Living the High Life

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After nearly three months spent exploring Chile and Argentina, the time came for a complete change of scene. So off to the highlands of Bolivia - bringing a dramatic change in culture, landscapes, and not least altitude.

We´re currently in Potosi; at 4060m it is the highest city in the world. Although totally wanting to be excited about this amazing country, our spirits have been humbled by varying degrees of altitude sickness and food poisoning - for the first time in our lives, we´ve been able to afford to eat out three times a day, but one of us has been on dry bread rations ever since we arrived! Having to catch our breath after exertion (such as eating and talking at the same time), we´re know we were sensible leaving the bikes behind (darn it, Id have loved to have attempted that amazing road that climbed from 2500 to 4800m - tarseal and all). The 16 cent buses around town are definately the way foward.

Built in the 15th Century, pedestrians rule Potosi, as fossil fuel powered vehicles struggle to make their way through narrow streets lined by buildings with an architecture that reminds us of Italy and France.

To get here, we travelled by jeep for three days through surreal landscapes; volcanic geysers and bubbling mud, volcanoes tinted with red, brown, yellow and purple hues, vividly coloured lagoons highlighted pink by flamingos, miles of deep and gravelly (another great reason not to have the bikes along cos it would be a loooong push) desert studded with outrageously eroded rocks. This region is possibly most famous for its salar - a 12000sq km expanse of salt plain. I´ll let the photos do the talking here.

Bolivia is building up to mardi gras - for the street vendors this means a roaring trade in water balloons and ginormous water guns, and for the kids a great excuse to direct their fire at the gringos (tourists). Even the 3 year olds have frighteningly acurate aim.

Entering a new country there is always a difference in the way of life and people; the uniqueness of Bolivia exemplified this rule. Experiencing Potosi revealed to us a history of wealth, demonstrated by its lavious architecture (it was one of the richest cities in the world). Today however, it demonstrates a presence of hardship and poverty. Both these situations are the result of mining silver from Cerro Rico, the local mountain that dominates the town. Unbelievably this mine has at times supplied over half the worlds silver ... at the cost of 8 million lives, and thus reducing the Quechan Indian population by 80%. Equally unbelievably, this mine is still active today, mined by men as young as 15 years with a working life expectancy of 10 years. Despite this shocking statistic, there is strong local pride, the locals dealing with the hardships they are faced with with immense dignity. For example the weather-worn women daily wear their traditional bowler hats over a life times growth of dark plaited hair, accompanied with generously pleated skirts, hand knitted shawls, stockings and graceful leather shoes. They carry their most recent child (the average is 7) in a traditional brightly coloured shawl on their back while (for the most fortunate) tending their street stalls. It was morally difficult and humbling to be a privilaged tourist in this situation.

Although eye opening and a valuable learning experience, the combination of altitude sickness, food poisoning and culture shock amongst the team, it was timely for us to be heading home.

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Comments

[Zane]

climb
I have a photo of me on top of that rock somewhere ;)