South America - Bolivia: Potosi, Sucre, Santa Cruz & Samaipata

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We all got up early the morning after the "Extreme Fun Pub" shenanigans despite the late night and said goodbye to Max from France which left 5 of us from our trip (Max - Chicago, Max - Belgium, Nico - France, Romain - France and me) to catch a bus from Uyuni to Potosi at 9am. We had been told that the views are amazing on the 6 hour journey so we had all booked to have a window seat so we could make the most of it. Our bus pulled up not looking quite like it was in the photo we were shown. It was about half the size, very rusty and old and didn´t have any aircon, completely unlike the bus i was spoiled with in Chile! We boarded the bus only to find that we were in fact the only tourists and the Bolivians had decided to make themselves comfortable in whichever seats they liked and were reluctant to move so only a couple of us got the window seats after all! I was lucky enough to get my seat so sat gazing out of the window even though i was desperate to sleep!

We eventually arrived at Potosi, the world´s highest city at 4,060 metres and after roughing it for the last few days splashed out on the Koala Den hostel with hot water and private bathrooms for each dorm costing us a huge GBP 2.50 each! We spent the afternoon wandering around the bustling little town among the market stalls and were slightly disturbed to witness 2 bloody bulls heads sitting in a wheelbarrow and some intestines being pulled out of the back of the lorry and into the wheelbarrow, it was really really disgusting and we tried to take pictures but the Bolivians pushed us away! We headed out for a lama dinner that evening wondering where exactly the meat had come from and how it had been prepared!!!

We had booked to do a tour of the silver mines the next morning. I booked a separate tour to the boys so that i could have an English speaking guide so set off to meet the rest of my group. There were 7 Israelis (who decided i looked like Sandra Bullock although i´m not so sure that´s a compliment as i think she´s in her 40s now!) and 4 of us English. We headed up to the local shops near the mines where were were shown cocoa leaves which the miners chew as it reduces fatigue, hunger and cold as well as the effects of the altitude. There was also really strong 96% alcohol and juice to mix it with and dynamite! We bought some drink and cocoa leaves as presents for the miners and some dynamite for us for a demonstration!

Next we were kitted out in really attractive massive elastic waist band trousers and tops, big wellies and a hard hat and mining light. Being a bit claustrophobic i wasn´t sure if i was gong to like going into the mines but decided as the miners have to work in these conditions every day, i could handle one morning.

There are 17,000 miners in Bolivia, 800 of which were in the "Rosario" mines we visited. There was lama blood splattered all over the outside of the mine as there was a recent festival where they sacrifice the lama slashing its neck and using the blood in this way before barbeque-ing it and eating it! Us English (Gemma, Mark, Innis and I) all set off in one group and started heading into the mine. It was really cold to begin with and the mine was very low so you had to crouch down a lot and crawl on your hands and knees in places but it wasn´t too narrow so you didn´t feel too closed in until we started climbing into holes and down rickety wooden ladders! We came across the Tio which is the devil they worship and they have a different model in each mine. We travelled on further and met several miners who we chatted to and gave our presents to, it looked like such hardwork, there were 15 year old boys working in there, some of whom spent the day working and then had to go to school in the evening. There was no air and you could smell the chemicals which were really strong, I couldn´t believe some of the miners weren´t even wearing masks and their life expectancy is far less than average because of the conditions they work in. We went down 120 metres which was 5 levels below ground and met the miners extracting silver at the bottom. It was so stuffy and hot and difficult to breathe even with masks on and i was starting to sound like darth vader with my heavy breathing! We climbed back up the ladders and through the small holes which was actually the worst bit as you couldn´t see where you were going or how big the gaps were you were climbing through. We then had a choice of continuing on for another 20 minutes or taking the short cut out. Most of us girls wanted to get out so we left the boys to it!

Our guide then prepared the dynamite outside the mine for the demonstration and had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth with 3 lit dynamite in his hands and went running off to plant them! You could feel the explosions go right through you!

I couldn´t wash for the rest of the day because i´d checked out of the hostel so spent the day covered in grey dust and dirt as i walked around Potosi! I booked a taxi for just over GBP 2.00 for a 2 1/2 hour journey to Sucre where i was going to meet up with the boys again and was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing in the back seat listening to my iPod and dozing off but when the taxi arrived there were 3 Bolivians already sitting in there! It wasn´t quite as luxurious as i´d imagined it would be and the crazy driver was flying around the corners - even the Bolivians were complaining which was saying something - and the old Bolivian man with his walking stick sat next to me kept pointing at my iPod and couldn´t work out what it was which was quite funny!

I arrived at the Hostel Charcas in Sucre and met up with the boys and we went to the market for a typical Bolivian meal of chicken, rice and chips. I thought i would be able to lose some of the weight i´d put on in South America but no chance - every meal is carb overload as you get rice, chips and pasta in the same meal everywhere! I really wouldn´t like to be a dentist in Bolivia as they have such a poor diet and there are sweet stalls on every corner too.

