, travel to Africa, and pursue the development of BackpackU. Which brings us to 2013…

 

This time around, there are 6 different positions involved in the competition, each with unique responsibilities and requirements. The positions are:

1) Wildlife Caretaker- South Australia (Wake up the kangaroos, swim with the sea lions, etc.)

2) Taste Master- Western Australia (Eat you way around WA, find the best local produce, explore the best bars and restaurants)

3) Chief Funster- Sydney, Australia (Be a Sydney VIP, attend festivals and events, tweet, post, and # everything)

4) Park Ranger- Queensland, Australia (Patrol the beaches, check the water temps, etc.)

5) Outback Adventurer- Northern Territories (Seek out adventure in the Outback, hang out with the locals, etc.)

6) Lifestyle Photographer- Melbourne, Australia (Interact with local artists, design city and country photo shoots, etc.)

 

Again- SIGN. ME. UP. NOW!!! If you know me at all, you’ll have already realized that I would be a PERFECT fit for ANY of these positions. It’s a shame they went and split it up into 6- I would do it ALL!

 

The application for the competition required those interested to create a video, 30 seconds or less, detailing why they were the best fit for the job. That’s it. That’s all I had to go on.

After hours of brainstorming, scripting, poring through THOUSANDS of photos, shooting, re-shooting, re-shooting AGAIN, editing, and producing- all with a half-marathon thrown right in the middle of everything- this is what I came up with… Enjoy!

 

Here’s my application for the ‘Wildlife Caretaker’ position:

Yoda. He’s so full of wisdom…

 

Here’s my video for the Taste Master position:

That smoothie could’ve used a LOT more Australia…

 

Here’s the application for the Chief Funster gig:

I think my  mom missed her calling when it comes to acting… She is BRILLIANT.

 

Here’s the video for the Park Ranger position:

I miss patrolling the beaches… They’re few and FAR between here in the Midwest…

 

And finally, here’s my application for the Outback Adventurer spot:

Gotta LOVE the ‘locals’… HA!

 

Anyway, that’s what we ended up with. We had a lot of fun making the videos, regardless of what happens with the competition. I’m working on putting together a blooper reel- my Dad said I should’ve just sent THAT in as my application. It is HILARIOUS. Coming soon…

 

 

 

 

 

Taking on The Death Road

January 19, 2013 — 3 Comments

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I’ve learned over the years that the best way to decide what to do in a new place- i.e. how to get around, where to stay, what sights to see, which activities to do, etc.- is to talk to people that have been there before. A revolutionary idea, I know… Thus it was that upon my arrival in Bolivia, I began asking those very questions to those I came across that had been there for awhile. I hadn’t done much research on Bolivia (Mainly because I like having an ability to be spontaneous in my itinerary. What’s the fun of traveling if you’ve already got it ALL figured out?), and literally had no idea what I was going to spend my time doing while in the country. Anyway, during these discussions, one thing in particular kept coming up- this thing called ‘The Death Road’. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I’m not one to shy away from a Class 5+ adrenaline rush, but still, I found myself a bit wary of taking on something known as ‘The Death Road’ without knowing more about it. Questions began popping into my head, the first being ‘How, exactly, does a road obtain a name like ‘The Death Road’? ‘Through a close association with DEATH,’ I supposed. Regardless, I was intrigued, and with trepidation, began to look into what this ‘Death Road’ was all about.

 

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Getting our briefing before setting out- apparently, The Death Road is SERIOUS business…

 

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A sip of Bolivian Fire Water is supposed to quench any fears of going down The Death Road. We’ll see about that…

 

I came to find out that ‘The Death Road’ has an alias- ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Road’, or WMDR for short. I also learned that the road earned this nasty reputation during its use as a main thoroughfare between La Paz and the Bolivian coca plantations between 1930 and 2006, with one estimate claiming an average of 200 people killed per year along its treacherous route. Since the ‘new road’ opened in 2006, the old road has ironically become a major tourist attraction, with numerous operators in La Paz offering full-day mountain biking trips down the infamous road. While there have been several bike-related accidents reported, I convinced myself that the ‘Death Road’ moniker was more a product of the past. I had mountain biking experience, I could handle the curves and the terrain… It was a ROAD, for crying out loud! How dangerous could it be? That’s how I found myself in the lobby of my hostel at 6am on a cold morning in La Paz, waiting for the bike company to pick me up.

