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Published: November 23rd 2009
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We managed to get the last 2 seats out of Sucre, and as it was a holiday our arrival to Potosi saw most of the city shut down. Along the way we had seen plenty of the cemeteries full of people celebrating All Souls Day. Potosi is another World Heritage Site and the worlds highest city at 4060m. We both felt the altitude here having come from Sucre. I won´t go in to the history too much, but Potosi had a fascinating history, the mountain Cerri Rico behind provided enough Silver to bankroll the Spanish economy for a couple hundred years. It was at one time the largest and most important city in all South America. It now only has a small colonial centre, with a more rundown feel than than Sucre.
We came here to see the mines, well Deb didn´t want to, first of all for the claustrophobia and second after sitting next to an American on the bus who told her the mine was dangerous and about to collapse, she couldn't go through with it. We were pleasantly surprised by the Casa Real de La Moneda, a fascinating museum, a guide showed us around. Some fine religious art,
and most interesting showing the time when Potosi minted coins for Spain and its colonies. From instruments of mules turning large wheels, to steam and electric. It also had a good collection of coins that had been minted over the centuries. Another section of artifacts again had some mummies, some of these we amazingly preserved due to the dryness of the climate, and some good old military uniforms and weapons of days gone by. It really was a surprise and I would thoroughly recommend.
In the afternoon I hit the mines with Rorie and Emer in my group. A lovely outfit adoned our first stop was the miners market to buy some gifts, coca leaves, soft drink and dynamite. The trip itself was great, not like anything I have done before and well worth it, we drove up to Cerro Rico and then in to the dark, dusty and narrow mine that had a really strong smell of minerals. We saw one group of workers, a young boy of only 15 in the group. They have a good sense of humor as it is needed to work in those conditions. Once outside we let off some dynamite, it was funny
enough as the guys posed in all sorts of positions with the dynamite although once in my hand for a picture I was having the quick sense to yell "quick take the picture" and hand it back to him as quickly as possible. I didn't like the sensation of holding an ignited ball of dynamite!
A fascinating trip to Potosi, the history of the place really blew my mind and the conditions in the mines is something to behold. I am really glad that we stopped here on the way down. We're now going to Uyuni from where we have the 3 day trip booked to San Pedro in Chile where was pass through the Salar de Uyuni and the south west of Bolivia.
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