We spent the evening wandering around Sucre which has a lovely plaza in the centre with fountains and the buildings looked amazing lit up around it at night. We found an old fashioned pub called Bibliocafe and stopped for a quick drink before calling it a night as we still hadn´t washed since leaving the mines!

The next day was gorgeous and hot, such a change from the temperatures in Uyuni and we weren´t as high up so didn´t have to deal with the altitude. I went off sight seeing on my own as the boys were going to some museums which i wasn´t that interested in. I went for a run around Sucre (although i actually got lost so had to run further than i intended to!) and then set off for the Cafe Mirador for lunch which apparently was a good place for views across Bolivia. It was a really steep climb to the top and i arrived sweaty and tired but it was well worth it. The terrace was full of people in deck chairs soaking up the sun and enjoying the scenery. I ordered some lunch and recognised 3 boys (Paymon and Ed who were English and a crazy Italian, Simone) from the hostel in Potosi. We got talking and they said to join them after i´d finished my lunch so i pulled up a deck chair and we roasted in the sun for a bit taking in the views before dragging ourselves up and going to check out the town. I had a map for a walking tour of Sucre so we set off taking many a wrong turn on route past the whitewashed terraced houses with their balconies and the old churches and stopping in the market at a fresh fruit juice bar for a much needed refreshing beverage! We came across a childrens playground and couldn´t resist the ferris wheel although Simone and i were scared of heights and weren´t too trusting of the Bolivian machinery! We spotted some quad bikes so had a race on those which i won i hasten to add, wandered through the park and climbed the mini Eiffel Tower.

I headed back to the hostel after my action packed day to meet the boys and we were now down to 4 as Nico had left for La Paz earlier that day. We went out for a nice Italian meal and then went to Joyride Bar to meet up with Ed, Paymon and Simone where we ended up playing the "drink while you think" drinking game!

Early the next morning Max x2, Romain and i had arranged to go to the Tarabuco Market which was 1 1/2 hours bus ride from Sucre. We got chatting to a girl called Anna from the Netherlands on the bus who had just started her trip. She was really really nice and we chatted all the way there and spent the day wandering around the market together.

We were lucky with our timing in Sucre as the market is only once a week on a Sunday. It is a really colourful open-air market where the locals are dressed in their traditional costume, the women wearing pleated skirts, bowler hats and long plaited hair carrying a baby in the brightly coloured material on their back.

We couldn´t resist a few purchases, i bought a bag and was going to give away the bag that i had but Max suggested trying to exchange it for a table cloth he wanted so we tried our best at bartering but unfortunately it didn´t work out as the Bolivian women didn´t have any use for a leather handbag where they lived! We got the bus back and had a couple of hours to kill in Sucre before getting an overnight 15 hour bus to Santa Cruz. We said goodbye to Romain who was going to La Paz which just left the 2 Maxs and i and also said goodbye to Anna too which was really sad even though we´d only just met as we got on really well and it was so nice to have some female company as i hadn´t met any girls i could have a fluent English conversation with since leaving the girls!

I realise now that Bolivian buses are not what they advertise to be so you just have to go with the flow of cramped conditions and no aircon! We were really squashed at the back of the bus for Santa Cruz and Max from Chicago had a rather large Bolivian woman encroaching on his space plus her son sprawled across the floor asleep where his feet were supposed to go! The ride was particularly bumpy as we were sat above the back wheels and it was just a dirt track rather than proper road so we arrived rather hot and sticky and lacking in sleep!

We rocked up at the Residencial Boliviar hostel at 8am and there weren´t any rooms free as check out wasn´t until midday which is great when you are checking out and can have a lie in but not so when you are smelly and in need of a shower and a place to lay your head! We decided to hang around anyway as the hostel was really nice and in such a good location. All the dorm rooms faced into the centre which was like a jungle of large plants and there were 2 pet toucans wandering freely around. We plonked ourselves down on the outdoor seating area and tucked into some fresh fruit for breakfast. Max went to have a shower but i decided I would stay scummy until I could get into our room and get to my bag more easily until I saw Max emerging from the shower looking completely refreshed claiming it to be the best shower in South America so far, i couldn´t hold out any longer! I´m a little concerned i might forget to shower every day when i get back home i´m so used to being dirty now so don´t be afraid to tell me if i smell!!!

Max from Belgium turned up several hours later having had a nightmare of a journey on his bus because it broke down and then we finally checked into our rooms and headed out to check out Santa Cruz. I had decided to go to Santa Cruz as it said in the LP that it was more Brazilian than Bolivian and as i wasn´t going to Brazil this was my taster, although unfortunately it was raining the day we got there and i also had a really bad upset tummy which had been getting worse and worse to the point where i now couldn´t even drink water without it going through me (sorry about the graphic detail...just trying to get some sympahty :o)) so i spent most of the time chilling out at the hostel which was probably the second best place to be if you couldn´t be at home when you´re ill!

