Potosi, Bolivia

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2.11.2011 Potosi

Bus to Potosi this morning, apparently the largest, highest city in the world at approximately 4000m. Both still struggling with the altitude!! The city is very pretty, cobbald streets, narrow streets, but everything was shut up as Bank Holiday in Bolivia. Although I still managed to go shopping in the only shop open, bought some warm socks and a wooly hat!! Its so cold in the shade. Michael had a Llama burger for tea and I tried a bit, was nice 😊 another thing to add to the list of wierd and wonderful food tried.

3.11.2011

Glad to have left the hotel this morning, wasnt very nice at all, was so cold and the breakfast wasn´t the best as michael will tell you, he didn´t stop going on at how they gave us a disgusting fruit drink (papaya?) which was warm, all day!
We were up early to go to the mines, where the spanish invaded and mined all the silver and tin then left Potosi with nothing. Although they now still mine lots of different minerals. Most of the population in Potosi work in the mines, and they get by with 96% alcohol (as the silver was 96% pure) and chew on coco leaves (cocaine) while they work. In order to take photographs we had to offer the workers gifs, and so we did. We legally bought dynamite, sticks of TNT, fuse filled with gunpowder and some other nitrite explosive (the only place where it is legal to buy- so we had too!) we also bought them some coco leaves (sorry mum).
We got our overalls, boots, hard hats and lights and off we went. we both really enjoyed it and bought some souvenirs (silver, iron, fools gold, copper sulphate i think?!) Later that day we took a bus to Uyuni (Bolivia Salf Flats) S. x

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