 

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Here we go…

 

 

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Just an example of what most of the ‘road’ looks like along The Death Road

 

Needless to say- I survived the Death Road. Barely. It was pretty close a few times, but somehow I managed to keep my bike upright and on the narrow path. It was an AWESOME day- a wind-burning, bone-rattling, adrenaline-pumping ride down one of the craziest roads imaginable. I quickly came to realize that it’s not really a ‘road’ at all- more a dirt, rock, dust, and mud trail that runs along sheer cliffs- some with drops well over 300 meters STRAIGHT DOWN- for 40 miles of blind, hair-pinned curves down into the Bolivian rainforest. The ‘World’s Most Dangerous Road’? Yeah, I could see that…

 

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Just a ride in the park… (if the park consisted of horrible trails, hair-pin turns, and 300+ meter drop offs!)

 

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We had a picture-perfect day for defying the odds along The Death Road

 

 

Our guide, an Irish lad named Patrick, gathered us together before each section of the road, described the turns and terrain, and with a quick ‘Follow me!’, would then SCREAM down the trail ahead, never thinking of touching the brakes. He was pretty crazy, but then again, I guess you have to be a little crazy to work along something called ‘The Death Road’. We would follow single-file, organizing ourselves according to how fast we were brave enough to go, and made our way down into the valley. Over rocks, through ruts in the road, dodging puddles and waterfalls along the way- there were a few minor incidents, but fortunately, no one went flying over the cliff… We did have one casualty along the route- a German man in our group got a little too careless and had one of the crashes of the season, at least according to Patrick. Luckily, it looked a lot worse than it was, and he came away with only a few bumps and bruises, a bandage or two, and a foggy head. He rode the rest of the way down in the support van. (Sidenote- a day or two after my ride, I bumped into a Turkish guy I knew back in La Paz. His arm was in a sling, and he looked pretty beat up. I asked what happened, and in his thick Turkish accent, he replied ‘I crash on da Death Road… Broken arm- 5 places. Had surgery in a Bolivian hospital… Ending my trip early- going home tomorrow…‘ Not good. ‘Broken arm’ + ‘surgery in a Bolivian hospital’ + ’going home early’ = another victim of the WMDR.)

 

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I know it looks pretty, but all I saw was my front wheel and the 15-20 meters of gravel, dirt, dust, and mud in front of it…

 

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CRAZY cliffs along The Death Road

 

Once we reached the bottom of the road, our hands aching from the non-stop vibrations we had endured over the past 3 hours, it was time to relax and celebrate. You’ve got to hand it to the Bolivians- cold beer, good music, and a place to prop up your feet after the intensity of taking on the Death Road- a perfect welcoming party at the bottom of the trail. We hung out there for awhile, and then piled back into the van for the long, slow, winding drive back up the Death Road. Honestly, that was the scariest part for me. When you’re on the bikes, you’re so focused on staying under control and keeping your wheels on the trail that you don’t have time to actually look around and see the MASSIVE drops you are whizzing past, just over the edge of the road. You’re almost oblivious to the danger (almost…). On the way back up, there’s nothing to distract you from the reality that the wheels of the van are mere INCHES away from the edge of the cliff, and a loooooooong fall down to the valley floor below. I had the privilege of sitting on the cliff-side of the van as we wound our way back up, and there were SEVERAL times I felt my stomach turn over when peering out the window into the abyss of the canyon. INSANE. Lucky for us, our driver had been up and down that road thousands of times over the past 30 years, and knew every turn like the back of his hand. Still, there’s a reason they call them ‘accidents’… Needless to say, we were all extremely happy when we finally reached the top of the road, and breathed a collective sigh of relief as we toasted an awesome day on the WMDR- we had survived The Death Road!

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Our group, feigning confidence along The Death Road

 

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Raising a toast with Ruth and Ger- after the looong bus ride back up, we’re just thankful to finally be off The Death Road.

 

For more information on the Death Road and traveling through Bolivia, click here.

For more on The Backpack Professor’s travels through Bolivia, click here.

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