Blogs from Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia, South America - page 35

We are now in Sucre, very different to Potosi, much more affluent and easier! Also the altitude is that little bit less which means we are less exhausted. The mine tour yesterday was definately an experience, although not one that I am in any hurry to repeat! We got kitted up in our gear, waterproof over clothes, helmets and head torches, then went to the miners market to buy presents to take to the miners. Then visited the processing plants where they extract the minerals from the rocks. Their technology is non-existent, consisting of a big grinder to break up the rocks then some very dodgy flotation tanks, barrels cut in half! They have no money for smelting eqipment here so the silver they do extract, which is only about 4%, gets shipped to america and ... read more

Sucre was a both necessary and welcome stop on my way to the Brasilien border. It is a town of many universities and has been the capital of Bolivia for a long time. Still today many ideas and political movments are said to have their origin here. My visit was more extended than planed because the Bolivian busdrivers went on strike to paralyse the country. Rising fuel prises made them call the government for a zero taxation. When their service started again after three days the government had promised to do so. Later I heared the promise wasn't kept as usual... Until I could catch a bus again I hung out with some young German fellows to play cards. For the first buses that left one had to pay double. Naturally, since many people were waiting ... read more

4:30am Mark, of course, came in an hour later, and noticing that his bed (we had separate singles, which was what was available, so we were told until we found that Aaron had an absolute palace with a double and single bed in it - methinks some funny business just went on en espanol!) was covered in his crap, decided to pancake me on my little single bed and tell me that he was sleeping there. I pushed his drunk butt onto the floor. He then turned on the light ARGH! Blind!, and threw the Ritz crackers I was trying to feed him (so he wouldn’t be a puddle in the morning) onto the floor. Then all went dark again. 8:30am Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Imagine my smugness when I thought about what a good ... read more

Sucre is basically a hop skip and a jump from Potosi, and it was nice to have a very short travel time, about 2 hours, on paved roads. Coming into Sucre, is like driving into the Bolivian twilight zone. The surrounding hillsides are green and lush, there are palm trees and cows, and off in the distance you can see the white washed buildings with that unmistakable colonial Spanish appeal. Red tiled roofs, and churches complete with many bells dot nearly every block. No dust. The attire of the people has also completely transformed. Very few people are now dressed in the traditional Bolivian get-up, with the llama (or alpaca, if those really exist, still no evidence...) wraps, skirts, shirts and braided hair. Instead I now see people in suits, jeans, and designer sunglasses. The climate ... read more

From the last time we have showed you the most amazing part of Bolivia, the Salar de Uyuni, lagunas, all landscapes that we have visited with a jeep tour from Tupiza. Now we are still in Bolivia, we have seen some cities, Potosi, Sucre (with the market of Tarrabuco) and arrived to Santa Cruz. This last one is not really a great place, near the jungle and with a very humid climate, but the reason to be here is to catch a flight to Brasil. Bolivia is very beautiful, but not so easy to travel. We will talk here about the other side of Bolivia... When we arrived in Uyuni from the tour we decided to rest for a day because sitting in a jeep for 4 days in a row at this altitude and with ... read more