Mining town

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Potosi was founded in 1545. The Spanish from a local that there was a mountain of silver there. Because of the silver the town flourished. The colonial buildings are quite spectacular because of the wealth at the time. But now Potosi is less prosperous but there is lots of charm. Potosi is the highest city in the world at 4,070 meters.

We discovered a really nice restaurant on the evening that we arrived. It was an old church that had been converted to a theatre (and was a cinema in the past as well). Food was simple but tasty. The interesting thing was that you can climb on the roof and get a great view of the city.

Pieter went to the mines while Rae spent some time with Jo wandering around town. Pieter left with the group for the mines at 9am from the hotel. Firstly they stopped at the miners market where they bought gifts for the miners. Can you believe this, they bought dynamite. It is the only country in the world where it is legal to buy dynamite in a market. They also bought coca leaves, drinks, biscuits and gloves. Then they went to change into overalls and gumboots and safety helmets and attached a light. They went high up on the mountain. It was very exciting to go into the mine. When they heard noise they had to move aside as carts were being pushed out. Every time they saw a miner they gave them one of the presents. The guide was very informative. They even have a little museum inside the mine. The sad thing is that life is very hard for a miner. They usually have a life expectancy of 40 years as they develop lung cancer and other problems. There is no such thing as safety laws. Lots of accidents do happen. But the price of silver is very high at the moment and they are getting paid well. But most of them use their money unwisely buying expensive cars and drinking a lot because they know they will be likely to die young.

In the afternoon we did a tour of the Santa Teresa church and convent. It is relatively expensive but you get a wonderful tour of the museum, convent and church. We had a great guide. She was fluent in english. For the museum bit we were joined by a school group so she did english and spanish. It was quite funny how the kids reacted to us. They would say hello, but very shyly. The guide explained things so well. In the old days, the first daughter was allowed to marry and the second daughter was sent to the convent. Once she was inside she would never go out. And she could only be visited by her family though a screen that didn't allow them to see or touch her. The convent was very beautifully restored. The church was amazing and next to the church was a room where the nuns were buried under the floorboards. If you go to Potosi, it will be highly recommendable to go there. You would not regret it. And make sure you take the english tour if you don't know spanish.

In the evening we had a romantic dinner for 2 in a romantic restaurant with romantic music. We had Bolivian wine and really good. Rae had asparagus which she hasn't had for a while. Pieter had a chicken curry which he hasn't had for a while.

We wish we had more time in this beautiful city. One day is just not enough.

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Photos

Cerro Rico
Rich mountain - source of the minerals

Santa Teresa
Some of the many keys used to secure rooms and cupboards in the convent

Santa Teresa
Inside the church