Moon rising over Lake Titicaca

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'Hold onto your bags!!!' At least I think that's the message the lady from the bus company was trying to give as she waved us onto the night bus from Uyuni to Potosi, a trip memorable only for the record breaking number of potholes that we jarred and bounced our way across during the next 8 hours! I think there were actually more potholes than road! But the lady was really sweet and seemed quite determined to tell us to watch out for our bags in case some undesirable decided to relieve us of them in the middle of the night. Nice too that she thought we might be able to get some sleep....

Potosi: Mines and Mints

Needless to say the bus arrived late and slightly disorientated we finally pulled into Potosi at @ 2am, jumped straight in a taxi to our hostel and tried to at least catch some sleep before heading out first thing on a tour of the mines. At 4090m Potosi sits at the base of Cerro de Potosí, sometimes also referred to as Cerro Rico or "rich mountain". It was built after silver ore was discovered in the cerro in 1544, the wealth from the silver being used by the Spanish to pay off their debts in Europe and fund the expansion of the empire. Potosi is still an operating mine but with zinc now the most profitable metal extracted - before zinc, it was tin, the valuable silver ore having long since been depleted.

Our tour started not at the mine itself but at the market in town where lines of shops sell gifts to give the miners. Having bought our supplies and clutching bags full of coca leaves, hand-rolled cigarettes, soda, dynamite or alcohol potable we headed off to get kitted up - hard hart, wellyboots, waterproof trousers and a nice fetching jacket in canary yellow that really wasn't a good colour for me. Miners chew coca leaves whilst they work to energise themselves and to suppress hunger, indeed they don't take any food down the mines, instead working long, hard days on a diet of just coca leaves and fizzy soda. The “alcohol potable”, with a mind blowing 96% alcohol, they give as an offering at the underground shines to Tio, god of the underworld, although I rather imagine they drink some of it to...

The road zig zagged its way halfway up the dry, dusty slopes of Cerro Rico and after arriving at the entrance we were issued with our last piece of kit - head torches. Having checked they all worked we finally headed into the mine itself, moving slowly along a network of narrow, damp and increasingly dark tunnels. There's no electricity down there and with the torches barely giving enough light to see a few feet in front I was quite apprehensive when we started. Soon though we had to get down on our hands and knees and crawl through tight spaces so I got used to it! And the welly boots we'd scoffed at initially proved vital when we reached tunnels that were flooded, the water level coming halfway up the boots as we sloshed our way forward. Sometimes we needed to back track or quickly scramble along the walls of a narrow tunnel to avoid being hit by a railroad cart full of rock that hurtled passed in the darkness. These carts are 'gravity powered', i.e. you hold on tight if you're on it and jump out of the way quick if you happen to be in its path because it's not stopping until the tracks level out. As for getting it back up to the start point, well the men have to push it.

As we headed deeper I found myself counting the minutes until the 2hours was up and we were (hopefully!) out of there. Breathing was the worst part. Ventilation in the mine is poor at best; the air unbearably hot, thick with dust and full of fumes that I'm sure weren't good for you. Part of the kit we'd been issued with included a dust mask, which gave you the dilemma of using it, thereby reducing the amount of dust you inhaled (although often there was so much that I'm sure the masks were more decorative than functional!) or not using it and at least being able to breathe without feeling you were in a sauna! Of course none of the miners we saw used them.

It seemed finding any miners to give our gifts to was going to be a challenge in itself - we'd met a few when we first entered, them fairly sprinting by as we gingerly felt our way along in the darkness, but since then nothing. But then suddenly our guide called a halt and disappeared through a hole in the floor. It seemed we were expected to follow, carefully lowering ourselves down a 3m drop using something that might once have resembled a ladder. Ohh I was so looking forward to going back the same way. Not. But at last we'd found some miners! And as we eagerly handed over some of the gifts we watched men labouring to break huge lumps of rock with nothing more than a pick axe, before shovelling it into a wheelbarrow and pushing it off down the tunnel. I was exhausted just watching but Will was more game and volunteered to have a go.

A while later we discovered another group, stripped to the waist and still sweating from the their exertions in the stifling heat, sat having a quick break along a narrow tunnel, appreciative of our gifts but subdued because it wasn't going so well. It'd been a few weeks since they'd earned any money. The miners here form collectives; they're working for themselves not a big company that pays a regular wage so if they don't find any ore then the family doesn't eat. Miners working here don't typically last more than 15 years before succumbing to silicosis, with life expectancy not much greater than 40 years. The conditions they endure, well I imagine its how mining in Britain might have been in the 1800s. I have to say I'm really glad I did the mine trip, simply to appreciate the appalling conditions that people work in order to earn a wage, but seriously nothing could make me do it again.

Back in town we had time for a quick lunch before heading off to the excellent Casa de la Moneda (or mint museum). The first mint was established in Potosi in 1672, although the current building is from a later period. The museum itself has a little of everything, from coins to the impressive machinery use to mint them, minerals, archaeological artefacts and even a mummy or two?!?! Unfortunately we had to catch the night bus straight to La Paz so we didn't have more time to explore but from the little I saw I really liked Potosi - it has the traditional feel of La Paz, just without the mayhem!

