Blogs from Potosi, Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 32

At 4070m Potosi is the highest city in the world; it also has been declared an UNESCO world heritage site since over 2000 colonial buildings have been catalogued there. The city is a maze of narrow paved streets which hide some exceptional 16th and 17th century colonial architecture. The source of the city’s wealth is Cerro Rico, a mountain that dominates the city and which contains vast deposits of silver. Since the state run mines were closed in the 80s, small groups of miners work as cooperatives to extract silver, zinc, tin and lead. Cerro Rico is one of the few working mines in the world where tourists are taken on guided tours; it was one hell of an experience. After being kitted up in overalls, wellingtons and a hard hat we stopped off at a ... read more

Yes it´s slow, it´s fair to say this was probably our least favourite city so far! Maybe it´s unfair, maybe the altitude dampened our mood, maybe because we arrived on the weekend and almost everything was closed we felt the town had little to offer - or maybe it´s just plain old pants! Potosí for the record, is the highest city in the world ("self-proclaimed") at 3,967m. The town is dominated by the towering pink mountain called "Cerro Rico" (Rich Mountain) where the silver mining takes place. Potosí is certainly rich in history, it´s a mining town which boomed during colonial times when huge amounts of silver were found in the surrounding hills. At the time it was the richest city in the Americas and only London, Paris and Seville were more wealthy, on the world ... read more

Hola, I arrived in Potosi, Bolivia, a few nights ago and am glad that I did. The town is a great mix between typical (but never usual) Bolivian markets and narrow colonial streets packed with kids in uniforms trotting home after school or on their way to a bar. The first night was spent just walking around exploring the watering holes around the city with a new French friend whose name I have forgotten (c'est la vie quand tu... uh.... travel). After a day spent relaxing and playing soccer with some kids (who, although half my height and half my age, kicked my ass) I found a sociable hostel and had a short sleep before rising early to head to a tour of the local silver mine. First, a little history. Potosi, the world's highest city ... read more

I left and Uyuni and took a bus to Potosi, which was about 6 hours away. This was how I imagined travelling in Bolivia to be. My backpack got strapped to the top and the passengers crammed into an old, beat up heap of metal. The gangways were filled with bags and extra passengers, who had been a sold a seat, as had everyone else. It was hot and dust filled our lungs for the entire trip. There was no toilet on board but luckily we stopped after about 3 hours. The only baño was what appeared to be a hole in someone's back yard. Back on the road we eventually arrived to Potosi, which is the highest city in the world at over 4,000m. I grew immediately fond of the place, with its narrow streets, ... read more

Hallo ihr Lieben, nach so viel (wunderschoener) Natur in den letzten Wochen, war es mal wieder Zeit auch der Kunst & Kultur ein wenig zu froenen. So hat uns unsere Reise diesmal mitten hinein in laengst vergangene Zeiten gefuehrt. Und in was fuer Zeiten! Potosi galt im spaeten 16., 17. und 18. Jahrhundert als eine der reichsten Staedte der Erde. Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts zaehlte die Stadt bereits 120000 Einwohner - ausser London konnte damals keine Stadt in Europa eine solche Einwohnerzahl vorweisen. Das Ganze ist um so verrueckter wenn man sich klar macht, dass Potosi auf schlappen 4070 m liegt und dass in solchen Hoehen praktisch nichts Essbares fuer eine solche enorme Einwohnerzahl gedeiht. Wie also kam es, dass Potosi einen solchen fabelhaften Aufschwung hinter sich legen konnte? Die Antwort ist einfach: Silber. Wie ein ... read more