Potosi

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Potosí

We took a night bus from La Paz on the 18th .. it was good to get out of the city after almost 4 days there. I didn't really have any expectations about Potosí .. i knew it had its history in silver mining, but I didn't expect it to have as much character. Maybe it was because the sun was out that everything seemed very cool :-)
Potosí was once one of the largest and richest cities in South America, due to the exploitation by the Spanish of the local silver reserves. They owe a lot to the place, as over their 300 years of colonial rule an estimated 8 million natives and African slaves died in the mines. The current average working-life expectancy of a miner is less than 10 years. There wasn't anything around comemorating it though, which I thought a little strange.

We spent pretty much the whole day wandering up and down the crowded streets, around plazas and up towers to revolving restaurants. We also found a very nice meat-market, where they appear to take pride even in the state of the dress of their offal. Check out the 'Trachea in a Dress' picture .. its like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

In the evening we got mightily drunk despite a complete lack of nightlife ... the only downside being we had to resort to Karaoke bars. Of course, my renditions of Livin' on a Prayer and Summer of 69 were spot on... the locals were clapping anyway ;-)

Next stop ... day bus across the Altiplano to Uyuni

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Photos

Trachea in a Dress
Would you .... ?

Silver Mines
View up to the main silver mountain

Altiplano view
Crossing the altiplano on the way to Uyuni

Comments

[Battery Boy]

shut it!
OK - am now being to get officially envious!!! I remember the Altiplano - and only good memories Glad things going well - will be interested to hear about you Argentinian experience at this historical period! BB