We met up with Max´s Bolivian friend Marta and her work colleagues Richard and Mariane one night who took us to a typical Bolivian restaurant called La Cumba on the outskirts of Santa Cruz where the waiters wore their traditional white and green uniforms. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great with someone singing live and we ordered a selection of dishes which was the best Bolivian food we´d tasted so far and you just knew it had all been cooked really well and was not from the back of a lorry like we witnessed in Potosi!!! My tummy unfortunately didn´t think the same and i had a horrendeous night and spent the next day in bed only getting up to go to the pharmacy for tablets and to say goodbye to Max from Chicago who was heading to Samaipata.

When i felt a bit better, Max from Belgium and i went to the very underfunded Jardin Zoologica as we thought we´d help them out with their funds by going! It didn´t compare to the last zoo i went to which was Steve Irwin´s zoo in Oz although we did see some random South American animals such as cupybaras, sloths and a couple of crazy armadillos that were circling their pen! I lasted a couple of hours before having to get back to my death bed (more sympathy please!!) to store some energy for my journey the next day.

Max got up early to head to the Jesuits Mission day trip but the bus was full so ended up going to Samaipata to meet Max instead. I had planned to go to Samaipata that afternoon and Edwin from Australia who was also staying at our hostel was going at the same time so we made our way to the "Express" taxi station which is dead cheap, like everything else in Bolivia! You just have to wait until there are enough people to fill the taxi then they will set off on the 2 1/2 hour journey to Samaipata.

Edwin and i waited over 2 hours and there wre lots of people ready to fill the taxis but no drivers to take us. A couple of guys from Chicago, Mitch and David, turned up and were told that there probably wouldn´t be any more taxis going that evening as they finish before dark because the roads are a nightmare. Well we didn´t want to stay in Santa Cruz another night so managed to flag down a normal taxi that would take us there for an extra GBP 0.30 each - hardly going to break the bank - so we piled our stuff in the back at which point a Bolivian man who was also queueing asked us if we´d take his 12 year old son with us as he was going to stay with his grandad in Samaipata. We agreed to look after him and take him with us which is just so weird that someone would leave their son in the hands of 4 strangers who barely spoke any Spanish! Now we had to squeeze 4 of us into the back of a taxi and Javier was by no means a small Bolivian boy so 3 people sat back in the seats and 1 leant forward and we had to keep rotating every half hour while Javier sat comfortably at one end as if he was king! We paid for him and kept making sure he was ok and got the phrase book out which had a kids section in it so we asked him if he liked school, if he played sport, if he had a pet etc and apart from that didnt hear a peep out of him apart from the odd squeal when the driver went a bit too close to the edge of the track and Javier was faced with a sheer drop of about 150 metres the other side of the door!!

We eventually made it to Samaipata which is a lovely little place in the middle of nowhere with a population of about 3,000. There is a main plaza with streets leading off of it filled with eateries, a few hostels and tour operators. It was late and dark by the time we arrived, we found Javier´s grandad so said goodbye to him, dumped our bags and went for dinner bumping into the 2 Maxs on route! Because we had arrived so late, i couldn´t book on to the 1 day tour of the National Park Amborro that i wanted to do and Mitch, David and Edwin were dong a 2 day tour which i didn´t have time to stop for as i needed to get to La Paz to sort out the Spanish lessons i wanted to do. So the next morning i said goodbye to the taxi crew, had breakfast with a lovely German couple who had moved to Samaipata 4 years ago and didn´t want to go back to Germany at all and spent the morning wandering around before meeting Max from Belgium to get a taxi back to Santa Cruz. We were able to check out the views as it was pitch black when i arrived so i hadn´t seen anything! We stopped to take some pictures and i attempted to stroke a random donkey in the road that wasn´t as friendly as i thought he was going to be! We got straight onto an overnight 15 hour bus to La Paz and i was sat next to a lovely Bolivian girl called Sylvie who couldn´t speak a word of English so spoke basic Spanish with me and taught me some words and i taught her some English. I also told her that i had spent the last few days saying "baca" which i thought meant "cool" but actually meant "cow" and i should´ve been saying "bacan" - oops, no wonder i was getting some strange looks!!
She also sang the "Oh Susannah" song which everyone bursts into when i tell them my name but i have no idea what it is so must find out...

Will be stopping in La Paz for about a week which will be nice not to have to pack and re-pack my bag etc so will write more soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the short bursts of sunshine you are getting back home, i can´t make you jealous and say i am tanning myself as i keep going from minus temperatures to suddenly burning my face in the sun so a bit like home really!x

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