Potosí Mines

---

Next stop was the mining town Potosi at 4070m it's the highest city in da world. The main reason we went there was to do a tour of the mines which we sorted through the hostel. It's also quite a nice town and we spent some time exploring the busy market. The mine tour was pretty cool but hard work. After getting kitted out we went to the miners market where we bought them some presents (fizzy drinks and a stick of dynamite). I also had a taste of the miners' favourite drink, a 96% spirit which must be close to poison. We saw a refining plant before heading to the mine itself. The miners work in a cooperative, renting their bit of mountain and keeping all the profits from the minerals they mine. Some of them are as young as 13, there's a film called the devil's miner about it, and they work for as long as they want sometimes more than 14 hours a day so it's not a surprise that their life expectancy is 45-55 years old. When we got down to the low levels it was over 40 degrees so I can't imagine doing manual work for that length of time. They chew coca leaves (like a lot of people in Bolivia) to help cope with sickness and to give them energy. We were down there for 2 hours scrabbling around in some pretty tight spaces. It's a working mine not just there for tourists. We saw them working and had to run into safe alcoves when the guide heard the shout that a mine cart was coming along the tracks. Towards the end we saw the shrine of Tio, the devil-like character that they worship who they believe will keep them safe. The shrine is covered in beer cans and pictures of naked women and general rubbish. Once we got out fresh air never tasted so good. We were knackered after that and spent the next day getting lost and looking round the city before catching the night bus to La Paz.

---