La Paz: Wrestling and dancing

I'd been to La Paz before and there weren't any more sites I really wanted to see. Instead we had lots of fun sampling the entertainment the city has to offer! For the first time in this entire trip I finally made it to a 'nightclub', albeit one full of backpackers, but arguably more fun was the Bolivian club we went to. Here they played local music, dried coca leaves were in a bowl on the table and the dancing style seeming to be a bizarre cross between country and something more, well latin. We were the only westerners and the locals were determined we wouldn't just sit around and watch. Between the local women trying to show us the steps and the men vying for the next dance Marika and I didn't sit down for more than 20 mins all night. Will and Max had their turn to. Perhaps the most random outing was the Sunday afternoon Cholita wrestling. I wasn't sure what to expect as we got on the minibus, and was even more amused when we arrived only to have one of the organisers get on and offer us dust masks to wear - the lady professed not to know why she had to offer them but it was something to do with pigs. Swine flu strikes again! So picture these short, stout but fierce looking Andean ladies with their long dark hair in braids and traditional dress taking on men in capes, tights and masks! Arm locks, throws, leaps and bouncing off the sides of the ring ensued whilst the crowd (largely locals) lapped it up. All choreographed I'm sure but it was soo much fun to watch, especially when the Cholitas won!

Lake Titicaca: Poshing it up in Copacabana

We arrived in Copacabana slightly sleep deprived and hung over from last night’s partying and after a mix up that saw us unable to find Travis who'd come on another bus the three of us, Marika, Will and I headed off in search of accommodation. Being backpackers the cheaper the better was obviously the rule. Except we'd been reading the recommendations in Marikas guide book and one in particular had caught our eye - unique rooms, great views, 'not to be missed' etc etc. But it was way out of our price range so we'd discounted it...... Until we saw a sign post for it right next to the cheap place we'd been aiming for. Well, a look doesn't hurt does it??? We scoffed when told the price - $40US a night was budget blowing, but well, what the hell and we went to see the room anyway. Later watching the sun set and then the moon rising over Lake Titicaca from the comfort of our beds it was worth the expense! We had not a room, but a self contained flat, all bespoke wooden furniture, hammocks inside and out, our own kitchen and stunning views through massive stained glass windows out to the lake below....

Our reason for coming to Copacabana was to get out to the Isla de Sol and so the next day we waved our luxury pad goodbye and headed out on the ferry. At the Isla de Sol we were greeted by a steep set of stone Inca steps that had me huffing and puffing like an old woman by the time I eventually made it to the top. But we'd been 'befriended' by a young boy on the way whose family apparently owned a guest house and he took us to see it. Family or not we couldn't be bothered to look further, took the room and headed straight out to explore, stunning views along the island and across to the mainland where snow-capped mountains were clearly visible against the blue sky above. Much of the island is farmed no matter how steep the slope and as we followed stone paths, occasionally having to make way for a passing mule or llama train, we saw endless green terraces. Finally there was the most stunning sunset, all pinks, reds and oranges over the deep blue water of Lake Titicaca.

Marika needed to push on to make her flight home in a week or so but Will and I were considering spending another day walking here and catching a later ferry back. But then we got up to grey clouds that seriously threatened rain and changed our minds! Except what actually came as we took the increasingly slippery stone path down to the jetty (which of course the locals fairly sprinted down whilst carrying massive loads on their backs) was hailstones!!! By the time we reached the shore it looked like winter, the ground covered in a layer of white.

Sorata: altitude training... well, I tried

You can have anything on the menu.... as long as it's pizza! That seemed to be the motto of every restaurant we tried in town. Our journey to Sorata had taken rather longer than expected, the first bus from Copacabana to the junction proving easy enough, hey we even managed to bargain down the price, but then we had to spend over two hours on the roadside waiting for the next one. It’s not that there weren't any going passed, in fact 3 or more did, but they were all full.

Sorata is lovely and we stayed in a mad hotel, every room full of antiques, paintings and old furniture. It had the most beautiful courtyard garden, packed with brightly coloured flowers where you could easily pass the time watching hummingbirds hovering to feed on the nectar. Whilst there's been a boom in pizza restaurants Sorata isn't very touristy, at least we didn't see many other foreigners around. But there's plenty to keep you entertained whether it be the busy street stalls that seem to sell everything from socks to avocado's, people watching in the leafy plaza or walking in the stunning hills that surround the town. We'd come to do the latter so I could practise walking at altitude whilst trying not to die several times over in the process - slightly concerned that the approaching Inca trek to Machhu Picchu might kill me I was keen to try and improve... or at least know what I was in for. So we had a nice couple of days walking (which I survived, just) and eating pizza al fresco in the plaza before it was time to move on again, Will on a biking trip and to the jungle, me to Peru to meet up with Shirley.

Next up, colonial cities and lung bursting walks!

A last aside.... here's the final set of India photos that weren't displaying properly the first time!!

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Photos

Giving offerings to Tio
Tio represents the god of the underworld. In order to have good luck in the mines, the miners leave gifts and offerings to Tio.