Potosi, ville miniere - Miners town

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La route entre Uyuni est une route non goudronnee et qui dure pres de 6 heures an car. Le car en lui-meme n´etait pas trop mal mais la route est longue et tres chahutee. Des gens se tenaient debout entre les sieges avec des bebes et des enfants qui dormaient par terre. Interessant (surtout les odeurs).
Bref, nous voila a Potosi, une ville miniere situee a 4060 metres d´altitude ce qui e fait la ville la plus haute du monde. C´est une ville tres jolie avec beaucoup de maisons et eglises au style colonial espagnol.
La montagne a commence a etre exploitee il y a de cela 460 ans quand les Espagnols arriverent et virent que le peuple Quecha (toujours present et qui parle toujours leur langue) possedaient de nombreux objets de fer et d´argent. Les principaux mineraux extraits des mines (il y a au moins 200 mines et 10000 miniers qui y travaillent tujours dans des conditions infectes) sont le zinc, le fer, le plomb et l´argent.
On est alles visite une mine avec un guide forcement. C´etait tres interessant et il faut pas etre claustro car on est descendus a au moins 25 metres de profondeur et passes dans des petits couloirs et passages tres etroits. Emotions garanties mais qui en valait le coup.

Potosi is situated about 6 hours in bus from Uyuni. The road to get there goes through mountains and follows an unsealed road. The trip was... interesting. It was hot and bouncy and there were people in the aisle with children sleeping on the floor. And it smelt.
Anyway, we are in Potosi, a miners town, some 4060 metres high. It´s the highest town in the world. It´s a very pretty town, full of grand colonial Spanish architecture (churches and houses).
People started exploiting the mountain 460 years ago when the Spanish came and saw that the Quechua people (still present with their culture and their language today) owned silver and metal objects. The main minerals in the mine are lead, iron, zinc and silver. There are about 200 mines and 10000 miners who still work in terrible conditions.
We visited a mine with a guide and went down to 25 metres in small galleries (there is about 1000km of galleries in the mountain). It was harsh and hard and better not be claustrophobic as we had to go through really narrow passages. It was a very interesting experience and I loved every second of it.

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Photos

Au marche - At the market
Museaux de vaches senses aider la lactation des femmes (c´est ce que les 2 femmes folles du marche nous ont dit).
Cows´mouths - meant to help women lactate (what we were told by the two crazy women in the market!).

Au marche - At the market
Pour acheter dynamites et feuilles de coca.
To buy dynamites and coca leaves.