Potosí Pyromaniacs

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Potosí is the highest city in the world and the centre of the Silver mining world for much of the last 400 years. These days, the mines have largely been emptied of all the really minable stuff. However small plot holders still mine the mountains around Potosi for zinc and silver, all of this by hand in small, cramped, terrible conditions, which make Sovereign Hill in Ballarat seem like an example of world mining standards.

Seriously, this is the most unsafe i´ve felt in Bolivia. Forget nights out with drug dealers, or the worlds most dangerous road, or riding on the roof with drunk tour guides. The safety standards in these mines is atrocious. The safety inspector wouldn´t even set foot in these in Australia, but here, hundreds of people work and make a living. Any safety measures would simply cost too much and make mining this area unprofitable.

The tour we took, (booked through the same company as the salt flats tour) was led by an ex-miner whose father was a miner and who knew the area quite well. So well that he seemed determined to take us to the least safe parts of the mine. Descending and climbing ropes and wooden ladders which had rungs missing and were perched precariously on wodden beams over great shaft openings.

Not only the chance of falling into multiple unprotected shaft openings, but also the lack of overhead protection the "dont´touch the wires" warning and the lack of ventilation which was evident in the smells as soon as you went more than 50m into the mine.

Our guide asked how old the boy working was (In Quechua) he laughed at the response "that boy says he is 18, the required age, but he looks about 14, he has to work for his father so the family plot can make money" I asked repeatedly about what expertise they had, geology, mining, engineering, none of them had any. Professional advice was too expensive, knowledge was passed down by generation. It was a tragic, almost comical scene, if it wasn´t so disheartening to know the conditions these children have to work in to support their families. Many only last 20 years in the mines before succumbing to black lung. They chew coca leaves to keep themselves going through the day.

Before our tour, we were encouraged to buy gifts for the miners, drinks, coca leaves, dynamite, chips. What?? Dynamite??

We had heard of this. You can buy dynamite at the same roadside stall that you can buy drinks and chips. sold in packages with fuse, detonator and Ammonium Nitrate to boost the blast. You buy some to give as gifts to the miners for letting you look around their mines. at 15 Bvs a pop (3-4 AUD) We bought 10!

At the end of the tour, our guide said, let´s go blow up some dynamite. After giving most away, we had 3 left. We sat down and our guide directed GT, myself and a Spanish guy through preparing a bomb. Put the fuse in the detonator. Detonator in the dynamite. Put the whole thing in the bag of ammonium nitrate and light it.
"Before we light it, what are we going to do after we light it" I enquired
"We are going to run" our guide replied, referring to himself and the other guide
"haha, yeah, but really, what happens" but no response. All of a sudden, the fuses are lit. The tourists start to run.
"stop, stop stop" laughs the guide as he holds two bombs aloft, the other guide one. He then stuffs one down his pants and encourages photographs.

Richie is the first to step up. "Let me hold one". Being the one who put it together, I was so unsure of the stability of the bomb that i was continuously backing away. Eventually, the guides grabbed the bombs and ran about 50m away put the bombs down separately and ran back just before they went off. Heart racing the whole time, this was bloody fantastic stuff!

When Richie is arrested later in life for whatever I know he´ll be arrested for, I´m going to sell this David Hicks style photo for millions. Thanks Rich.

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Photos

Tio the Mine God
Asking Santa for a new Diamond mine for Christmas.

Don´t Look Down
No such things as OHS, Safety Harnesses or ladders. All strictly for fairies.

2 Sticks of Dynamite and a Coke
Oh, and a pack of chips.

My junk is da bomb
I´ve got something in my front pocket for you!

Richie´s David Hicks Photo
This photo increases in value exponentially every time Richie commits a crime.