Blogs from Potosi, Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 13

So I find myself over 4000 m above sea level in Potosi, world famous for its mining. How did I get here? Well leaving La Paz was a blurr. The last day I tried to grab a flight to the jungle but seeing as how planes can´t land in the rain and it was raining i bought a ticket for an overnight bus to sucre. The amazing feeling of empowerment and freedom was powerwing me all through my morning, but then I began to deflate and grow tired as a I dodged crazy motorists, one of which literally drove into me - luckily because of my quick and distrustful instrincts i was able to stick out my hand in time to catch the hood of the car and vault over the corner as the merciless bastard ... read more

This is one of the most impressing visits i did. Potosi is the highest city in the world with 4060m. The Cerro Rico is the biggest mine in this region and from there opening in 16th century 8 million workers died here, of course most of them in the first centuries-most slaves. It¨s a silver mine which made Potosi once to one of the most riches cities in the world. But still around 40-50 miners die every year because of fallin¨rocks after explosion or mostly in cause of siliconis. One Tourist died because he tried to visit the mine alone. I have so much respect to this miners after seeing there working place and space. They are working under conditions we never could. This mine is still in use,it¨s a real mine,real working area we visited. ... read more

16/03/09 So Mike and I left our hostel and headed to the travel shop from where we booked our salt flat trip through to pick up our bus tickets. We had an extra spring in our step after an amazing few days on the salt flats. Either that or it was because we had hardly any clothes in our backpacks!ha We walked through the doors and we could tell within a split second by the mans face that he had forgot to book our tickets to Potosi. We jumped into his car and raced us down to the bus terminal. Well, a sandy street with a few run down looking huts. The bus was full but he managed to persuade the driver to let us sit in the isle if we gave him cash. Our man ... read more

hey-ho!!! Potosi, Bolivia is a very cool place filled with windy cobbled stone streets surrounded by beautiful big mountains! It is the highest city in the whole world so beware altitude sicknessers =P Most travelers visit Potosi to visit the Colonional mines that are still up and running. They do not use any powered machinery but they still use colonial simple tools.. a hammer and a chizzle. Potosi was one of the richest cities in the world in the 17th century because of how much silver they found. The major issue today is that the miners are dying within 10 years of after working in the mines due to Silicosis. Children are even working in the mines starting as young as 11!!! They are exposed to so many toxic chemicals & it is usually too hott ... read more

Tues 10th we took a morning bus from Uyuni to Potosi which was about 5-6 hours. Only two companies offer a 10am bus to Potosi, the others are all night buses. Was a bit tight some of the way, right on the edge of a cliff. Just as was wondering what would happen if a car was coming the other way the bus in front of us had a tractor come round a corner, and the tractor had to back up to let us go by. Bus broke once and we had to wait to let it cool down, was nicer than in the middle of the night cos could sit in the sun. The bus didn't stop at the bus station as you would expect, but at the bus office nowhere near the bus station. ... read more